Men's 5,000 M Heats

Anyone watch this? I was not able to do so.

All three easily qualified. So did Alemayehu Bezabeh of Spain. From looking at the results it looks like the Ethiopians were laying low, all three finishing 3rd. I am surprised that Kenenisa Bekele finished third. It's something he hates doing even in heats.

Rashid Ramzi winner of the 1,500 in Beijing did not run in his heat. He would have been one of the favorites.

The loud-mouth Australian Craig Mottram did not make it to the finals.

Mohammed Farah Britain's great hope also failed to qualify.

Finally, my sentimental favorite, Soe Min Thu finished dead last in a time of 15:50.56. Two minutes and 13 seconds after the finisher and a minute and half after the guy in front of him. This is the Olympics. If you are here you finish. Some names come to mind Gete Wami, Berhane Adere and Mestewat Tufa... Enough said.

From Homeless in Madrid to Olympics in Beijing

The story of twenty one year-old (he guesses his age) Alemayehu Bezabeh Desta is heartbreaking yet elating. Like most of us he left Ethiopia to make something of himself. In his case he wanted to do it by running. It was not that easy.

He had no papers and struggled to survive For a while he slept in Bravo Murillo, in Madrid and ate at mission soup kitchens for the homeless. A priest at the mission helped him apply for political asylum. The priest also contacted an African refugee assistance group called Karibu.

Karibu put him in contact with another Ethiopian who living in Madrid. The other athlete, Fekadu Bekele, introduced him to his club. The club in Madrid is called Bikila, like in Abebe Bikila. The club was amazed at his talent level and he has progressed quickly. In July of this year he was granted Spanish citizenship. He had to run a race to qualify for the Olympics which he easily did. His talent level is such that he is already threatening the Spanish record.

This in short is the story of Alemayehu Bezabeh Desta. From the streets of Madrid to the the Olympics in just months. He says he would like to repay Spain with a medal. He is in the 5,000 Heat with Tariku Bekele.

Men's 5000 M Heats Preview

The men's 5,000M going to be a thrilling race. The reason is that it’s wide open yet there is a outside chance for multiple Ethiopian medals.

World Champion Bernard Lagat (USA) will be running the 5,000. In what is a major disappointment of the US, he failed to qualify for 1,500 M finals. Actually Deresse Mekonen was nipping at his heals and almost overtook him at the end. Lagat is probably fighting an injury. But if he is healthy, a rested Legat is a dangerous Legat.

I think the best Kenyan 5,000 M runner at the moment is Moses Masai, 3rd place finisher at the 10,000 M. But lucky for us Kenya is not running him in the 5,000 M. Without Masai, the Kenyan team is still a loaded team. Eliud Kipchoge (KEN) second place finisher in Osaka and Olympic silver medalist is a very dangerous runner. So far this year, Eliud Kipchoge beat Tariku Bekele in Ostrava and again in Rome. Hope he does not make that a habit.

Moses Kipsiro of Uganda, 3rd place finisher in Osaka. He is only 22 and a very dangerous runner.

And then there is Soe Min Thu (MYA) , - Myanmar – Burma. Soe Min Thu has a personal best time of 15:16.23. His best time would not qualify him for the Women’s finals. I should be more polite as Burmese are very kind and the most polite people you would find on the planet. Having traveled there, I have a soft spot for the people of Burma. It’s easy – almost natural for an Ethiopian sense repression and relate. It would be hard to pass without commenting that China is the primary supporter of the repressive regime that doles out misery. The people of Burma will be cheering on their native son because one still cheers their countrymen regradless of the govenrment running it. Well, I can relate to that too. Good luck to Soe Min Thu. Hope he sets a personal best.

Returning to the 5,000 M, there are three heats and in each heat the Ethiopian runner has the best 2008 time. The three, Abraham Cherkos, Tariku Bekele and Kenenisa Bekele are in great shape this year. It should be a jog for the them.

The things to watch for:
1- How does Kenenisa look?
2- How well do Tariku and Abraham assert themselves in the heats? Do they take control of the heat? How confident do they look?
3- Does Legat make it to the finals? Is he in good shape?

What are your thoughts?

Women's 5000 M Heats

First heat is a slow race but Tirunesh takes it in 15:09.89. Meselech Melkamu is in as well. The Turk, Alemitu Bekele also makes it.

In the second heat Meseret Defar easly makes it into the finals.

I think Meseret is the favorite to win this race. What are you thoughts?

Women's 5000 M Heats Preview

Unless there is a disaster look for all three Ethiopian runners to make it through. It should be a jog.

In addtion to Tirunesh there are a few runners doubling. Gulnara Samitova-Galkina (RUS) winner of the 3,000 Steeplechase is going for a double gold. She was dominant in Steeplechase and broke the World Record on Sunday. Fifth place finisher in the in the 3,000 Steeplechase, Jessica Augusto (PUR), is also running the 5,000. Both Steeplechase runners are entered for the 1,500 M. I am not sure how they plan to pull off the triple.

Seven 10,000 M runners will be starting the 5,000. In the first heat has Tirunesh Dibaba (ETH) and Yingying Zhang (CHN) from the 10,000 M. In the second heat hedlined by Meseret Defar, will have a pack of tired legs from the 10,000 M. Kara Goucher (USA), Joanne Pavey (GBR) and Yukiko Akaba (JPN) are looking for redemption in the 5,000M while Shalane Flanagan (USA) and Elvan Abeylegesse(TUR) look to add to their medals.

A runner to note is 31 year-old Alemitu Bekele of Turkey who has a personal best time of 15:05.85 and does not have much of a chance to win a medal.

What to look for? How is Tirunesh holding up? How does Meselech Melkamu look?

It's Official - Tirunesh will go for the double

The start list has been finalized.

1. Meselech Melkamu (Heat 1)
2. Tirunesh Dibaba (Heat 1)
3. Meseret Defar (Heat 2)

There is a chance for a sweep but all three must make it to the final. So no tripping! no falling!

3,000 M Steeplechase: Yacob Jarso Arrives!

This has got to be one of the bright spots of this Olympics. Yacob Jarso finished fourth in the 3,000 M Steeplechase. We don't see this often. He was someone that was not supposed to be in the finals but he ran the race of his life. Twice in a row! He beat the erudite and wily Ezekiel Kemboi, Olympic Champion and World Championship runner up. This was no easy feat.

The steeplechase is like a marathon. It's hard for someone without the track record to step up. When a young athlete steps up, it's raw talent over skills. It is obvious that Yacob has an abundance of talent. One don't come in fourth and set a National Record at 20 with limited experience unless you are immensely talented. If managed properly he is a force to be reckoned with. He alone will cause Kenyans plenty of headaches.

Yacob's performance, Zemzem Ahmed's seventh place finish in the Women's Final as well as Legesse Lamiso's godl in the 2008 World Youth World Championships are successes that Ethiopia needs to build on.

To Double or Not?

I haven't heard of a decisions as to Tirunesh running in the 5,000 M. Doing a double is not easy. The dominant Kenenisa never managed to do it in two tries. But Tirunesh has been there and done that. In the 2005 WC she did the double beating Berhane Adere and Mesert Defar. My guess is that she will go for it. It won't be easy running against a rested Meseret.

Here are some of my thoughts that come to mind when weighing if she should or should not.

Pros:

• Tirunesh Dibaba proved she was in great shape. Looked like she could sprint another lap.
  
• She must be brimming with confidence.
  
• Her 5, 000 M WC in June means she may be even better at the 5,000 (scary)
• The runner that would be displaced, Belaynesh Fekadu, is not a medal threat.
• She is a sure thing to medal.
  

Cons:

• She ran a super fast 10,000 M and may not recover fast enough - slow performance.
• Too many races in a short time increases the risk for injury.
  
• Belayanesh Fekadu only 21, is on an up swing and will miss out an opportunity.

Any opinions?

Sunday Update & Monday Preview

Sunday

Men's 1,500 Semi-Final M - Backsliding

Both of the guys did not make it to the finals. This has to be a dig disappointment. Mulugeta Wendimu was in the finals four years ago and this is a step back. The expansion program is a failure so far.

Women's 3,000 M Finals - Solid Performance

Zemzem stood her ground and finished seventh. This is a good result that came about as a result of an individual's extraordinary effort.


Monday

Men's 3,000 M Final

If I had to, I would bet on a Kenya sweep. Yakob Jarso has his work cutout. He has to run the race of his life to be in the top six. The following are the favorites.

1. Brimin Kipruto (KEN)
2. Ezekiel Kemboi (KEN)
3. Richard Mateelong (KEN)
4. Bouabdellah Tahri (FRA)
5. Mustafa Mohamed (SEW)
6. Ruben Ramolefi (RSA)

Good luck to Yakob go out and have a great outing like Zemzem.

Open Thread: Men's 10000M Live

"As for these young ones, either I will end up staying on their heels or they'll be the ones doing that," said Gebrselassie with a smile.

The above is from a nice write up on the upcoming 10000M. It almost seems like Haile is taunting Kenenisa and Sileshi. Hopefully, we are about to watch history being made... chime in your thoughts.

Open Thread: Women's Marathon Live

It should be kicking off at 7:30 PM. NBC will televise it live. I am opening up this thread for your comments as events unfold.





Let not forget the pioneer Fatuma Roba who came out of nowhere to dominate the 1996 Marathon.

Men's 10,000 M Prediction

Here it is! I will go on a limb and say anything other than a sweep is a disappointment. What’s the point of Haile taking up a spot if he is not here to win a medal? If the others don't medal it's a huge disappointment.

Kennenisa and Sileshi have been as solid as it gets. In 2004 an injured Haile still came in 5th. Haile is fit and he showed it in Hengelo coming in 2nd after Sileshi. Sileshi had to run his third fastest time ever to beat Haile.

Kenya has a young crew; the senior among them is twenty three year old Martin Mathathi who took bronze in Osaka. You never know what this young crew can do.

In Osaka, Zersenay Tadesse of Eritrea pushed the pace alone only to fade later. This time around he has his brother Kidane Tadesse. Zersenay and his brother are both capable of winning a medal if they work together.

And there is Boniface Kiprop of Uganda who lost his bronze in Athens to Zersenay in the confusion that Kennenisa and Sileshi created in Athens. Boniface, was 19 in Athens and had broken of from the pack along with Kennenisa and Sileshi but when the two slowed down to pick up Haile they confused Kiporop and at the same time picked up Zersenay. He is still a solid runner.





One thing to watch for is competition among the Ethiopian runners is going to be fierce. This may work against the sweep. Sileshi and Haile probably can’t out sprint Kenenisa so a slow race is not in their favor but at the same time a fast race does not help them either since Kenenisa has the Seasons Best. Of the two bad options, Haile probably would prefer a fast race hoping the heat would distract the other two. The danger is that there probably won’t be a team approach to this race.


What are your thoughts?

Women's Marathon Prediction

Using past performance I put together a sheet that would identify the favorites. This is going to be a tactical marathon where one’s Personal Best is not as important as one’s preparation. So predicting is not easy but past performances especially Athens and Osaka could be useful indicators.

On paper the following are the favorites.

1. Catherine Ndereba (KEN)
2. Chunxiu Zhou (CHN)
3. Reiko Tosa (JPN)
4. Xiaolin Zhu (CHN)
5. Paula Radcliffe (GBR)
6. Lidia Simon (ROU)
7. Deena Kastor (USA)
8. Constantina Tomescu (ROM)

The marathon is one of the most unpredictable events but Ndereba has been a solid performer. It would be hard to bet against her. Paula Radcliffe who was suffering from a stress fracture is fit for the race but the edge should go to Ndereba. Look out for the Chinese runners on home turn. Zhou and Zhu were impressive in Osaka which was hot and humid.

As for the Ethiopian runners, Gete Wami and Brehane Adere had skipped the last World Championship. I think that was a big mistake. The heat and humidity of Osaka would have helped them prepare, but the two had some money to chase on the Marathon circuit in cooler climate. Who can blame them? They have a living to make just like me. In April Gete Wami came in second behind Radcliffe in London. I can’t see her beating Ndereba in hot humid Beijing. Last October, Brehane looked like she was overcome by the heat and humidity in Chicago where it was unseasonably hot88F/31C in October but in the last quarter of a mile (400m) she put on a sprint to blow by a Romanian runner that was blowing victory kisses to the crowd. Somehow I think she is our best chance. This would be a great way to cap an amazing career.

The third runner is Boston Champ Dire Tune who had a big DNF in Osaka. Again, her preparation is suspect but having run in Osaka she knows what to expect. Dire Tune is fine runner with lots of untapped potential. It would be wonderful if she stepped up.


My prediction is that Berhane will be in the mix with the Chinese, Japanese, Romanian’s and Ndereba. Look for the home crowd to lift the Chinese runners.

What are your thoughts?

Beijing T&F - Day 3

It's a big day. I have to admit I a getting dizzy trying to analyze the women's Marathon. I will open up an thread for prediction.

Women’s 3,000 M Final

The long-legged Zemzem Ahmed set a Personal Best to make it to the finals. Zemzem Personal Best and Season Best ranks 12th among the 15 runners. She would have to set another personal best to have a good showing. This event is going to be a battle between three Russians including world record holder Gulnara Samitova-Galkina and two Kenyans. Zemzem somehow has to squeeze her way somehow. This is a lot to ask from someone who started competing internationally just last year. In additions, Zemzem will be running one full-day of rest after setting a personal best. Although Zemzem is a very long shot to medal it’s not impossible for her to do so. Earlier this year she came in second at the Athens Grand Prix beating five of the runners in the finals including Ruth Bisibori of Kenya.

Mid-pack finish will be great. I would be elated with a 4th-6th place finish.

Men’s 1,500 M Semi-Final

There is not much to say here. Mulugeta Wendimu barely made it into the semi-finals and Deresse Mekonnen was not much better. The 1,500 M is one of the most tactical races while at the same time physically draining. For Ethiopia to have two runners among the 12 finalist would be a huge accomplishment. Talentwise there will be nothing preventing these two from making it into the finials. The only questions is: are they going to step up to the challenge?

Look for on of the two to be in the finals.

Beijing T&F - Day 2

On Saturday the only event Ethiopian athletes are participating in is the Men's 3,000 M Steeplechase. By contrast Sunday is packed with the Women's Marathon and Steeplechase finals, the Men's 10,000 M finals and the 1,500 M semi-finals. By the end of Sunday we will be able to size up the team's performance. If the team is not prepared for the heat and humidity we will see it in the medal count. If the preparation was not adequate it will be downhill after Sunday. Y

I did get ahead of myself. So let me return to Saturday.

Men's 3,000 M Steeplechase - Baby Steps

Ethiopia has made steady progress in this event. In 2004, Luleseged Wale and Tewodros Shiferaw were entered and both failed to advance. At the 2005 World Championships Tewodros Shiferaw failed to advance. At the 2007 World Championships Roba Gary and Nahom Mesfin advanced to the finals. The team of Roba Gary, Yacob Jarso and Nahom Mesfin is still young but having advanced to the WC finals Roba and Nahom should be in the finals. This however is not a cake walk, both are on the buble and have to work hard to advance. Yacob would have to follow Zemzem Ahmed's example and set a PB to make it to the finals.

Look for Roba and Nahom in the finals.


Update:
The surprising Yacob Jarso ran a personal best and won his heat and will be in the finals on Monday. Roba and Nahom did not make it. Nahom just missed out, finishing 5th in a slow heat (top 4 qualify). This is a step back for Roba and Nahom but it's gratifying to see some young runners such as Yacob and Zemzem step up.

Tirunesh Dibaba Solid Gold

Just when I thought she will never be able to top her Osaka performance Tirunesh Dibaba does it gain. The World Records set by Junxia Wang in '93 of China is drug induced. Tirunesh essentially set a World Record with the temperature in the high 70s. A champion does what it takes to win. Remember Haile in Sydney? In that context, it took for Dibaba to set a WR to win and she did what she had to do. With this sold win she has placed herself in the upper echelon of golden champions right there with Haile. Solid Gold Tirunesh!

11 of the top 13 runners set some sort of record in this race. Ejegayehu Dibabadid not rise to the occasion. Ejegayehu was off her PB of 30:18.39 by more than a minute. She was also off here Athens time of 30:24.98 by 58 seconds. This is a huge drop off. I wonder if she has the hunger of a champion. What ever happened to the Athens silver medalist we knew? I suspect this may be her last hurrah. Look for her to fade from the 10,000.

Mestawet Tufa is fast becoming a perennial disappointment. No one ever questions her talent. But somehow she seems to choke under the bright lights. No doubt she is hungry, but hunger alone does not win championships. Champions figure out ways to win when conditions change and it that that Mestawet has had a problem doing. At 25, she may have a few more chances but this was her big opportunity.

Next Olympics it my very well be Meseret and Tirunesh in the 10,000M and there are just too many young budding atheltes.

The disappointements should not take away from an amazing performance by Tirunesh. Today we saw a display of hardwork, courage, confidence and determination. These are attibutes we all want to have more of. She is simply an amazing human being.

Women's 10,000 M Open Thread

About 30 mins before the start... what are your thoughts.. update comments as news comes in..

Beijing T&F - Day 1

Men's 1,500M - Two Advance

As expected Deresse Mekonnen and Mulugeta Wendimu have made it to Sunday's semi-final's. Deresse Mekonnen had a solid run and was fifth in his heat. Mulugeta finished seventh in his heat but qualified on time. None of these guys are a sure thing to make it to the finals.

Women's 3,000M - Hello Zemzem
Mekdes Bekele ran 26 seconds slower than her personal best and failed to advance while Zemzem Ahmed ran a personal best and advanced. Running a personal best at hot and humid Beijing is a testament to her talent and courage. She is am example the other athletes should follow.

Beijing T&F - Day 1 Preview

As far as Ethiopia is concerned, the medal total at the Athens Olympics four years ago was not up to par. Most of it had to do with the fact that Ethiopia participates a small number of events. To have a good Olympic, the Ethiopian team needs multiple medals per event. To some extent that is still true. But Ethiopia is gradually establishing itself in the 1,500 M and the 3,000 M. In Beijing we will see have an opportunity to gauge the strength of the new programs. In addition, Beijing will be the first time that the new generation of athletes Kenenisa, Seleshi, Tirunesh, Ejigaehu and Meseret come to the Olympics as medalist. Day one of track and field is a display of both the new and the old.


Mens 1,500 M Heats - Just Advance
In Athens, a then promising and impressive Mulugeta Wondimu made it all the way to the finals and finished 10th in the finals. At the 2005 World Championships Mulugeta finished 12th in the first round and did not advance. While Mulugeta Wondimu has somewhat stagnated since 2004,
in 2004 he left a mark against which he and his teammates will be measured against.

This time around two young runners Deresse Mekonnen and Demma Daba along with Mulugeta Wendimu will represent Ethiopia. The problem is that this young group of runners is still developing. Last year, Kenenisa Bekele ran a 1,500 M and this is how Kenenisa's time compares against the personal best of the three 1,500 M runners.

Mulugeta Wendimu 03:31.1
Kenenisa Bekele 3:32.35
Deresse Mekonnen 03:33.7
Demma Daba 03:35.3

The bottom line is that Kenenisa is as good at the 1,500 M Ethiopian runners and he is a 10, 000 M runner. We should not get our hopes up, at least not yet.

In 2007, none of the Ethiopian runners advanced to the finals. Deresse Mekonnen finished 11th in his heat but nearly qualified for the next round based on his time. Of the three Deresse Mekonnen has the best time this year, a slow but impressive win in Oslo where his beat some of the top athletes at the event. Demma is a solid young runner that is on the bubble and can advance with a solid run.

Expect two of the three to advance to the next round.



Women’s 3,000 M Steeplechase Simi-Final - First Ever
This is the first time the Women’s 3,000 Steeplechase is part of the Olympic program and we are in it. Ethiopia will be represented by Mekdes Bekele, Sofia Assefa and Zemzem Ahmed. Of the three, Mekdes Bekele is the most likely to advance. At the 2007 World Championship no Ethiopian woman made it to the final. Mekdses Bekele was close, finishing 6th in her heat (top 4 automatically qualify) and Zemzem finished 12th.

Look for Mekdes to make it to the finals. Anything else is a bonus.



Women’s 10,000 M Final – To Sweep or Not to Sweep?

The 2007 World Championship Women's 10,000M almost ended in disaster, when Tirunesh Dibaba tripped and fell. She managed to get back in the race and win. I would venture to say that Tirunesh Dibaba is a sure gold medal, more so that Kenenisa. After setting the 5,000 WR she comes in top shape.

After being involved in a fall Mestawet Tufa did not finish in Osaka last year. However, Mestawet has had a solid year which included beating Lornah Kiplagat by 25 seconds in Nijmegn. Kiplagat has the fastest time in the field. Mestawet is hungry so look for Mestawet to push Tirunesh.

The key to a sweep is how 2004 silver medalist Ejegayehu Dibaba performs. In hot and humid Osaka she faded to 7th place last year.

Let's identify threats to the sweep using the Personal Best and the Season Best of the top ten runners in the 10,000 M.

The threats to the sweep

• Naving finished 2nd in Osaka, former Ethiopian Elvan Abeylegesse of Turkey is a threat. She however is inconsistent and has been known to choke.

• Lornah Kiplagat has the best time in the field but was soundly defeated by Mestawet earlier this year. Even though her best years may be behind here, 34 year old Lornah Kiplagat is still a dangerous runner.

• The dark horse is Inga Abitova of Russia has run in a lot of 10,000M races this season and has quietly had a very good season. I won’t be surprised if I see her on the podium.
  

• In May at Palo Altho, Shalane Flanagan (USA) and Kimberley Smith (NZL) recorded to top two times of the year, both set personal bests. With the impressive times there is a buzz around these two runner but they are a long shot.
  

Look for two medals. One is solid gold.

Beijing 2008: False Start

The waiting is almost over and track and field competitions will finally begin at the Beijing Olympics in just few hours. We are already one week removed from the spectacular Opening Ceremony (what could London 2012 do to top that?!) but I still find myself going back to last Friday, not to relive the show, but because I can’t get over the absence of the world renowned Ethiopian athletes in the Parade of Nations.

Back on July 21, Voice of America’s Amharic Program aired an interview with Ato Takele Gebeyehu, the Ethiopian team leader for the Beijing Olympics. Ato Takele mentioned that he would be leaving for Beijing in two days (July 23) to make the “necessary preparation” for the anticipated arrival of the athletes. Ato Takele then is quoted by VOA to have stated that the entire Ethiopian delegation would arrive in Beijing by the end of Hamle (11th month on the Ethiopian Calendar). Well, the end of Hamle was August 6th, two days prior to the Opening Ceremony.

Things took a curious turn shortly thereafter when it was announced the Ethiopian team, following the lead of the Kenyan team, would postpone its departure for Beijing until close to competition time. Reason given: Beijing will be very hot and this could force athletes to take lots of water that could lead to undesired weight gain."

Two questions immediately come to mind: 1- did the coaches just figure out the weather conditions in Beijing, and at the same time forgot to relay this new found strategy to their team leader? 2- Since when do we alter our training strategy based on some off-the-cuff last minute decision made by Kenya? This is not exactly a move that would instill confidence in the Ethiopian coaches’ skills.

Few months ago there was mention of Ethiopian athletes setting up camp in South Korea for few weeks before the Olympics so that they can acclimate to the heat and humidity of Beijing. This has not happened and the team has instead camped at the Ghion Hotel in Addis Ababa with some training stint in Sodere and other warmer climate locals. However, it is very obvious now that there has apparently never been a long term and well thought out strategy put in place to prepare the athletes for Beijing. Otherwise we would never have seen this knee-jerk reaction by the Ethiopian coaches to Kenya’s decision.

The Ethiopian team appears to be at best disorganized and at worst completely distracted and in disarray. Haile Gebrselassie has recently stated that the team’s training method is outdated by 20-30 years. We have been seeing reports of fighting, with fists and guns, among fellow athletes. This is hardly what any athlete needs during a run up to the Olympics, even the highly talented ones in Ethiopia who somehow manage to find success, on talent alone, and despite lack of coherent leadership.

Going back to the Opening Ceremony, all the reports I have read, from journalists and athletes alike, state that it was simply an unforgettable experience. It is a shame the Ethiopian athletes were not able to celebrate, with thousands of fellow Olympians from around the world, the signature moment of the Olympics. Below is some excerpt and links from athletes who took part in the Opening Ceremony:

5:15 p.m. to 1:30 a.m.—that’s the amount of time that we were at the opening ceremonies. Do I second-guess the decision to go? NO WAY!…contrary to what most think, we do not get to see the show before the parade of nations. We were put in the upper deck of an arena, and it was so hot. We may have been the best dressed, but we also lost about three pounds from sweating. But everyone was in the same boat. It was a little sad that we did not get to see the show because of the rave reviews, but I have it recorded and that would not have replaced walking out into that stadium…The rest of the night was realizing that I fulfilled my dream. At times it almost brought tears to my eyes, and for some it did. I was seriously acting like a little kid in the candy store running all over the place trying to get as much video and pictures as I could. I wanted to be able to keep this experience with me forever… more from Matt Tegenkamp

When we walked into the stadium I couldn’t believe it! It was so amazing and the stadium is HUGE!!! I can’t imagine racing there! I can’t wait. We had the option to leave after we walked around the track for early out, or you had to stay for the whole ceremony. I decided to stay and for a little while I was regretting it. I have never been more uncomfortable or hot in my life!!! I probably lost 10 pounds from sweat. I was really beginning to wish I had left and then they ran the flame in. The lighting of the torch was worth all of the sweat and tiredness and smelly-ness! I was so emotional! It was one of the top few experiences of my life. I started crying so hard. It was beautiful, with the torch bearer running around the very top of the stadium and then lighting the torch. I cried and cried. And then the men’s soccer team all came and gave me hugs! They said it was cool to see someone get so emotional about how happy they were to be there. It was so amazing! … more from Kara Goucher

Whew, talk about an initiation to the Olympic Games. All of the athletes that marched were troopers. We stuck it out together, sweated our hearts out to see and experience that Olympic moment, the one that hits your soul, your heart, our dreams coming true, no matter how drenched we were in our own sweat, knowing we were tough and we have all been through rigorous workouts. And all of the sudden, Kobe Byant, Carlos Boozer and all the NBA guys and gals that are high profile athletes, over the course of a few hours, became human, and celebrated with us, as people, not as these enormous icons, because they were toughin' it out like the rest of us, wanting to experience that same Olympic moment. It was incredible…The moment happened for me, that Olympic moment, that realization, deep down that it's here, and the Games are about to begin... This moment happened as the Olympic torch was on its last stretch, before the runner was hoisted up to the ceiling... and made the final lap to the torch. That was the moment I balled!! With excitement, all of a sudden the sweaty mess we were swimming in wasn't there. I couldn't feel the aches in my feet, just the torch, the stadium, the cheers and tears… more from April Steiner

Good luck Team Ethiopia. May your talent take you far!

Ethiopian Beijing Schedule

Date	Women	Men
Fri Aug 15	10,000 Final 3,000 Heats	1,500 Heats
Sat Aug 16		3,000 Heats
Sun Aug 17	3,000 Final Marathon	1,500 Semi-Final 10,000 Final
Mon Aug 18		3,000 Final
Tue Aug 19	1,500 Heats 5,000 Heats	1,500 Final
Wed Aug 20		5,000 Heats
Thu Aug 21	1,500 Simi-Final
Fri Aug 22	5,000 Final
Sat Aug 23	1,500 Final	5,000 Final
Sun Aug 24		Marathon

Olympic Roundup

The Beijing games begine and among the notable flag carriers were Ethiopian running legend Miruts Yifter and South Africa's one-legged Paralympian Natalie du Toit who qualified for the Olympic 10-km swim.





The legend lives on. It seems like Abebe Bikila is in the news a lot this week. So we have this remembrance of the great Olympians of the past a United Arab Emirites paper.



Drugs chief admits Olympic fears . Seven Russian athletes were suspended for alleged doping offences. There is plenty more to come.

When you put the Olympics in the hands of a dictatorship, the results are predictable. Yet the Chinese government still found a way to surprise even its critics -- not so much by behaving oppressively but by doing so in a foolish and entirely unnecessary way says columnist E.J. Dionne.

In other news..

• Ethiopian Defar sparks up in nick of time - She is on the rise. I can't wait for the women's 5K final.


• Where Once He Was Lost, Now He Is Found - the story of the US torchbearer.


• African rivals to widen rift - great primer on the Ethiopian team from a Kenyan paper.


• Smog fears are all hot air - Fairfax Media hacks claim the smog is not bad.. hot, humid, but hardly a health hazard they say.


• Google's Olympic Extravaganza - look what google has for you..


• Kenyan, Ethiopian rivalry back again


• Interesting facts from Olympics

So we are off... and in a littel over two weeks it will all be over...

Beijing 2008: Flag Bearers

In about 8 hours from now, the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games will officially get underway with the much anticipated Opening Ceremony. This will surely be a spectacular show put on by the Chinese, to be capped by the exciting Parade of Nations (in Chinese “alphabetical” order, Ethiopia at #148) followed by the lighting of the cauldron.

As the Parade of Nations proceeds, thousands of the world’s finest athletes representing 205 countries will march in to the Beijing National Stadium dressed in their national costumes and proudly waving their nation’s flag. Every four years, I wait attentively for the entrance of the Ethiopian team and it is always a proud moment when the team enters and the TV commentators recount Ethiopia’s prominence in distance running and glories of past Olympics. It is truly a moment when Ethiopia is front and center on the world stage.

For the majority of the athletes, the Parade of Nations is the highlight of their Olympic participation as they have no chance of winning a medal. All athletes appear to genuinely enjoy the cheers they receive as they walk in behind their nation’s flag. Many are seen with cameras and camcorders capturing a moment of history.

Among the more than 10,000 athletes that will march in the Parade of Nations, a select group will have the honor of carrying their nation’s flag and leading their team mates as they enter the stadium. Being selected to be a flag bearer for one’s country is indeed a great honor for any athlete. The announcement of the person chosen for this duty is newsworthy in its own right as we have seen to be the case during the last couple of days for USA, Canada, Israel, China, and several other nations. In fact, a list of announced flag bearers for many nations is already available at this link.

The obvious question at this point is “Who will get the distinct honor to be Ethiopia’s flag bearer in Beijing tonight?” One of the high officials for the Chinese team stated the following as criteria to be chosen for the honor of carrying the nation’s flag:

Only those athletes with high sport caliber, good sport ethics and good public image could be chosen to carry the nation's flag

In Ethiopia’s case, such criteria would seem to point to none other than Haile Gebrselassie. But will he be given this duty and honor? Will he seek it?

In the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Derartu Tulu graciously carried the Ethiopian flag during the Opening Ceremony. However, I was disappointed four years ago to see that an unknown person (not even sure if he was Ethiopian or an athlete) carried the Ethiopian flag in Athens. How about today in Beijing?

All but one of Ethiopian athletes selected for Beijing Olympics will be participating in track and field events, which will not start until one week later. The team has already announced that its arrival in Beijing will be delayed in order to avoid the extreme weather and maximize performance- a questionable and worrying strategy by itself, but a digression from the topic at hand. How will this delayed arrival impact Ethiopia’s presence in the Opening Ceremony? We shall see in short order.

One final comment on the topic of flag and Olympics: when thinking about these two subjects, particularly in the same context, one can not help but think of the jailed

Ethiopian superstar Teddy Afro, who sang passionately about Ethiopia’s Olympic athletes and the Ethiopian flag they proudly carried. Teddy’s hit song Anbessa and the accompanying video, which he produced in an overnight session after Ethiopia’s success at the Athens Olympics in 2004, is replete with references to the flag: entrusted with the flag, covenant with the flag, raising the flag, wearing the flag, holding the flag, and the luck of the flag.

Life is such in Ethiopia that Teddy Afro, who captured with his song the joy and pride of millions of Ethiopians four years ago, now sits in jail alone charged with homicide, which he denies committing. To many people including myself, Teddy’s jailing appears more of a political vendetta rather than a criminal trial. It will be fitting if the athletes in Beijing can find a way to show solidarity with Teddy as he surely did with them four years ago.

How lucky will our flag be today?
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UPDATE: Miruts Yifter was the Ethiopian flag bearer. Not to discount the legendary achievement of "Yifter the Shifter" but this was one of the most bone-headed move the Ethiopian Olympic Committee could make! When the whole world was watching, Ethiopia decided to be one of only three nations (out of 205) NOT to have the flag carried by a competing athlete. The other two nations: Djibouti and Marshall Islands!! Team Ethiopia stumbling out of the gate...
http://2008.sina.com.cn/en/news/2008-08-08/20246171.html

Olympic Roundup

On this day This day in Olympic history - August 7...



Two-time marathon winner Abebe Bikila is born in a village not far from the Ethiopian town of Mendida. Bikila was spotted by a Finnish athletics coach who had been hired by the Ethiopian government to train potential athletes.

Bikila slipped into the Ethiopian Olympic team at the last moment after another runner broke his ankle playing football. When Bikila arrived in Rome shoe sponsors adidas had only a few shoes left and Bikila was given a pair that did not fit him. He then decided a few hours before the race to run barefoot, as he had trained. Bikila stunned the field and won ahead of Moroccan Rhadi Ben Abdesselam, thereby becoming the first black African to win an Olympic gold medal. When he was asked why he had run barefoot, he said: 'I wanted the world to know that my country, Ethiopia, has always won with determination and heroism.'

He repeated his success four years later in Tokyo, but was prevented from a hat-trick of gold medals in Mexico in 1968 by an injury. Bikila, who only ran one marathon (Boston 1963) which he did not win, died in 1973 from injuries received in a car crash four years earlier.

Other interesting news...

Defar – ‘I am back to my best and ready for Beijing’
Coach sure of medal
Spider bite hardens resolve for Paula Radcliffe
The Wizard Behind Beijing’s Opening Night
Foreign Activists Manage to Pierce China's Broad Security Apparatus

Beijing Smog News

As the hours tick down to the showpiece Olympic opening ceremony, chances this heavy smog will lift today appear slim. Beijing skies worsen despite pollution victory claims . Beijing smog will 'cut athletes' performances by 20%' - levels of harmful pollutants in the air could also leave competitors vulnerable to respiratory illnesses. Chinese smog is a different animal than your average smog, it's filled with lead, other heavy metals, dioxins, and all of the "dangerous" things.

The four United States cyclists who wore pollution-cutting masks as they arrived at the airport here this week apologized to Olympic organizers Wednesday, insisting that they wore the masks for health reasons and did not mean to insult the host country. It's hard to blame these guys for what they did.

Olympic Roundup

In Beijing, "one world" but dreams for many - mentions the ups and downs of Kenenisa Bekele since Athens.

Haile’s successor - Praise for Kenenisa from the publishers of THE HINDU.

Athlete managers warned to keep distance - Jos Hermens says "They (EAF) sent me an email saying 'we have always had good cooperation and thanks for everything you do for the Ethiopian athletes but lately there has been tension within the team.' It was a request to keep a low profile."

'Rome 1960': An Olympic Turning Point - Best-selling author David Maraniss makes a case in his latest book's title: Rome 1960: The Olympics that Changed the World. Some interesting stuff in Chapter 2.. "It had been twenty-five years since the Fascist legions of Benito Mussolini had invaded Ethiopia, devastating the civilian population with bombing raids and poison gas. In 1936 Il Duce's troops occupied a mountain village in Debre Birhan, forcing out Wudinesh Beneberu and her family, including her four-year-old son, Abebe Bikila. "

Instant Olympic classics - one of my favorite Olympics moments..Ethiopia's Derartu Tulu became the first black African woman to earn an Olympic medal.

Pavey spurred on by Osaka pain and desire to emulate Holmes - The British 10,000m athlete Jo Pavey is determined to put her world championships disappointment behind her by overcoming the dominant Ethiopians to win her first Olympic medal.

China Seeks to Top Medal Count at 2008 Olympics
During the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, the Chinese team won only one gold medal from the 119 available in what it considers to be basic events: swimming, track and field, and water events such as canoe and sailing. China's State General Sports Bureau then instituted its so-called "Project 119" with the aim of significantly increasing top finishes in those events. I smell cheating.

Sudan-born runner to carry US flag One of the lost boys of Sudan will be carry the US flag on opening day.

• Olympics: China revokes visa of US Olympic medallist and activist


• 100,000 security forces on alert for Olympics


• Olympics clean-up hides the real Beijing


• 4 Tibet activists detained after unfurling banner
  
• At Olympics, Amateurs and Pros Co-Exist Uneasily


• YouTube To Broadcast Beijing Olympics, But Not In US

Don't forget to add your news links in the comment area...

Successful Juniors

The 12th IAAF World Junior Championships concluded today at BYDGOSZCZ, Poland (Can I buy a vowel please?!) and the Ethiopian Junior Team finished in what has to be considered a very successful fifth place. The team took home 2 Gold, 3 Silver, and 5 Bronze medals. What is even more impressive is that 10 of the 23 athletes who participated left decorated with a medal.

Highlights of the Ethiopian team success include taking both the men and women 5000M title, as well as winning medals in non-traditional events such as the 1500M and 3000M. Ethiopian athletes also participated in shorter races such as 400M and 800M gaining valuable experience for the future.

It is not a stretch to say that Ethiopia is well positioned to continue its dominance in the longer distance races in future championships, but also has good crop of athletes coming up through the ranks to successfuly compete at the shorter distances of 800M and 1500M. Well deserved kudos for the Ethiopian Athletic Federation for investing time and money to develop athletes for the shorter distance races.

Congratulations Team Ethiopia!!

Cherkos is Champ!

For the past two years (since running a 12:54 5000M as a 16 yr old), it has been clear that Abreham Cherkos has talent that would match any of Ethiopia's greatest distance runners but he has not been able to produce consistent results. At the Osaka World Championships last year, he finished a disappointing 8th, almost a minute off his personal best. One could only guess that his training method was not correct or consistent.

Last month in Berlin, Cherkos ran a 12:57 5000M showing his potential once again and indicating he might be on track to peak at the perfect time for the Beijing Olympics. Today, on the final day of the World Junior Championships, Cherkos (still a junior at 18!) took the 5000M title in a record-breaking fashion, and thus improving Ethiopia's hope for the Olympic 5000M title which otherwise has looked dim for sometime now. Below is the race summary from IAAF.

Abreham Cherkos of Ethiopia obliterated the 5000m Championship record and the USA enjoyed more relay joy as the curtain came down on the 12th IAAF World Junior Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland in front of more than 12,000 spectators in the Zawisza Stadium.

A heavy shower made life difficult for the competitors in the early part of the final session but the rain had abated by the time the 16 finalists set out on their 12-and-a-half-lap test in the men’s 5000m.

Cherkos makes it look easy

Ethiopia have generally had to play second fiddle to their arch distance running rivals for much of the championships but ended the final day on a high as Cherkos, the World junior leader, hacked almost 20 seconds from the Championship record to win gold in 13:08.58...more

Meet Sule Utura

18-year-old Sule Utura joined the likes of Ayelech Worku, Meseret Defar and Meselech Melkamu as the fourth Ethiopian ever to win a World Junior gold medal in the women’s 5000m tonight in Bydgoszcz.

The event has only been contested for women since 1996 and only three times has the gold medal gone outside Ethiopia.

For Utura, it was the first international title after her 3000m World youth bronze in Ostrava last year and a fourth place finish at the 2007 World Cross Country Championships in Mombasa.

In second, World Cross Country junior champion Genzebe Dibaba made it a one-two double ...more

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Utura brilliance

Ethiopia’s Sule Utura confirmed her potential as one of the most exciting young distance talents in the world when winning the first track title of these championships.

Even coming from a country that is a conveyor belt of running phenomenon, the 18-year-old was beginning to stand out when she finished fourth in the junior race at last year’s IAAF World Cross Country Championships.

Here, she used a last kilometre of 2:48 to beat the youngest of the three running Dibaba sisters, Genzebe, into second place.

Utura’s winning time of 16:15.59 was more than a minute outside her PB set in Oslo earlier this year, but with finishing speed like hers, she could afford to take it easy over the first three and a half kilometres.

She, Dibaba and Kenya’s Nelly Chebet and Lucia Kamene Muangi were to the fore for much of the opening very slow seven laps. The kilometres were passed in 3:28.46, 6:58.25 and 10:19.65 before Chebet injected a dramatic burst with just less than four laps to go. It left the non-Africans in the race chasing as the two Kenyans and two Ethiopians went away.

Ethiopia held the edge over their neighbours in this four-way battle, but Chebet and Muangi were still within striking distance at the bell.

However, it was Utura who added gold to the bronze she won in the 3000m at last year’s World Youth Championships.

She said: “I was happy with the slow pace early in the race. I had confidence in my finishing speed. I knew one of us – me or Genzebe – would win. It did not matter which of us finished first. This is the biggest success of my career.”

The name Dibaba once again appears on a championship medal, but this time it will not belong to Tirunesh, the world 5000m record-holder, or Ejegayehu. Genzebe, who won the world junior cross-country title in March, was less than a second adrift with 16:16.75, with Chebet third in 16:17.96.

The silver medallist explained she had benefited from some considerable advice. “I live with my sisters Tirunesh and Ejegayehu and they help me a lot with their advice," she said.

Tirunesh Dibaba breaks 5,000 metre record

Tirunesh Dibaba had the pleasure of smashing her rival's world record. The improvement was a stunning 5.5 seconds. With Beijing just two months away, this is an amazing performance bodes well. She could double!

The 5,000 is Meseret's event. In fact, she was to attempt to break her own record this Sunday at the Prefontaine Classic but now the record belongs to her rival. Motivation should not be a issue this Sunday. It should be fun to watch.

Down Memory Lane

Election season being in full swing and being such a following (not a leader) , I visit blogs, one or two times a day to see if Clinton has found anything besides the kitchen sink to throw at Obama. So I was surprised to see a photo of Deratu Tulu and Elena Meyer on one of the leading blogs. This primary season has gone on too long so even the blogs are throwing in distractions. Politics all the time is boring I suppose. The blogger DHinMI of DailyKos, shared the 1992 Olympic moment as one of her all time favorite sports moments.

This took me down memory lane. I happened to miss that moment it on TV. I did not phantom that an Ethiopian woman would be running that night. It took me a month to find a recording of the event. I had tears running as I watched the finish on tape a month later. Tears still well up when I recall that moment , actually in my case the moment of tape viewing. It was a hard time. Ethiopia’s future was uncertain. It was the time when our new neighbors up north treated us as colony with the complicity of his Excellency. It was the time when his Excellency called the flag a piece of cloth and Ethiopia a phantom. We desperately wanted to believe Ethiopia existed and that Ethiopia would survive this assault. We sooooooo needed a win, it did not have to be in sports, any kind of win would do. We needed to see that our flag was real and meant something and that we were after all still a country.

As if destined, out of nowhere, a teenage heroine, totally oblivious to what she was doing fulfilled our desperate needs. Derartu give us a huge shot of confidence at the right time. What she did that night would turn her into legend.

So let me ask the same question. What are your greatest sports memories?

Out of hibernation

After a rough winter, I am coming out of hibernation. If you have lived in the Upper-Midwest you know already that the first warm days don’t really come till early April. This is the first time this year the weather has been such that one can go out for a long outdoor run on the weekend. You can be sure I will enjoy it.

While I was hibernating a lot has gone on over the winter. In March, saying that Beijing’s pollution was a huge problem, Haile who has asthma, said he would not compete in the Marathon. Haile did leave open the possibility that he would run in the 10,000. Dube Jillo, Ethiopian Athletics Federation Technical Director, a throwback to the old days and old ways of handling athletes retorted that "It is not up to Haile Gebrselassie to decide on participation in the marathon event in Beijing."

While I am not entirely pleased that Haile is not running in the Olympics I am not disappointed. While I don’t want to dismiss his health concerns, I suspect he thinks that he would perform poorly in hot conditions and is looking for a graceful exit. Can you imagine the build up and hype if Haile were to run in the premier Olympic event which is staged on closing night. Can you imagine the depth our disappointment if Haile were to drop out or fade. Would we end up thinking of him as a looser? The sorry images of 2004, a Haile in pain and fading, are still etched in the Ethiopian psyche. That event did not end up being painful because the pain of watching Haile fade was soothed by the joy of Kenenisa’s coronation. The King is dead. Long live the King! But if Haile fades in Beijing there is no King in waiting to crown. Entering his twilight years Haile does not have a lot of opportunity for glory to make up for disappointment in Beijing. If he fails we won’t forget easily.

While it looks disparate, I think Haile's filtering with the 10,000M may be due to his realization that this event is his only chance of getting a medal this time around. There is even talk that Kenenisa will run the 5000 clearing the way for Haile to lead the charge. I seriously doubt that will happen. Even if it did happen Haile is not a lock to win. Dr. Woldemeskel Kostre put the nails in the coffin when he said that "It's very tough for him because he can't compete with the younger men over the 10,000." I don’t expect Haile to run the 10,000. Haile, more than anyone knows if he is capable of meeting a challenge. Smart guys don’t go after things that don’t make sense. By pulling out of the Marathon, Haile, being a smart guy did what a smart guy would do. Exist gracefully.

Dube Jillo on the other hand damaged the Federation with his out of dated dictatorial way of management. Let’s say Dube has his way and forces Haile to run in Beijing, what is to stop Haile from dropping out after the first mile. Does Dube actually think this style of management would yield good results? Dube Jillo’s handing of this issue was a throw back to the communist era when the federation controlled everything, it was so outdated that he was embarrassingly repudiated by the International Olympic Committee which said which said the withdrawal was “fully justified” and that no one could force Gebrselassie to run. Amen!


But we do have a problem. Ethiopian athletes consistently complain about and underperform in hot weather. Last year, Mombassa was an embarrassment and later the World Championship was reminders that unless the Federation changes how it selects and trains athletes Ethiopia will perform poorly in Beijing. I am not optimistic there have been changes. This dispute between Dube and Haile shows you that the Federation has not caught on. Beijing is not Haile’s type of marathon. Haile is not a tactical runner. All his great runs have been in races that were speed runs. He tends to do better when he has no serious challengers. He has not run a hot weather marathon. A hot weather marathon is a different beast. So why would the federation want to run Haile, a cool weather runner, in the Olympics? It needs to update it's selection criteria. The federation simply can’t change the way it does things. This, my friends, is a problem that is all too common in Ethiopia.

Redemption Day!!

What a difference a year makes!

After the dismal performance in Mombasa one year ago, the Ethiopian team swept all four individual titles (feat last accomplished back in 1994!) and two out of the four team titles at the World Cross-Country Championships in Edinburgh, Scotland today.

The dominating performance displayed by the entire Ethiopian squad was punctuated by the record breaking sixth title of Kenenisa in the senior Men’s race. After losing his shoe on the first lap, and falling behind some 15 sec in the race as he stopped to put it back on, Kenenisa gradually worked his way back to the front and ultimately opened an insurmountable gap on his pursuers on the last lap.

The ease with which Kenenisa won the race disguises the furious pace forced by Zeresenay Tadesse of Eritrea and Komon of Kenya in an attempt to break Kenenisa early. Not only did Kenenisa withstand the assault, but he was able to pull ahead at will in the decisive final lap. Keneinsa’s performance was lauded by one of the race commentators as “the best running performance I have ever seen.”

Congratulations Team Ethiopia for one of the greatest days of Ethiopian athletic achievement!
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More:
Ethiopia romp home to their first ever sweep of all four individual golds – Edinburgh 2008

Bekele wins record-setting sixth world cross-country title, Dibaba wins women's race

Peerless Bekele crowns glorious day for Ethiopia

Bekele claims record sixth title