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By Bob Ramsak
Kenenisa Bekele has decided against defending his world indoor title in the 3000m in Valencia, Spain, early next month, choosing instead to focus on recapturing the world title at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships.
“He is saving himself for the world cross country,” said Dube Jillo, Technical Director for the Ethiopian Athletics Federation, in a story published on the IAAF website.
When he defeated a strong field in the 3000m at the World Indoor Championships two years ago in Moscow, Bekele became the only athlete in history to win Olympic, World Championship, World Indoor Championship and World Cross Country Championship gold.
Bekele will now focus on regaining the world cross country crown in Edinburgh, Scotland, on March 30.
Last year, Bekele’s unprecedented streak of five consecutive World Cross Country long and short course victories came to a dramatic halt in Mombasa, Kenya, when he wilted in the stifling heat and humidity of the Indian Ocean coast, and failed to finish.
His decision to bypass Valencia makes room in the spotlight for his younger brother, Tariku, this year’s world leader in the event after his 7:31.09 victory in Stuttgart earlier this month.
The Ethiopian women’s squad will be particularly strong, led by RRW 2007 athlete of the year Meseret Defar, who will be chasing her third world indoor title in the 3000m. She will be joined by Meselech Melkamu, while Gelete Burka, this year’s third fastest over the distance, behind Defar and Melkamu, will step down in distance and contest the 1500m.
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