ADDIS ABABA – Ethiopian wonder marathoners Kenenisa Bekele, Lelisa Desisa, Mosinet Geremew, Birhanu Legese and Sisay Lemma succeeded in registering remarkable result in the international arena in the last 15 days. That win gives high hope for Ethiopia to gain a sweeping victory in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
But as it was seen the Kenyan world record holders Eliud Kipchoge managed to secure a time below the two hours mark for the first time in over a century. Kipchoge managed to finish the most grueling 42 kilo meters and 142 meters at a time of one hour 59 minutes and 40 seconds in Austria, Vienna on Saturday.
However, it was not recognized as a world record by the sport’s governing International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) as it was not in open competition and used rotating pacemakers.
Kipchoge is the world record holder clocking at 2: 01. 39 in
Berlin in 2018. This year Ethiopian Kenenisa Bekele narrowly missed to break
this world record in Berlin marathon win. Kenenisa dramatically missed out on
the world record by two seconds after recording the second fastest time ever.
Kenenisa, winner in Berlin in 2016 and world record holder over 5,000 and 10,000 meters, finished in two hours, one minute and 41 seconds, agonizingly two seconds below to Kipchoge’s world record time.
When Kenenisa won the Berlin Marathon leaving his compatriots Birhanu Legese and Sisay Lemma to take the second and third places, in the order of that, the hope was that Ethiopians will be tough contenders at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
As if this was not enough, Lelisa Desisa ended an 18-year wait for the country when he made a spectacular sprint finish against compatriot Mosinet Geremew to win a midnight marathon at the 2019 Doha World Athletics Championship ten days ago.
The Doha victory gave more confidence to win the July 2020 Tokyo marathon. The confidence has real background. There will be five equally competent Ethiopian marathoners ready for Tokyo.
But now that confidence is put in to the question mark. Kipchoge’s Saturday run to meet the sub-two hour marathon attempt was done. Kipchoge is also the world record holder. Look at his confidence. It will be hard for the Ethiopians to easily crush his confidence.
But on the positive side look also at the experience, acclimatization and mental attitude of Ethiopians. Lelisa last year’s New York marathon winner and world silver medalist in Moscow six years ago, became the first Ethiopian to win the title since Gezahegne Abera took the world championship title in Canada in 2001. The weight of experience he is visible in this..
Though conditions were less brutal in Doha than previously thought, it was still 29.09 Celsius with 48.6% humidity at the start, and only 55 of the 73 starters completed the course. It is predicted that the temperature in Tokyo likely to be similar.
But Lelisa said he had been training especially under the conditions of burning sun. He said after Doha win, “I trained in a place with similar weather condition, so this race was not hard – it was similar to my training area.” What is learn from this that Ethiopians can acclimatize themselves during the preparation period to face the Tokyo heat-wave.
The following is the remark of Kenenisa after winning the Berlin Marathon: “I felt a little pain in the beginning so I dropped behind,” adding, “After a few kilometers I started relaxing so I tried to push a little bit.”
“I was recovering (from injury) only three months ago. My preparation was not 100%. Fantastic result but I feel sorry missing marathon record by two seconds,” Kenenisa said.
Kenenisa had knee and hamstring injuries in recent years and hadn’t completed a marathon since April last year, leading many to believe his best days were over. His world records over 5,000m and 10,000m are from 2004 and 2005, respectively. “I have shown that my career is far from over,” Kenenisa concluded.
This shows Kenenisa has strong mental attitude. Plus, if his recovery is 100 percent he predicts that his performance will be better.
Taking this all, the Ethiopians may strongly challenge Kichoge but that will not change the mathematics of the new test in Tokyo Olympics by the Kenyans.
The Ethiopian Herald October 15, 2019
BY SOLOMON BEKELE
