Kenenisa Bekele and Tirunesh Dibaba lit up the track at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the Ethiopian running legends each claiming victories in both 5,000 and 10,000m.
Away from the barn-storming performances of Jamaican sprint star Usain Bolt, Bekele and Dibaba’s feats were arguably the highlight of the track and field at the Bird’s Nest stadium. However, the duo has not had the run-in to the July 27-August 12 London Games they would have liked. It has been confirmed that neither will defend their double golds, instead racing just the 10,000m, with each named as replacement for the 5,000m.
“I won’t be going to the Games to race the 5,000m,” said Bekele. “But I’m not so disappointed because I have my place in the 10,000m. I don’t have enough training under my belt to go in the 5,000m.”
Dibaba, a seven time world champion and the 5,000m world record holder, has also spent much time out of action because of injury, missing the world cross-country champs in Jordan and the world championships in Berlin in 2009.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 15th, 2012.
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