Bekele eyes the 10,000m in Brussels again

Now that the 10,000m, after a break of two years, is scheduled again for the Belgacom Memorial Van Damme, the organisation is happy to announce the participation of world record holder Kenenisa Bekele.

The Ethiopian athlete, by all means the best performing long distance runner ever, is working very hard to return to the top after a year filled with injuries. End of August, Bekele wants to prolong his world title at the 10k in Daegu.

Should Kenenisa win there, it would be his fifth consecutive world title at the 10,000, his manager Jos Hermens said. This feat has never been done before in professional athletics and that performance alone will probably never be repeated.

After the final in Korea he has about two weeks to recover in time for Brussels. Which should suffice for another great performance, Hermens said.

It was on the track of the Koning Boudewijnstadion in Brussels that Kenenisa Bekele set a new 10,000m world record in 2005. His performance will remains stellar: the time of 26.17.53 has never even been approached by one other athlete …

It would also be Bekele’s fifth participation in the Memorial. The first time he took part was in 2001. He immediately set a new world record at the juniors over 3,000 m with a time of 7.30.67, record that still stands.

Bekele came back in 2005 and improved the 10,000m world record, he won the 5,000m in 2006 in 12.48.09, still the 11th today, won the 10,000 again in 26.46.19, the fifth-best time in his career on this distance.

Given that the run during the World Championships in Daegu will be more tactical, we aim at the best world year in Brussels, Hermens said.

That currently is held by the Eugene meeting (USA) where the Brit Mo Farah put in 26.46.57 on 6 June.

Bekele’s record

The record of the 29-year-old Kenenisa Bekele (born June 13, 1982) looks impressive. The Ethiopian won a.o.
– Three golden medals at the Olympic Games and
– Sixteen (!) world titles.

Moreover Bekele is a five times world record holder: in the 5,000 and 10,000m, the 2,000m and two miles, and 5000m indoors.

Below are his titles in more detail:
– Olympic champion at 10,000 m in 2004 (Athens)
– Olympic champion at the 5,000 and 10,000 in 2008 (Beijing)
– World champion 10,000 m in 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2009
– 2009 World Champion at the 5000m
– World Champion Indoors 3000m in 2006
– World champion crosscountry running short distance, 10,000m in 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2009
– World Champion cross-country running, long distance in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2008.

In his career Bekele has already run the 10,000m 12 times and he has not been beaten once!