And then, of course, there is Kenenisa Bekele. Did anyone catch his awesome display at the World X-Country? Staggering.
Lyndon replied:
Quoted message said:
Actually, Bekele's track times have not been that impressive given his cross results. His best 5000 last year was actually slower than Jorge Torres. Track and xc are different sports. Obviously, he has the strength aspect for cross, but if he has the aerobic capacity to compete at the top level on the track, he hasn't demonstrated it yet. 13:26 is so much slower than the WR that the latter isn't even worth talking about.
Maybe not Geb, but the next Tergat?
I think after the last two weeks we can agree that Bekele is the new Geb!
And then, of course, there is Kenenisa Bekele. Did anyone catch his awesome display at the World X-Country? Staggering.
Lyndon replied:
Quoted message said:
Actually, Bekele's track times have not been that impressive given his cross results. His best 5000 last year was actually slower than Jorge Torres.
Track
Quoted message said:
and xc are different sports. Obviously, he has the strength aspect for
cross,
Quoted message said:
but if he has the aerobic capacity to compete at the top level on the track,
he
Quoted message said:
hasn't demonstrated it yet. 13:26 is so much slower than the WR that the latter isn't even worth talking about.
Maybe not Geb, but the next Tergat?
I think after the last two weeks we can agree that Bekele is the new Geb!
Yes, Teddy, I'd agree now (and a year later, the Kenyans are still trying to figure out how to compete with him). But at the time I wrote that, he had not established himself on the track.
Lyndon "Speed Kills...It kills those that don't have it!" --US Olympic Track Coach Brooks Johnson
[email hidden] (Lyndon) wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...
Quoted message said:
Yes, Teddy, I'd agree now (and a year later, the Kenyans are still trying to figure out how to compete with him). But at the time I wrote that, he had not established himself on the track.
FWIW as far as my humble opinion was concerned, he´d already established himself on the track in 2001 when Hailu Mekonnen and a very young Bekele won against the Kenyans in a Golden League meet in Bruxelles. In addition to that excellent 7:30 3000m he ran a fairly good 13:13 5000m that season.
But it´s true he didn´t make much of an impression on the 2002 track season.
