If you want to play this game then you need to incorporate HOW Bekele won his Olympic and WC golds and over WHOM.
2003:
- Watch the Paris 10k.... nuff said
More recently:
2008:
- Bekele runs OR 12:57 over Kipchoge 13:02 absolutely dismantling everyone over the last kilometer
- Bekele runs 27:01 (aready owns Championship record..) over Sihine 27:02 (26:39 PR) and Micah Kogo 27:04 (26:35 PR)
2012:
- Farah runs 13:41 ftw (Levins won NCAAs in 13:40...)
- Farah runs 27:30 narrowly beating Rupp and the post-prime Bekele brothers.
2016:
- Farah wins in 13:03 over Paul Chelimo who set a PB of 13:03 in that race— an Olympic final... ? —- clearly not a field on-par with the prime Bekele dominance era
- Farah wins in 27:05 after tripping himself. No one cares to capitalize or try anything risky. Snoozefest.
2017:
- Farah loses the 5,000 in spectacular fashion
- Farah wins the 10,000 in the most exciting, and respectable race of his career, likely costing him the 5,000 gold.
So either a “win is a win,” ( which it isn’t...) or we should spend less time cherry-picking the totality of circumstances surrounding these victories.
No one can deny Mo Farah’s range. Clearly the best top-end (HM) range of any mile specialist we’ve seen. Too bad Mo never focused on his true calling. That decision had nothing to do with jogging to 5/10k gold over scrubs because the 1500m fields were VERY stout. Nope not at all.
... Need I continue?