Gebrselassie blames ‘retirement’ on emotion

Ethiopian track star and world record holder eyeing 2012 Olympics before deciding on future.

LONDON: Ethiopian track star Haile Gebrselassie admitted that a knee injury and the failure to finish this month’s New York marathon were the reasons for his unexpected retirement from athletics.

The double Olympic gold medallist and world record holder shocked the world by announcing he was quitting after dropping out of the race on November 7, only to revoke his decision at the start of the week.

“It really makes me very angry because they [the media] should ask me,” he said. “I’m the one doing sports.”

Gebrselassie said the knee injury worsened on the eve of the race but, as the pre-race favourite at his first New York marathon attempt, he did not believe it was right to complain about the pain.

“Imagine just complaining after promising to win the race,” he said before adding that he would not give himself a deadline on when to retire but he is also eyeing the 2012 London Olympics.

Gebrselassie set the current world record for the marathon in 2008 when he ran broke his own record as he clocked two hours, three minutes and 59 seconds in Berlin.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 20^th, 2010.