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From David Monti
© 2007 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved RaceResultsWeekly.com
By Bob Ramsak
BRUSSELS – Kenenisa Bekele’s assault on his own 10,000m world record is set to take center stage when the Golden League series resumes at the 31st edition of the Memorial Van Damme in the Belgian capital on Friday night.
At this competition two years ago, Bekele lowered his own record in the event to 26:17.53. Then, he was paced by his brother Tariku, who took him through the first half in just over 13:09, before he eventually lowered the mark with a 57-second closing lap.
"A record is not easy every time," said Bekele, who’ll be making his first start since winning his third consecutive world title over the distance late last month. "You can have it if you work hard, and if the conditions are right, but it’s not easy."
Bekele said he squeezed "easy training" sessions into his schedule after returning home from Osaka, a hectic period which included Ethiopia’s new Millenium celebrations. "I had a great time," Bekele said, "sometimes I stayed up until two in the morning."
Bekele, his manager Jos Hermens, and Meet Director Wilfried Meert all agree that finding adequate pace-making is one of the toughest chores in the sport today, a problem compounded by the fact that their choice is limited to Ethiopians. The Kenyan federation, Hermens said, isn’t usually too willing to have Kenyan runners pace an Ethiopian on a world record bid.
Sharing the pacing chores will be Bekele’s training partner Hailu Dinku, and Abreham Cherkos Feleke, whose job will be to reach the first half in under 13:10. Running on his own after that, Bekele said, "Is no problem."
"My shape is better now than it was two years ago, and one year ago when I ran more Golden League races. I’m in good shape now."
But Bekele said that the psychological aspects of a world record run outweigh the physical.
"It’s very hard to stay concentrated, to run 25 laps at 63 seconds per lap."
Would winning the race but missing the record be a disappointment? After a long pause, Bekele smiled and said, "It’s OK, no, it wouldn’t be disappointing."
The Memorial Van Damme has become synonymous with fast times in the men’s 10,000. Of the 51 performances under 27 minutes, 29 have been run on the track at the Stade Roi Baudouin, including15 of the fastest 25. It’s certainly likely that several more performances will be added to that list Friday night. But who is anybody’s guess.
"We never know who will be the main competitors (in a 10,000m)," Bekele said. "I just wait to see."
The strong field includes Qatari Ahmad Hassan Abdullah, the former Kenyan Albert Chepkirui, who ran his PB of 26:38.76 here in 2003, won in 2004, and returns again this year after not finishing in Osaka. Also returning is the defending champion Micah Kogo of Kenya, whose 26:35.63 was the fastest in the world last season. Ethiopian Gebre Gebremariam, sixth in Osaka and with a 26:52.33 PB from Hengelo this year, could also be a factor.
In his first track race since June 2006, Meb Keflezighi, the Olympic silver medallist in the marathon, is running to improve his U.S. record of 27:13.98, set in 2001.
"His training indicates he can do it," his coach, Bob Larsen, said. "Now we just have to hope that the race can be set up that way."
Perhaps to avoid a head-to-head clash in a world record attempt, Sileshi Sihine, the runner-up in the Osaka 10,000, will contest the shorter 5000 this weekend. The winner in the Rome leg of the Golden League series, Sihine will face Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge in his first outing since taking silver in Osaka, and the younger Bekele, Tariku, who was a distant sixth in the Zurich 3000m one week ago.
American Matt Tegenkamp, fourth in Osaka, has chosen Brussels for his final race of the season. "It’s going to be a 12:50 race, so I’m just going to go for it." The pacing duty calls for a 7:40 pace for the first 3000 meters.
In a wide open men’s 1500, Osaka silver medallist Rashid Ramzi returns to action to head the field. The chief competition looks to be from Kenyans Daniel Kipchirchir Komen and Asbel Kiprop. Komen’s season looked quite promising after his 3:48.28 victory in the Prefontaine Classic mile in early June; but he hasn’t won a race since. Kiprop, still just 18 and the world junior cross country champion, raced to fifth in Zurich last weekend after his fourth place finish in Osaka. Zurich winner Mehdi Baala originally wanted to go after Fermin Cacho’s European record, but has pulled out and reportedly ended his season due to a bad cold. Alan Webb, originally slated to compete, had a change of heart after Zurich, Meert said, and has already returned home to Virginia.
World leader Paul Kipsiele Koech, the world leader in the steeplechase this year at 7:59.42, will take on recently minted world chqmpion Brimin Kipruto. The latter will be targetting his first sub-eight-minute performance. A late hour scratch is Mohamed Mustafa of Sweden, an 8:05 performer earlier this season, and the fourth place finisher in Osaka.
Every top level 800m clash of the year has been a wide open affair this season, and Brussels appears to be no different. World leader Mbulaeni Mulaudzi returns to action after his disappointing seventh place finish in Osaka, while Yuriy Borzakovskiy, the runner-up at the World championships, arrives after his sixth place showing in Rieti. World champion Alfred Kirwa Yego lost his follow-up races in Rieti and Rovereto, while World junior champion David Rudisha, also from Kenya, arrives after a solid victory in Zurich. The latter, just 18 with just one loss this season, could be considered the favorite.
The feature bill on the women’s distance program is the rarely-run 2 miles, where Meseret Defar, in her first race since winning the 5000m title in Osaka, will presumably be chasing her 9:10.47 world best from May. The Ethiopian’s run in Carson, Calif., was a time trial --runner-up Megan Metcalfe was 27 seconds back-- but here she’s likely to have company.
Kenyan Vivan Cheruiyot, second to Defar in both her most recent 5000m world record run --her 14:22.51 was also under the previous standard-- and in the Osaka final, arrives on the heels of her 8:30.25 career best for 3000m in Rieti. Priscah Jepleting, the Osaka bronze medallist, was right on the heels of Cheruiyot in Rieti as well, promising a strong contest.
Keeping with the imperial theme on the women’s side of things, organizers have included a mile contest instead of the 1500. While the distance has changed, the key characters will likely stay the same, as Maryam Yusef Jamal, the world champion, and Yelena Soboleva of Russia, the world leader over both the 1500 and mile this year and the Osaka silver medallist, square off yet again.
A sellout crowd of 47,000, the 11th consecutive, will be on hand. The evening will conclude with a performance by The Supremes.
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