Has Geb ever lost to a non-african?

he lost to mottram over 5k

London Marathon this year, he lost to Baldini:

1 (1) 5 FELIX. LIMO (KEN) M25 2:06:39

2 (2) 1 MARTIN. LEL (KEN) M25 2:06:41

3 (3) 10 HENDRICK. RAMAALA (RSA) M30 2:06:55

4 (4) 3 KHALID. KHANNOUCHI (USA) M30 2:07:04

5 (5) 9 STEFANO. BALDINI (ITA) M30 2:07:22

6 (6) 15 ROGERS. ROP (KEN) M30 2:07:34

7 (7) 20 HICHAM. CHATT (MAR) M35 2:07:59

8 (8) 8 JAOUAD. GHARIB (MAR) M30 2:08:45

9 (9) 6 HAILE. GEBRSELASSIE (ETH) M30 2:09:05

Well his debut at London he lost to KK, an American.

Baldini in London this year is European and KK again.

when did he lose to Mottram over 5k? I remember in London '04, he almost lost to Mottram but still pulled it out at the end.

I've followed his career pretty closely over the years, and I'll go out on a limb and say no.

Ona related note, I wonder who has the better career win-loss record (against all other runners, i.e. if they get beat by three runners in a race, that counts as three losses), Geb or Tergat?

That's not true at all (see Baldini). Also, he finished 6th in an indoor 800m in Europe, I think there was a European guy ahead of him in that race as well.

he got rocked at world cross one year.

I think some of you cling to this delusion that Geb got 1st place at every single race he ever ran. I'm not saying he sucks or isn't the best runner of all time, but I think a lot of you would be surprised at the number of races Geb didn't win in his running career. Anyone care to compile a list of races Geb didn't win and who he lost to?

well if someone has a copy of "The Greatest" they have his entire race history in the appendix. He didn't get first every single time, but a sick majority of the time he did.

As for World Cross, he NEVER lost to a non-African:

'91 (junior race):

1 23:59 Andrew Sambu (1972.10.05) 18.170 TAN

2 24:04 Mumo Muindi (1969. . ) 21/22y KEN

3 24:04 Fita Bayissa (1972.12.15) 18.099 ETH

4 24:09 Joseph Kibor (1972.12.22) 18.092 KEN

5 24:12 Fekadu Degefu (1972. . ) 18/19y ETH

6 24:17 Josephat Kiprono (1973.04.01) 17.357 KEN

7 24:19 Ismael Kirui (1975.02.20) 16.032 KEN

8 24:23 Haile Gebrselassie (1973.04.18) 17.340 ETH

'92 (junior race)

1 23:27 Ismael Kirui (1975.02.20) 17.030 KEN

2 23:35 Haile Gebrselassie (1973.04.18) 18.338 ETH

'93

1 32:51 William Sigei (1969.10.11) 23.168 KEN

2 32:56 Dominic Kirui (1967.04.12) 25.350 KEN

3 32:59 Ismael Kirui (1975.02.20) 18.036 KEN

4 33:14 Moses Tanui (1965.08.20) 27.220 KEN

5 33:21 Ezequiel Bitok (1966.01.15) 27.072 KEN

6 33:22 Khalid Skah (1967.01.29) 26.058 MAR

7 33:23 Haile Gebrselassie (1973.04.18) 19.344 ETH

'94

1 34:29 William Sigei (1969.10.11) 24.166 KEN

2 34:30 Simon Chemoiywo (1968.04.20) 25.340 KEN

3 34:32 Haile Gebrselassie (1973.04.18) 20.342 ETH

'95

1 34:05 Paul Tergat (1969.06.17) 25.281 KEN

2 34:13 Ismael Kirui (1975.02.20) 20.033 KEN

3 34:14 Salah Hissou (1972.01.16) 23.068 MAR

4 34:26 Haile Gebrselassie (1973.04.18) 21.341 ETH

'96

1 33:44 Paul Tergat (1969.06.17) 26.280 KEN

2 33:56 Salah Hissou (1972.01.16) 24.067 MAR

3 33:58 Ismael Kirui (1975.02.20) 21.032 KEN

4 34:10 Paul Koech (1969.06.26) 26.271 KEN

5 34:28 Haile Gebrselassie (1973.04.18) 22.340 ETH

Fan of all track stars wrote:

I think some of you cling to this delusion that Geb got 1st place at every single race he ever ran.

No, I don't think just about running fan believes that, sorry.

Fan of all track stars wrote: I'm not saying he sucks ....

Good for you. That takes courage to say that "Geb doesn't suck."

Fan of all track stars wrote: but I think a lot of you would be surprised at the number of races Geb didn't win in his running career. Anyone care to compile a list of races Geb didn't win and who he lost to?

Actually, he's lost very few races for an entire career that has spanned well over a decade and has included races from 1500 to marathon, from track to roads to x-c to indoor. Here are a few off the top off my head (not 100% accurate, but this is all from memory, I am not looking up one of these ):

* Lost a few world x-c races during Tergat's reign. Usually was around 3-5th.

* Lost a track grand prix 5k to Komen

* Got a silver, I think, in his first World track champs in th 5k after winning the 10k (only time he attempted track double?)

* Lost to El G at 1500 indoors early in El G's career

* Lost to Bekele a few times at 10k in 2003

* lost an indoor deuce to a fellow Ethiopian (name slips my mind for the moment)

* 2001 world champs 10k, coming back from injury, took 2nd or 3rd.

* 2004 Olympics, coming back from injury, took 4th or 5th behind Bekele, Sihine, Tadesse, and some Kenyan(?) at 10k

* lost to KK and Tergat in marathon "debut"

* lost to several people in London this year

He hasn't lost too many other races besides those (certainly a few more). And that's pretty damn impressive for someone competing for so long over so many distances over so many different surfaces.

He lost a few 5000's in '93 and '94 to some Kenyans and Moroccans.

he lost to Komen in '96 Zurich after winning in Atlanta - I think Komen set the WR that race.

Geb had something like 7 straight years where he didn't lose a 10,000 -'94 to 2000.

Aside from cross and indoors (even indoors he won a lot more than he lost though), he almost never lost, at least through 2000.

Outdoors in his prime from '94 to 2000, in his two main events (5 and 10) it's doubtful any non-african beat him.

This must be all occasions, when Haile Gebrselassie lost to an non-african:

10.01.1993 Egmond (NED) Mizuno-Half-Marathon 1:04:29 (4.)M. Goegebeur, BEL (2.)

13.03.1993 Alphen (NED) Road Race 20km(r) 59:36 (3.)

P. Evans, GBR (1.); B. Van Vlaanderen, NED (2.)

18.12.1994 Bruxelles ASLK/CGER Crosscup / IAAF XC Challenge 10,5km(c) 31:28 (3.)

P. Guerra, POR (2.)

09.02.1997 Dortmund Sparkassen Meeting 800m(i)1:49,35 (5.)

M. Eplinius, GER (2.); N. Motchebon, GER (3.); F. Leiter, GER (4.)

30.01.1998 Dortmund Sparkassen Indoor-Meeting 800m(i)

1:50,39 (6.)

N. Motchebon, GER (2.); M. Eplinius, GER (3.); N. Schumann (4.); D. Leo, GER (5.)

23.04.2006 London London Marathon 2:09:05 (9.)

S. Baldini, ITA (5.)

In addition to that, he lost two times to Khalid Khannouchi in London, but Khannouchi for sure is african-born.

So, Gebrselassie lost to no less than five Germans! Two of them actually beat him two times! But I don`t think, 800m is Gebrselassies best distance...

Both of his 800m races were far from perfect. He was behind after the start, and went to the front shortly, running wide in the curve. Indoors! I think he could have run around 1:46 outdoors, maybe little faster. An 1000m with Haile would have been very interesting, I think.

One week before the first of his two 800m races, I spoke to Haile Gebrselassie in the hotel where he stayed before the Stuttgart indoor meet, where El Guerrouj set the current 1500m world indoor redcord, and Haile finished also under the old record. I told him from Aouita, who beat the best 800m runners in the world, when he was 5000m world record holder. Gebrselassie was very interested (he didn`t know that) and run over 800m one week later...

What about his marathon debut where he ran like 2:40-something?

I guess that doesn't count as a race since he was still pretty young?

JEH wrote:

What about his marathon debut where he ran like 2:40-something?

I guess that doesn't count as a race since he was still pretty young?

I think that race was in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. I may be wrong but I don't think there would have been many non-africans in that race.

It was in Addis Abeba, so I`m pretty sure, that no Non-African finished ahead of him there...

That's some good detective work! And "D. Leo", whose name I don't remember, must be pretty happy to have Geb's scalp.

Yes, Darko Leo, a name to remember. He always can say "I have beaten the greatest runner in history!".