Kenenisa Bekele

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Kenenisa Bekele (ቀነኒሳ በቀለ) (born June 13, 1982 in Bekoji/Arsi Province Ethiopia) is an Ethiopian distance runner who took the gold medal in the 10,000 m at the 2003 World Championships in Athletics and the bronze at the 5,000 m.

As of 2006, he has taken both (short and long) races at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships five years in a row, a feat no other runner has accomplished even once. In 2004, he broke the world records for the indoor 5,000 m, outdoor 5,000 m and outdoor 10,000 m.

Bekele has faced his mentor Haile Gebrselassie once in road competition and four times on the track. Gebrselassie defeated Bekele in the 2001 Great Ethiopian Run 10km but lost in Hengelo 2003 over 10,000 m (26:53 to 26:54), Rome 2003 over 5000 m (12:57 to 13:00), Paris 2003 over 10,000 m (26:49 to 26:50), and Athens 2004 (27:05 to 27:27). In the 10,000 m at the 2004 Summer Olympics Kenenisa took the title away from his compatriot Haile Gebrselassie, who achieved a fifth place. Bekele closed the last 400 in 53.02 seconds, outkicking his teammate Sileshi Sihine. Bekele also took a close silver medal in the 5,000 m in the same Olympics, being kicked down in the last 50 meters by the miler Hicham El Guerrouj.

Bekele is renowned for this ability to accelerate very quickly at the end of a long distance race; in Oslo, Norway in June 2003, Bekele chased after Kenyan Abraham Chebii and ran a 54.64 final 400 to win the race in 12:52.26. Again in Lausanne, Switzerland on July 1, 2003, Bekele recorded a 200 m segment during the last lap in 24 seconds and a 100 m section in 11.xx seconds to run a 52.63 final lap.

Bekele won the gold medal in the 10,000 m at the 2005 World Championships in Athletics with a stunning last 200 m spurt before later in the summer taking down his own 10,000 m WR in Brussels, Belgium, running 26:17.53 with 5,000 m halves of 13:09 and 13:08.

Current world records (as of August 2005)

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5,000 m indoor world record 12:49.60 (Birmingham, England, on February 20 2004)
5,000 m world record 12:37.35 (Hengelo, Netherlands, on May 31 2004) from compatriot Haile Gebrselassie at 12:39.36 (on June 13, 1998)
10,000 m world record 26:17:53 (Brussels, Belgium, on August 26 2005, breaking his previous record of 26:20.31 from June 8, 2004, which at the time replaced Gebrselassie's former record at 26:22.75 from June 1, 1998).

Major victories

2006 World Country Cross Champion in short race, Fukuoka (Japan)
2006 World Country Cross Champion in long race, Fukuoka (Japan)
2006 World Indoor Champion 3,000 m, Moscow (Russia)
2005 World Country Cross Champion in short race, St. Etienne (France)
2005 World Country Cross Champion in long race, St. Etienne (France)
2005 World Track Champion 10,000 m, Helsinki (Finland)
2004 World Country Cross Champion in short race
2004 World Country Cross Champion in long race
2004 Olympic Champion 10,000 m, Athens (Greece)
2003 World Country Cross Champion in short race
2003 World Country Cross Champion in long race
2003 World Track Champion 10,000 m, Paris (France)
2002 World Country Cross Champion in short race
2002 World Country Cross Champion in long race
2001 World Junior Cross Country Champion 8000 m

Olympic medalists in athletics (men) | Olympic Champions in Men's 5 miles and 10000 m

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As five miles: 1906: Henry Hawtrey | 1908: Emil Voigt

External links

*IAAF profile for [Kenenisa Bekele]

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