Team Ethiopia

Archive for August, 2009

 

Distance runner Kenenisa Bekele of Ethiopia added another chapter to his incredible career on Sunday at the world track and field championships, winning gold in the men’s 5,000-metre race to secure the same double he won in the 2008 Olympics.

Bekele, 27, controlled the pace for most of the race and withstood a Kenyan challenge mid-race and a furious charge around the final bend from American Bernard Lagat for the victory.

The two were sprinting side by side until Bekele found another gear and pulled away in the final 50 metres.

“It was a very hard race,” Bekele said. “I’ll never forget this race. I never made a double in the Olympics and world championships. I’m so happy.”

Bekele became the first Ethiopian to win 5,000 world championship gold. The Ethiopian finished the race in 13 minutes 17.09 seconds, while Lagat settled for silver with a time of 13:17.33. The American was elated with his performance, as he was running on a left ankle that had been sewn up with four stitches and numbed before the final. Read the rest of this entry »