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

Meseret Defar: Top Female Athlete of 2007

Earlier today, Ethiopian great Meseret Defar was crowned as the female World Athlete of the Year for 2007 at the World Athletics Gala in Monte-Carlo. This is the first time an Ethiopian female athlete has been selected for this most prestigious award in athletics. In the past, Kenenisa Bekele has received the men's award on two occasions while Haile Gebrselassie received it one time.

Upon receiving the award, which carries a USD100,000 prize, Defar commented:

I don’t have words to describe how happy I am. This is very special for me. This is very special for Ethiopian women. Those who struggle very hard and who don't have very many opportunities to achieve the highest levels of athletics. So I dedicate this award to them.

At the same Gala Awards, Haile Gebrselassie, who was one of the three finalist for male World Athlete of the Year, was selected for the category of Inspirational Award... more

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Below is a summary of links to reports ROOCHA posted on Meseret Defar during 2007:

• Record in Stuttgart
• Speedy Mezzy
• Defar Breaks 5000M WR
• They Call Her Bold
• Osaka: Day Eight - Women's 5000M Final

Snubbed Again for Chiba?

What has the Ethiopian Athletics Federation done to upset the Japanese? This has been an unanswered question for a year now. There is a report that Ethiopia, for the second year in a row, has not been invited by the Japanese federation to compete at the prestigious Chiba Ekiden Relay. The question I posed at the bottom of my Nov. 27, 2006 post remians unanswered.

Tamrat Ayalew Wins Marine Marathon

Tamrat Ayalew, who has been a subject of an earlier post here on ROOCHA, won yesterday's Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, D.C. Today's edition of the Washington Post ran a nice story on the marathon. They also have indexed video clips of the finish line where you can watch the winners as well as all the other finishers.

Although Marine Corps Marathon does not award any money to top finishers (thus its nick name The People's Marathon), it is great to see an Ethiopian take the win in Washington, D.C., adopted home of perhaps the largest concentration of Ethiopians outside of Ethiopia.

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Personal kudos to a local friend Mamo who completed the marathon in 3:47 with minimal training. Great job!

Any Resemblance?

David Letterman would say: "Abe, Haile. Haile, Abe."

Do you see any resemblance? The hairline, the half-shut eye, the ear, the headtilt, the mustache? Is Haile doing some of it in purpose?

Cheering Adere From The Back

By Roocha WeaDage

Once again this year, a hearty congratulations to Berhane Adere who won Chicago in 2:33:49, albeit right at the intersection of Marathon Ln. and Champion Dr.

At the crack of dawn, walking down to the starting corral in Grant Park, it was a breath of fresh air walking into a forest of runners who were stretching and getting ready for the race to start. Walking past the starting line, I imagined this is where one of our country heroes Adere will be starting off along with the other elite athletes. Isn't it great that only and only in running one is able to compete with the who's who of world class athletes!

Chicago '07 certainly was a marathon to remember from its record heat wave to the unprecedented finish as Adere reached deep into her track & field days to win Chicago back to back. For elite athletes and others alike, Chicago '07 perhaps will go down in history book as a disappointment. Couple days before the race, a Chicagoist article "Chicago Marathon 2007: This One's Gonna Hurt" wrote:

Don’t be a hero. These aren’t the conditions for a personal best; finishing in one piece is good enough.

For those who heeded this advise, it served well, and for others Chicago '07 was chalked as one of the most challenging marathon. To put it in perspective, instead of spectators congratulating finishers for finishing a marathon, the scene last Sunday was such that spectators were congratulating finishers for surviving the record heat wave.

However, beneath Chicago's heat wave and disappointing finishing time, there was a common thread that united hundreds of runners: the love of running under the name of charity, the unity to bring opportunity and miracles to others less fortunate. It's this combination that made this year's Chicago marathon an extraordinary marathon for many as hundreds were running for a great cause, mine being a A Running Start Foundation which is making a tangible impact to Ethiopia's future runners.

A Running Start Foundation is an organization that is dedicated to using the power of sport to improve the lives of underprivileged youngsters in Ethiopia and East Africa. One example is a project that is taking place in Ethiopia with the youth sports club in Bekoji that has produced world renowned athletes such as Kenenisa Bekele and Tirunesh Dibaba. Being part of this great cause through running was simply a priceless experience. This year's Chicago Marathon represented over 80 charities raising nearly $10M. Many thanks to those who supported these causes and a challenge for others to get involved.

These great charity programs involve common runners as well as elite athletes. In this spirit of charity, I had the pleasure of having a dinner with one of the elite athletes from neighboring Kenya who also combines the passion of running with a greater cause. Meeting Christopher Cheboiboch who finished 6th last weekend was an experience. Christopher is an athlete who displays a compassionate and genuine attitude towards others not only through his words but also through his actions. Although Sunday's running condition left more to be desired, it gave Christopher and myself an opportunity to talk about running and how it can make an impact on society at large. Christopher, like many others, is involved in developing a primary school named Salba Academy in his home country Kenya. Through his generosity, Christopher has used his earnings from New York City Marathon and Boston Marathon winnings to afford kids in his community an opportunity to learn and grow. Kudos to Christopher and wish him best in his endeavors.

For the rest of us, let's continue to make a difference. Yechalale! ... Translation from Amharic: "It’s possible". Together we can make a difference!

Long live ROOCHA!
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Roocha Note: Thank you Roocha WeaDage for sharing your firsthand experience in Chicago and congratulations on surviving the heat and finishing the marathon.

Beijing Pollution Concerns

A couple of articles of interest.

Nice article in today's Washington Post titled "Gray Wall Dims Hopes of 'Green' Games"

Two weeks ago, two Ethiopian middle-distance running champions announced they would forgo some events because of the "disgusting weather and air pollution." New Zealand and American athletes say they will wear face masks if necessary. Even Jacques Rogge, president of the International Olympic Committee, warned that some endurance sports might be postponed if the pollution gets too bad.

Also this article titled "A 'disgusting' Beijing Repels Olympic Athletes" quotes Kenenisa as saying that Beijing has “mixture of disgusting weather and air pollution" and that he will not try to double. Meseret Defar says that she will have to change her exercise regime and routines radically and will not attempt to double.