Posted: August 17, 2004

Athletics: Gebrselassie Injury To His Left Achilles Not Knee

From David Monti

(c) 2004 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved RaceResultsWeekly.com

ATHENS (17-Aug) -- The managment firm which represents Haile Gebrselassie contacted Race Results Weekly today to clarify the nature of his injury.

"It is not true that Haile got a knee injury during the meeting in London," wrote Michel Boeting of Global Sports Communications, the Dutch-based athletics consulting business owned by Jos Hermens. "He has a problem in his left achilles tendon (under the heel). Acute Achilles inflamation (no bursa). This was developed about a month ago during a very strong hill training in very wet (muddy) conditions."

In a story published yesterday in RRW Ethiopian correspondent, Elshadai Negash, had identified the injury as being to his knee.

"He has been in Münich visiting Dr. Müller Wolfahrt and it is improving," continued Boeting. "Time will tell whether he can make it; decision will be made on Wednesday."

Gebrselassie had planned to make his final appearance on the track here in Athens on Friday night to attempt to win an unprecedented third-straight Olympic 10,000m title. His main rival is countryman Kenenisa Bekele, the 6-time world cross country champion who this year surpassed Gebrselassie's world records for 5000m and 10,000m.