Ethiopian Haile Gebresilasie is challenging the Kenyan domination of middle-distance events
ATHLETICS: Julian Drew
WHILE in South Africa this year middle-distance track running has been through something of a renaissance, thanks largely to the exploits of Shadrack Hoff and Hendrik Ramaala, in Europe the middle-distance world records have been taking a substantial battering.
First to inflict damage was Ethiopia’s Haile Gebresilasie in the small town of Hengelo, Holland on June 5. The packed crowd had come to witness something special for they knew the Ethiopian was on his favourite hunting ground and that he was also in awesome shape. His stated intent was the 11-month-old 10 000m world record of Kenya’s William Sigei, and that he would achieve his objective the assembled throng had no doubt.
One year ago to the very day at the same stadium, Gebresilasie had lowered Said Aouita’s seven-year-old 5 000m world record with a time of 12:56.96. Only 10 days earlier at a small track meeting in Kerkrade in Holland, and just one day after his arrival from Ethiopia, Gebresilasie had set a world record for two miles with a time of 8:07.46.
His condition, speed and mental preparation were at a peak. In far- away Addis Ababa his focus for that evening’s task at hand had been kept sharp with an inscription in the grass outside his house. It read H10k. “The H stood for Haile, Holland and Hengelo, the 10k for the 10 000m,” revealed Gebresilasie. It was a daily reminder of his first major goal of the 1995 season.
There was nobody else in the field in Hengelo capable of going near his intended time of 26:40, more than 12 seconds inside Sigei’s record of 26:52.23. Irishman Paul Donovan took him to 2 000m in 5:21.68, two seconds under Sigei’s record pace and just outside the required 64-second lap tempo.
His friend and compatriot Worku Bikila then took over and they passed the halfway mark in 13:21.41. It was clear then that Sigei’s time was destined for the history books. When Bikila dropped out 1 000m later, Gebresilasie had 10 laps to go. His Dutch manager and former world record holder for the one-hour run and 20km, Jos Hermens, urged him on from the side of the track as he relentlessly chased the clock more than a lap ahead of his nearest opponent.
There was a stiff wind on one of the curves which slowed him down a little but it could not prevent him going under Sigei’s mark by nearly nine seconds for an awesome world record of 26:43.53. He became the first man since Kenya’s great Henry Rono in 1978 to hold both the 5 000m and 10 000m world records simultaneously, but it was to be a short-lived feat.
Just when the cognoscenti were asking who could stop this aerobically super-charged running machine Moses Kiptanui, of eternal rivals Kenya, took away his 5 000m record. Kiptanui headed the deepest 5 000m race in history just two days later at the Golden Gala in Rome as three men dipped under 13 minutes to give close scrutiny to his 12:55.30 performance. Kiptanui claimed it was his admonishment of Gebresilasie for having the temerity to infringe on Kenyan territory with his 10 000m record.
More significant was the achievement of the athlete in second place, Daniel Komen, who succeeded Gebresilasie as 5000/10 000m double winner at the world junior championships last year. He also eclipsed the Ethiopian’s old mark of 12:56.96 with his time of 12:56.12. The stage waits Algeria’s incredible world record holder over the mile, 1 500m, 2 000m and 3 000m, Noureddine Morceli, who also has his eyes on the 5 000m prize.
However, the real highlight of the year will come in Gothenburg at the world championships in two weeks’ time. There Gebresilasie will come up against a trio of formidable Kenyans over both the 5 000m and 10 000m, although the ferocity of the Kenyan trials ensured that Komen will not be one of them and Kiptanui will be restricted to the steeplechase.
Two years ago in Stuttgart Gebresilasie was the only top athlete to attempt both distances. He won the 10 000m and narrowly missed the 5 000m after letting Ismail Kirui break away early in a typical display of Kenyan cat-andmouse team work. He failed to catch Kirui in a desperate last lap sprint to try and close the
Kirui will be in Gothenburg to defend his title but Gebresilasie is wiser now to such tactics and with his incredible finishing kick he could become the first athlete to win a distance double at the world
Hoping to be in the 5 000m final is Shadrack Hoff who has twice lowered the South African 5 000m record this year. It now stands at a more respectable 13:14.16 after his race in Gateshead, England, last month, compared to the 13:25.15 record of Matthews Temane which was finally erased after eight years by Hoff in February.
“The problem with most South Africans is that we are scared of a fast pace. My aim now is not to go and break the South African record but to show the world that we can run like the Kenyans. There is no difference between us and the Kenyans. It’s just that we must train harder and do the things that they are doing on the track,” declares Hoff.
Hoff’s new-found confidence is half the battle in the quest to close the gap on the East Africans, because without a belief that we are just as good as the Kenyans and Ethiopians, we never will be.
Unfortunately Hoff tried to stick to the fast pace of the Kenyans in last Friday’s 5 000m in Oslo and although he was comfortable going through 3 000m in 7:50 he lost his rhythm when the Kenyans started to play with the pace. “When the Kenyans started doing fartleks (varying the pace) after 3 000m I just couldn’t handle it,” said Hoff. The wheels rapidly came off and he finished in 13:58, but he is not disillusioned and he is still looking to do well in Gothenburg.
This year may be too early for him to make any serious inroads but if anyone has any doubts about Hoff’s ability they need only listen to Jos Hermens who saw him break the record in Gateshead. Hermens is the former world record holder for 20km and the one-hour run and he is the manager of Gebresilasie. “Shadrack Hoff had so much in reserve today he will be able to break 13:05 whenever he wants to. It is obvious he has the potential to attempt the world record within two years,” were his comments afterwards.