Bekele only closes in 53", Tegenkamp and OTC will Dominate

Yes I can see it now, "Jager outkicks Bekele".

ya closing in 53 to win in 13:04 isn't to impressive

Tree Frog wrote:

Seriously, Teg & Solinsky have proven they have the wheels to close in 53", but can they do it off a 13-flat pace?

I highly doubt that either of them can run a 53 in a race as fast or faster than their PRs, but in the World Champs it could very well be a tactical race and they could have a slim chance.

edumacator wrote:

Yes I can see it now, "Jager outkicks Bekele".

ahahhahahh, well played.

jabroniii wrote:

ya closing in 53 to win in 13:04 isn't to impressive

Actually when talking about the worlds best, it's not. Lagat closed in 52 off a pace 4 seconds faster before.

However, Bekele was not all out that last lap. anytime someone made a challenge he kicked it up a gear. I think he probably had a high 51 in him if he needed it.

Bekele is going for the six GL wins/ million dollars right? That's tough, there's no reason for him to do anything more than the minimum required to win. He probably could have easily gone 50-51 if he really wanted to, but there's no need for it. Besides, he also went 13:04...Teg's PR from 3 years ago. Good luck with that, Matt.

What does it mean to close in 53 inches?

X Runner wrote:

What does it mean to close in 53 inches?

it means he covered the final lap in the time it would normally take the other runners to run 53 inches.

When has bekele closed in faster than 53? At the WCs and Olympics, I've only seen 53-lows from him, never 50 or 51. The thing is, the 53 is usually preceded by a 60 or two.

he didn't look like he could've run much faster the last lap.

he probably could've taken off earlier, but i think that last 400 was all-out

12345 wrote:

When has bekele closed in faster than 53? At the WCs and Olympics, I've only seen 53-lows from him, never 50 or 51. The thing is, the 53 is usually preceded by a 60 or two.

This guy is right on. Maybe he could run a 51 off of a slower pace, but running the kick out of everyone over the last 800-1600m is a more foolproof strategy if you're strong enough to pull it off.

...let's see...Tegenkamp and Solinski just peaked for the championships. The world class guys are just getting ready to run fast,...which is still faster than what Teg and Solinski can run in top shape...

...anyone seeing the problem?

YES

But Bekele can too. And faster

All you people are ARSES, Jager and Solinsky will not even make it through the prelims. I don't care if they can close in 49 seconds. Half way through the race they will realize that the pace is just too fast, and they'll either have to slow down, or drop out.

Yeah, if it\'s anything like last year\'s Olympics the OTC guys will not stand a chance. He ran the last 400 in 53 mid, yes, but he ran the last 1600 in 3:56. The greatest 5000 ever run with the possible exception of Geb\'s 12:39 with a 3:59 low last 1600. However, is Bekele going to even do a double at the WC in Berlin. Recent championships without him have gone very slowly, which gives Solinksy and Teg a kicker\'s chance. They can close in 52 or 53 to run 13:20.

of course, only delusional college white boys believe that solinsky and tegenkamp can "dominate" the africans.

If anything, Jager has the best chance in the future, he's too young right now.

joke thread.

Here are some FACTS -

2008 Beijing Olympic 5000m Final -

1. Kenenisa Bekele (Ethiopia), 12:57.82

(14.1, 27.7, 54.0, 1:54.7, 2:55.7, 3:57.0, 4:57.0)

NO ONE COULD KICK WITH HIM

2. Eliud Kipchoge (Kenya), 13:02.80

(58.8)

3. Edwin Soi (Kenya), 13:06.22

(61.8)

So, he does not close faster than 54-seconds and in my opinion is NOT in 2008 FORM, but he will make the race miserable for everyone the final 2km in a championship setting if he is FIT. He seems to be leaving a lot of athletes in the mix with 300m remaining, and with someone as savvy and fast as Kipchoge (who out-kicked Bekele in 2003 WC 5000m), it could get interesting.

chrisdiaz16 wrote:

he didn't look like he could've run much faster the last lap.

he probably could've taken off earlier, but i think that last 400 was all-out

Bekele had a couple surges anytime someone moved up to him, and looked over his shoulder about a dozen times, and actually PICKED IT UP th last 80 meters. That is not an all out 400. That's a do as much as he had to, and react to any challenges last 400, and then sprint it home when he was in the clear.

Jag and Teg will close in 53 but how does that help if they're 53 seconds behind going into the last lap?