Posted: March 15, 2005

Athletics: Qatar Ready To Mix It With Ethiopia And Kenya – World Cross Country

Monte-Carlo - It is natural that the names of Kenenisa Bekele and Eliud Kipchoge seem to automatically dominate the men’s entry lists for the 33rd edition of the IAAF World Cross Country Championships, St-Etienne/St-Galmier, France.

The World 10,000m and 5000m track champions respectively, Bekele and Kipchoge have had some memorable battles on the track at 5000m. At the 2003 World Championships and 2004 Olympic Games, the two shuffled 5000m medals, with the Kenyan coming away with gold and bronze, and the Ethiopian bronze and silver.

Even though last year’s much awaited Long Race joust at the World Cross Country in Brussels turned out to be nothing more than an easy victory parade for Bekele, with Kipchoge an exhausted and distant fourth, any meeting between these two prodigious talents is eagerly anticipated.

Yet in the turmoil and tragedy of Bekele’s much publicised bereavement this January perhaps to talk of such battles is to unfairly promote a contest which may never materialise considering that since his fiancée’s sudden death the previously invincible Ethiopian has been a shadow of his former self.

But we need not worry, as there was another World track champion in the World Cross Country mix last year in Brussels and who like Bekele and Kipchoge returns to do battle again next weekend. The World 3000 metres Steeplechase champion and World record holder Saif Saaeed Shaheen heads an impressive Qatari team for next weekend.

More...from the IAAF.