El Goat wrote:
Bekele was 0-2 against El G in global championship 5ks. And Bekele was in his prime in those years.
While marathon and world cross are great the most significant test of a runner is the track. On the track El G is the Goat.
El Gs 1500 and mile records still stand and his double gold in 2004 was the highest achievement in distance running history considering who he defeated to do that.
Bekele was not in his prime when he faced El G. He was a young inexperienced up and comer competing in his first world championships and first Olympics. He might have seemed like he was in his prime because he was already breaking records and winning gold medals, but he was barely 21 in Paris and 22 in Athens. For reference, that’s younger than Galen Rupp was when Rupp won his first NCAA track championships.
Remember, it took El G until his third Olympics to win gold. It’s understandable that Bekele wasn’t ready to pull off the double in his first Olympics at an age when many Americans are still in college.