Kenenisa Bekele back in training, want to double at Daegu

world xc wrote:

Your forgetting WXC accomplishments of Bekele, which Geb is missing.

We're only talking about 10k accomplishments.

sbeefyk1 wrote:

Bekele's prime would destroy Geb's prime.

That's far from certain.

Geb was better over 1500m so perhaps he had better top end speed.

fff wrote:

Geb was better over 1500m so perhaps he had better top end speed.

Bekele has a world and olympic title at 5000. Geb has neither.

For the guy who said that Bekele has been in decline for over 5 years, that's just crazy talk. 2008-2009 he won double olympic gold and then double world's gold!

idiot alert wrote:

In Beijing he was playing with the other runners. "Trackcoach" - my ass.

I could be wrong, but what else do I have to go by except what I see; KB had his record setting performances in 2004/5, that’s about 7 years ago. There has never been any athlete in any sport I can think of that has had a span of 7 years since his best performances and someone says they are still the same athlete. For the last 3 years, KB has been a 12:50x and 27:40x runner, and a lot those times have come in races where he was expected to run fast. Those times are still pretty darn good and he won most of those races, but he has not looked dominate on the track in a long time and not to mention losing a few XC races as well.

The landscape has changed somewhat in the last couple of years, I don’t see anyone running the type of times KB was running in his prime; however, there are a lot of guys, especially in the 5000 that are capable of running fast, like Merga, Menjo, Lagat, TBekele, Soi, Kipchoge and the new guy, Alamirew who no body knows what he is capable of in a 5000. Perhaps the 10,000 is a difference story because no one has run really fast in a couple of years, but I would have to think that a few the talented Kenyan and Ethiopian 5000 runners are capable of running a fast 10,000 as well.

KB was once so dominate that I don’t think it’s crazy for someone to think he is going jump back on the track and win WC and Olympic gold medals; however, the prudent thinking is that his best are well behind him and if we go by his last dozen or so races, winning a gold medal in 2 or even one event is certainly possible, but doubtful.

stopped reading here

TrackCoach wrote:

For the last 3 years, KB has been a 12:50x and 27:40x

if you're willing to blatantly overlook easy facts to form your argument, i'm willing to blatantly overlook your post.

and i probably just fed a troll. smh

Bekele managed the double in 2008 at the Games and then again in 2009. There haven't been any world records in a while, but he was a monster in 2008-09. He had two injuries and has been out since then. He's in his late 20s, hardly ancient for a 5000 and 10000 guy. I think you need to wait a while before deciding that he is just another world class runner.

I still think an 80-90% fit Bekele wins the 10k. The only guy who can hurt him is Tadese really. If he's fit and front runs a 26:30-40 race then Bekele will struggle but if he's within 20 metres of Tadese come the bell then it's all over. There are better 10k kickers than Tadesse but they're usually dropped before the last 800m. How's Komon's track credentials? He's blazed the roads but that doesn't always correlate.

Bekele has never lost a 10k, he's a machine.

"For the last 3 years, KB has been a 12:50x and 27:40x"

Really because I could of sworn he ran 26:46 in 09, and 26:25 in 08.

Obi wan wrote:

"For the last 3 years, KB has been a 12:50x and 27:40x"

Really because I could of sworn he ran 26:46 in 09, and 26:25 in 08.

Just a guess, but I'm thinking that TrackCoach meant to say, "12:5x and 26:4x". So, you're getting on his case for a simple typo.

But then again, I'm just Wild Ass Guessing.

Wild Ass Guessing wrote:

Obi wan wrote:

"For the last 3 years, KB has been a 12:50x and 27:40x"

Really because I could of sworn he ran 26:46 in 09, and 26:25 in 08.

Just a guess, but I'm thinking that TrackCoach meant to say, "12:5x and 26:4x". So, you're getting on his case for a simple typo.

But then again, I'm just Wild Ass Guessing.

26:25 is faster than 26:4x.

Wild Ass Guessing wrote:

Obi wan wrote:

"For the last 3 years, KB has been a 12:50x and 27:40x"

Really because I could of sworn he ran 26:46 in 09, and 26:25 in 08.

Just a guess, but I'm thinking that TrackCoach meant to say, "12:5x and 26:4x". So, you're getting on his case for a simple typo.

But then again, I'm just Wild Ass Guessing.

Either way his post is ignorant. Saying that he is a 12:5X guy is utterly ridiculous because he never "went for it" during that time period. His goal was to win races, and he did just that.

MOVOM wrote:Either way his post is ignorant. Saying that he is a 12:5X guy is utterly ridiculous because he never "went for it" during that time period. His goal was to win races, and he did just that.

How is a roughly true statement of fact 'ridiculous'? Yes, it overlooks the context of the races in favor of only worrying about the specific time, but it isn't false. And you don't think he would have run faster if he easily could? The bottom line is he isn't in 12:30s shape lately, even if he's still better than the rest of the world. El G or Komen or Geb or Lagat in their primes would have beaten him in the 5 in Berlin, easily.

That said, he's still, like Geb, head and shoulders above the rest of the world, and if he gets in good training and comes in fit for him, he's going to destroy in Daegu.

loonybin wrote:

[quote]MOVOM wrote:Either way his post is ignorant. . El G or Komen or Geb or Lagat in their primes would have beaten him in the 5 in Berlin, easily.

What makes you say that?

MOVOM wrote:

Wild Ass Guessing wrote:

Just a guess, but I'm thinking that TrackCoach meant to say, "12:5x and 26:4x". So, you're getting on his case for a simple typo.

But then again, I'm just Wild Ass Guessing.

Either way his post is ignorant. Saying that he is a 12:5X guy is utterly ridiculous because he never "went for it" during that time period. His goal was to win races, and he did just that.

re: "Either way his post is ignorant."

"ignorant" - that's a little strong don't think.

KB is an incedible athlete and is still a medal contender in the 5000 and 10000, but he is only a shadow of his former self. KB has had several races were he had 2 world class rabbits, he stated he was going to run fast, he had financial incentives to run fast and he has consistently underperformed. This has been a trend for several years now and it is no different than the decline you see with any athlete. BK has been a world class since 2002, that's almost 10 years and between the hard training, injuries and life changes, etc., things are probably reaching the point they always do. No body knows for sure what KB still has left in the tank, but based on everything I have seen and know, the next couple of years will not be pretty.

I meant 26:4x from an earlier post and perhaps being that KB was so far ahead of the world in the 10,000 that if he can get back to 85% of his old self...who knows what can happen.

Btw, it's ok to disagree with, but I don't like being called ignorant.

TrackCoach wrote:

[quote]MOVOM wrote:

[quote]Wild Ass Guessing wrote:

[quote]Obi wan wrote:

Btw, it's ok to disagree with, but I don't like being called ignorant.

Ignorant: lacking knowledge, information, or awareness about something in particular.

You said that he has been a 26:4x guy for the last three years. He ran 26:25 in 2008. You must have been ignorant of that fact. Perhaps that is all he meant.

toro wrote:

They both have two Olympic Golds and 4 WC Golds. Geb had to race Tergat and Hissou in their prime.

They both set the WR in the 10,000

Geb lowered the record by 30 s over time and took the record from three different people, Bekele by 5 s.

In addition, Geb has a WC Silver medal and a Bronze medal and two top 6 Olympic finishes.

He is clearly more accomplished.

Bekele has beaten Geb three times in Championship races, all after Geb had moved to marathon training and had past his prime at 10,000m.

Bekele has plenty of time to compete in four more Championships to surpass Geb.

(Having the current WR doesn't make you the best ever. No one thought Chelimo, Ondieki or Hissou were the best ever)

You're right. Having the current WR doesn't necessarily make you the best 10k runner ever, but it certainly helps the case of a 6-time world champ who has never been beaten in the 10k. Maybe I am jumping ahead here though. I suppose I am making the assumption that KB will return to form and kick some ass in the 10k for another couple years, and that assumption could be wrong, of course. If KB wins gold in Daegu or London, I think he earns the distinction GOAT.

vdawg wrote:

oops, thats the 5000m. here's the 10000m:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRCB-wrPIUY

That was some nasty nasty racing right there. What a badass.

If Bekele isn't at full strength I'd say Tadese has a chance if he tries to break Bekele like he did in 09...then again Tadese may not be able to replicate his run in 09, he closed the last 5000m in 13:10 or so and still got blasted.