Haile’s successor

Paris 2003 was the end of the Haile Gebrselassie era. That also was the beginning of the Kenenisa Bekele era.

From about 200 metres to the finish, when Bekele took off in the 10,000 metres at the Paris World Championships, the world knew it had a new distance king in the making. Just 21 then, Bekele had beaten Gebrselassie at Hengelo, the latter’s favou rite venue for setting world records, in the 10k prior to the Worlds.

“I am Haile’s successor, and it is a wonderful feeling and my victory is also for him,” said Bekele about his idol and training partner. Gebrselassie had done all the front-running and when the last lap came, it was felt that the great Ethiopian would come up with his ‘deadly’ kick. Instead it was Bekele who showed his reserves.

Since Paris, Bekele has wrested the 5000-metre and 10,000-metre world records from Gebrselassie. He has added two more world titles in the longer distance and now owns five world records in all including two indoors.

Bekele won the 10,000 metres at the Athens Olympics and should once again start the overwhelming favourite for the distance in Beijing where he is expected to go for the double. Last time, Moroccan Hicham El Guerrouj had pushed him to second place in the 5000 metres.

Quite amazingly, Bekele, a six-time world cross-country champion over the classical distance, has a 5-0 win-loss record against Gebrselassie. He has a similar record against another of his team-mates, Silesh Sihine, and has lost just once to Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge in six meetings over 5000 metres.

K. P. Mohan