Kenenisa Bekele: how soon will he totally annihilate the distance WR's?

He's also been known to eat light breakfasts, have several mimi meals throughout the day, and then have a sensible dinner.

That's not always the case though, my friend. After his Sunday long runs, Mr. Bekele will make a trip to Shoney's for the all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet. He's been known to put down over a pound of bacon at one sitting.

Bekele content with '08 indoor debut

Running on the track that will host next month’s World Indoor Championships, the task of breaking Daniel Komen’s World 3000m record of 7:24.90 proved to be too tough and unassailable for Kenenisa Bekele who could not even better his brother Tariku’ world season best of 7:31.09.

The 25-year-old World indoor champion was paced through the first kilometre in a fine 2.28.99 split with Tariku, his compatriot Roba Gari and the Kenyan pair of Daniel Kipchirchir Komen and Edwin Soi in close attendance.

However, the pacemaking duties finished too early – exactly at the 1600m point insted of the scheduled 2000m – and so Bekele was forced to take command of the event with the clock reading four minutes. The 2000m point was covered by the leading group, always ruled by Bekele, in 5:02.26, a figure which suggested that any World record chance had already vanished.

The question was then would Bekele’s win be put in jeopardy as his rhythm slowed down drastically and a 1:05 400m split seemed to increase his pursuers’ winning possibilities? With 400m to go Tariku, Kipchirchir and his fellow Kenyan Edwin Soi remained at Bekele’s shoulder but the five-time double World Cross Country champion then unleashed his trademark devastating kick with 260m to go and a 26.2 final lap led him to a convincing 7.36.08 success while Soi – winner of the San Giorgio Su Legnano and Fuensalida XC permits in January - outclashed Tariku for second in 7:36.70 with the younger Bekele’s 7:37.09 clocking with Kipchirchir also dipping under the 7:40 barrier (7:38.58).

“I’m satisfied since the most important thing for me today was not to break the World record, which is extremely tough to beat, but just to kick off my indoor season and feel comfortable on the track. Definitely today’s win was not a piece of cake.”

When asked if he’s planning to return to Valencia next month to defend his 3000m World crown, a cautious Bekele replied: “Honestly, I have not made a decision yet, I’ll take it in one week’s time.”

You know- you just know- that Bekele wentback to the hotel and beat-it-on-uuuuuuuppp! Pop, pop, pop! Probably one of those German high jumpers.

Just sayin'...

I do know he prefers tube socks to ankle-height socks. He tried those Paula circulation compression socks, but was not a fan. Only tube socks for the man when training.

Bekele set to race in Edinburgh (World X-Country Meet)

Kenenisa Bekele seems almost certain to chase a record sixth victory at the World Cross Country Championships in Edinburgh on March 30.

The world's top distance runner, who last Saturday posted the fastest indoor time over two miles at the Norwich Union Grand Prix in Birmingham, has not been included in Ethiopia's team for the World Indoor Championships.

Bekele has played his cards close to his chest all year as to whether he would challenge for the indoor 3,000 metres gold medal or attempt to go into the history books by clocking up another world cross country success.

Final confirmation he will return to the Scottish capital, where for the last three years he has won the BUPA Great Edinburgh cross country, has still to be announced.

But significantly Dube Jillo, the Ethiopian Athletics Federation technical director, said on Tuesday: "He is saving himself for the world cross country."

Jillo explained Bekele's decision not to compete at the World Indoors, which begin in Valencia on March 7, was because he is eager to help develop the experience of the country's future generation of distance athletes.

"He told us that he wants to give an opportunity for other runners to take part," said Jillo.

Bekele's absence will give his younger brother Tariku, who currently tops the world indoor rankings, a good chance to claim the 3,000m gold medal.

On Wednesday Kenenisa will run an a.m. run of 8 miles, followed by an evening session of 5x 2 miles at 10 mile race pace.

That's my guess anyway.

will they stop kenenisa foe the first time since 2001?

Kenyan Provisional Team for Edinburgh

Gideon Ngatunyi

Mark Kiptoo

Hosea Macharnyang

Joseph Ebuya

Bernard Kiprop Kipyego

John Thuo

Leonard Komon

Moses Masai

Barnabas Kosgei

Isaac Songok

Augustine Choge

who will win team title at edinburgh keneya, ethiopia or eritrea?

individual better to forget it!

Gilbert Wandera

Nairobi

Kenyan coach Julius Kirwa believes the country will win the senior men 12km senior men individual category during World Cross Country Championships in Edinburgh, Scotland.

"Our aim is to win all the individual tittles and that includes the

12k.m event. We are particularly keen on this one because we last won it five years ago," he said.

Kirwa said he is confident that the team can deliver the title.

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"My runners are looking at beating the world. We are not training for any particular opponents," he said. Kirwa was delighted that the team has picked up well in training in the last one week.

"Initially we were worried that that the post election violence would have affect the athletes, since they were not training. However, I am happy that they have all picked up well in training," said Kirwa.

He said the two weeks will be enough to get them good results in Scotland where Kenya will be out to retain the world cross country title.

k. bekele for the men and meselesh melkamu and t. dibaba as expected officially named to ethiopian teams. the full list of all 4 of ethiopia's teams men senior and junior and womens senior and junior now posted on ethiopiarun.org

Back on the track for the two untouchable athletes KENENISA AND TIRUNESH.

I LOVE THAT WOMAN SHE IS A BABY FACE DESTOYER GO ETHIOPIA GO TIRUNESH

HERE COME THE KENENISA MONSTER!!! ZERENENAY AND KEYAN BETTER TO HIDE

Elshadai Negash for the IAAF

Ethiopian team for Edinburgh

6km Junior Women

1. Emebet Etea (Defence)

2. Genzebe Dibaba (Muger Cement)

3. Tigist Mamuye (Defence)

4. Bitew Yehunegne (Amhara region)

5. Bethlehem Moges (Defence)

6. Emebet Bacha (Ethiopian Banks)

8km Junior Men

1. Ibrahim Jeylan (Muger Cement)

2. Ayele Abshiro (Ethiopian Banks)

3. Hunegnaw Mesfin (Ethiopian Banks)

4. Dejen Gebremeskel (Ethiopian Banks)

5. Feyissa Lelisa (Defence)

6. Emane Merga (Defence)

8km Senior Women

1. Tirunesh Dibaba (Prisons Police)

2. Meselech Melkamu (EEPCO)

3. Gelete Burka (Prisons Police)

4. Koreni Jelila (Defence)

5. Mestawet Tufa (Omedla)

6. Asselefech Mergia (Omedla)

12km Senior Men

1. Kenenisa Bekele (Muger Cement)

2. Sileshi Sihine (Prisons Police)

3. Abebe Dinkessa (Prisons Police)

4. Demesew Tsega (St. George)

5. Gebregziabher Gebremariam (Ethiopian Banks)

6. Habtamu Fekadu (Defence)

7. Zenbaba Yegezu (St. George)

8. Dereje Regassa (Defence)

9. Tadesse Tola (Prisons Police)

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It will be interesting to see if the Kenyans are again talking too much and not being able to deliver as they state the Male Individal 12km title is an achieveable goal. Will Kenenisa snag his 6th individual long x-country title on one of his favorite x-country courses or will he be denied?

Redemption or Retention – Tadese and Bekele prepare to do battle – Edinburgh 2008

On paper it would seem an unusual head-to-head clash on which to promote a championship. Coming into the 36th IAAF World Cross Country Championships, Edinburgh, Scotland (30 March), Eritrean Zersenay Tadese has won just one of the eleven global championship battles he has had with Ethiopian Kenenisa Bekele during his career.

However, to think that would be to forget the momentous events which occurred last year in the senior men’s race at the World Cross Country Championships in Mombasa, Kenya, when not only did Tadese, the World Road Running champion, win the gold but his chief opponent, Bekele, the reigning five-times long course race titleholder, could not even finish.

Bekele, as three-time World 10,000m champion and 2004 Olympic 10,000m gold medallist, is arguably one of the greatest ever track runners but at cross country with ten individual senior race gold medals (he also won titles 2002-2006 at the now discontinued short race distance) and one junior crown he is definitively the greatest ever cross country runner.

Therefore Tadese’s defeat of Bekele last year in Mombasa was of seismic proportions in the world of distance running. The invincible five-times double champion had been slain, his run of victories halted in the spiritual heartland of the discipline, Kenya.

Bekele, the World 5000m and 10,000m record holder, has since bounced back retaining his 10,000m track title in Osaka last year, a race in which Tadese was fourth. More recently, on 12 January 2008 at the IAAF XC permit race in Edinburgh at the site of next week’s World Cross Country Championships, he beat Tadese convincingly in a sprint finish. The pair finished first and second.

But as Bekele said after his victory in Edinburgh - “It was a very different race to Mombasa. It was not a World Cross Country, but it was a very tough race… It was very important I won this race.”

There clearly remains a Mombasa ghost or two for Bekele to bury and when he next races in Edinburgh on Sunday 30 March it will very much be for World title honours.

Since Mombasa, despite his Osaka and Edinburgh defeats to Bekele, Tadese has reinforced his own credentials as a world player. The 2006 World Road Running champion retained that title in Udine last autumn, and on 3 February 2008 took victory in the Cinque Mulini in San Vittore Olona, the Italian leg of the IAAF XC Permit series, a fixture which is one of the classic races of the cross country circuit.

There are of course plenty of genuine contenders for the World Cross Country senior men’s title in Edinburgh but in essence the race boils down to these two men. The former champion looking for final redemption following Mombasa, and the defending titleholder focussed on retaining his title as he has done on the roads.

It is an example of a straightforward and very genuine sporting ‘head to head’ which will make the race on 30 March an intriguing and thoroughly entertaining encounter to watch.

Tadese vs Bekele at global title level

- 2002 World Cross Country Champs 12km – Dublin 2002-03-24

Tadese 36:37 (30th) - Bekele (1st)

- 2003 World Cross Country Champs 12.3km - Lausanne-La Broye 2003-03-30

37:10 (9) - 35:56 (1)

- 2003 World Champs in Athletics 5000m - Saint-Denis, Paris 2003-08-31

13:05.57 (8) - 12:53.12 (3)

- 2004 World Cross Country Champs 12km - Brussels 2004-03-21

36:37 (6) - 35:52 (1)

- 2004 Olympic Games 10,000m - Athens 2004-08-20

27:22.57 (3) - 27:05.10 (1)

- 2004 Olympic Games 5000m - Athens 2004-08-28

13:24.31 (7) - 13:14.59 (2)

- 2005 World Cross Country Champs 12km - Saint-Galmier 2005-03-20

35:20 (2) - 35:06 (1)

- 2005 World Champs in Athletics 10,000m - Helsinki 2005-08-08

27:12.82 (6) - 27:08.33 (1)

- 2006 World Cross Country Champs 12km - Fukuoka 2006-04-02

35:47 (4) - 35:40 (1)

- 2007 World Cross Country Champs 12km - Mombasa 2007-03-24

35:50 (1) - DNF (0)

- 2007 World Champs in Athletics 10,000m - Osaka 2007-08-27

27:21.37 (4) - 27:05.90 (1)

Tadese (1) – Bekele (10)

the worest tihng for tadesse and kenyan is that the ' monster' never lose at edinburgh and i can guess not only he won it but also with huge magrine.

Another garbage words from kenyan athletes

Kenya: Gifted Ebuya Out to Stop Kenenisa Next Sunday

The East African Standard (Nairobi)

22 March 2008

Posted to the web 21 March 2008

Mutwiri Mutuota

Nairobi

Joseph Ebuya is a special person from Turkana, a community that is not renowned for producing athletics talent.

The athlete, who was born in Nyahururu District, hails from Barrkoi in Turkana District.

"I am the only athlete from my district," he jokes.

The runner is confident of stopping five-time long race winner, Ethiopia's Kenenisa Bekele and defending champion, Eritrea's Zersenay Tadesse, at the World Cross in Edinburgh, Scotland, next Sunday.

Together with national cross-country champion, Gideon Ngatuny, and last year's long race bronze medallist Bernard Kiprop, Ebuya is well poised to challenge for the podium.

"He is in high spirits and it is evident he rates his chances of performing well highly. I expect him to deliver," national team head coach, Julius Kirwa, said of Ebuya.

"I want only gold," the double medallist (silver, 10,000m and bronze, 5,000m) at the Beijing World Junior Athletics Championships in 2006 states his mission for the 36th IAAF World Cross.

He has every reason to be confident after storming displays over cross-country this season.

In November, he won at the Spanish Cross Internacional Valle de Llodio 9.2km race in 27:05 to relegate team-mate Hosea Macharinyang to second.

Ebuya again beat Macharinyang for his second consecutive win at a 10km Cross-Country race in Soria in 28:58.

He continued his good form on December 2 by winning the 10.1km race in Alcobendas, Spain, in 29:08, making Macharinyang his bridesmaid once more.

His first race this year was in Amorebieta, Spain, where he finished runner-up after a thrilling battle with Tariku Bekele.

Ebuya tried to respond to the Ethiopian's kick in the final 100m, but could not close the gap with the younger Bekele, finishing just a second behind in 32:12.

Beating Kenenisa

Next up was a dress rehearsal for the Edinburgh championships where he came against the elder Bekele - five-time senior World Cross winner Kenenisa - finishing fourth in 27.43 in the Scottish capital.

"I learnt a lot by beating Kenenisa and I know that if we keep up with him from the first minute we have a chance of beating him, but if we let him go, then we stand no chance," he said.

Eight days later, he won a 10.23km race in Maliano, Spain, timing 28:58.

Come the IAAF Permit National Cross-Country Championships-cum-trials, Ebuya braved a thrilling battle of top athletes to book an automatic place in the Edinburgh squad after finishing fourth in 38:38.0.

Coming from a very humble background - his parents could not even afford to send him to school - Ebuya has overcome many obstacles to become a star. He was fourth in the junior race at the 34th World Cross in Fukuoka in 2006 to help Kenya win the team title, but finished outside the medals in the 5,000m race at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne that year.

Last year, he qualified for Osaka, but finished ninth in the 5,000m race in his maiden appearance at the event. "Inexperience cost me then and I ran poorly at the race where everyone was a top runner," he said.

The Pace Management runner has similar ambitions for the upcoming Beijing Olympiad. "I want to win my first senior track gold for Kenya in Beijing if all goes well."

After Ebuya's upturn in fortune, he has bought his family a 10-acre farm in Nyahururu where he is constructing a house for them.

"Through athletics I have earned some money which will help improve the life of my family."

RECORD 6th Senior X-Country Title

No ‘sole’ can stop Bekele – Edinburgh 2008

relnews Edinburgh, Scotland – In a remarkable triumph over adversity and the spirited endeavours of defending champion Zersenay Tadese, Kenenisa Bekele cleared a series of obstacles to win a record sixth Senior Men’s classic distance title - and US$30,000 - at the 36th IAAF World Cross Country Championships, at Holyrood Park, today.

Bekele overcame, in turn, a missed flight, overnight stomach troubles, a dislodged shoe early in the 12km race, and Tadese’s determined mid-race surges, to regain the crown he had won in five successive years from 2002 to 2006. Today’s victory takes his record number of individual World Cross Country titles to 12 (6 Long Course, 5 five Short Course, 1 Junior).

After increasing his total number of World Cross Country gold medals to 16 (including 4 team golds) and his record total count to 27 (16 gold, 9 silver, 2 bronze), Bekele acknowledged that his six classic victories might be the statistic that stands above all the others. Until today, the 25-year-old Bekele had shared a record five classic distance triumphs with Kenyans John Ngugi and Paul Tergat.

Having failed to finish in Mombasa last year, suffering stomach problems in the heat and humidity, Bekele fought back from the troubles thrown at him here to pull clear in the eleventh kilometre. In the end, it proved a comfortable victory over runner-up Leonard Patrick Komon, from Kenya, and Tadese, whose valiant title defence was rewarded with the bronze medal.

“As far as the sixth Long Course win is concerned, I tried to accomplish it last year but, because of the weather, I was not able to do it,” Bekele said. “This has a very high honour in my life. I have won the double five times but I think this compares to that. However, I leave the judging to those of you in the media.”

It was in the third kilometre that Bekele’s shoe was caught from behind, and worked loose, as the field bunched taking a bend. From his place near the front, he dropped way down the field as he stopped to secure it. “My shoe did not fall completely off but I had to stop to undo it and put it back on, so it was as if it fell off because of the effort needed to put it back on,” he said It was the first time, he added, such a misfortune had befallen him.

Having secured his shoe, Bekele worked his way back up the field and, before long, was in the leading group. When Tadese picked up the pace in the seventh kilometre, Bekele was well placed to respond. Dictating from the front, Tadese threw in several bursts, by the end of which he and Bekele had opened a small gap on the last challenging Kenyans, Komon and Joseph Ebuya.

A brief relaxation of pace allowed Komon and Ebuya to close up but, with four kilometres to run, the front four were well clear. With Tadese at the head, and the Kenyan pair side-by-side behind him, Bekele sat at the back before seizing his moment. Of his recovery from his near shoe disaster, he said: “It was near the beginning and I knew it would make the competition difficult because it is not easy to catch up after losing your shoe.

“I knew it would make the rest of the race tough. After the shoe came off I began to think a great deal about what I had to overcome and I had to focus a great deal on my race. If I had tried immediately to catch up it may have affected the rest of my race but instead I controlled my pace.”

Bekele had arrived later than planned in Edinburgh the day before the race. He missed his flight connection at London Heathrow after a delay to his original Ethiopian Airlines flight from Addis Ababa left him with only 30 minutes to connect in London. His delay was unrelated to the widely-publicised teething problems at Heathrow’s new Terminal 5.

Explaining how stomach trouble almost cost him dearly again, as it had last year, Bekele said: “The day before yesterday, as I was flying in from Ethiopia, there was a delay and I spent the night in London and arrived here yesterday about midday. I had eaten breakfast there before I left and, after it, I didn’t feel well. I then had lunch and dinner here and at night I didn’t feel well. I had to get up three or four times in the night to go to the bathroom and I wasn’t feeling good.”

Tadese said that he was happy with his run – “a bronze medal for my country is still important to me” – while Komon made a big impression in his first year out of the junior ranks. Aged 20, he led Kenya to a third successive team triumph (39 points) with Ethiopia second (105) and Qatar third (144).

David Powell for the IAAF

SORRY FOR TADESSE I WAS EXPECTING HIM 2 ND PLACE. I AM NOT HAPPY KEYAN ATHLETE IS IN SECOND POSITION

where are you the daily nation and kenyan standardnews paper.

the worest performance by kenyan shame on you. you speak a lot.