Berhane Adere wins the 10,000m final in Paris (© Getty Images)
Patient and decisive! These are the two words that define the racing characteristics of Ethiopia's Berhane Adere, who after neatly tucking in just behind them, so often sprints past her rivals in the last laps.
Adere who will turn 31 years of age on 21 July, is the reigning World 10,000m champion and has already taken part at the distance in two Olympics - Atlanta 96 (18th) and Sydney 2000 (12th) - but was no where near the medal standings on eoither occasion.
Healing the pain of Sydney
As such, Adere believes that success in the Greek capital this summer is much more than just a simple battle for gold. Success in Athens is about reaffirming her overall development as a track star since 2000.
"I was very disappointed, especially in Sydney," she recalls. "But that was four years ago and now I have the chance to heal the pain."
Adere's career took a substantial upward turn when she won the silver in the final of the 10,000m at the 8th IAAF World Championships in Edmonton, Canada, the following year. In 2002, the World Half Marathon title fell to her, as did a World Cup win. Indoors she also took the 2003 World Indoor title and has also set foot into World indoor record territory in the last two winters.
However, since her World championship win in the French capital last summer, she has had mixed fortunes. She lost to arch-rival Britain's Paula Radcliffe twice, in the Great North Run and then in the 10th IAAF World Half Marathon championships in Vilamoura, Portugal and failed to defend her 3000m World Indoor title in Budapest last March, losing to her compatriot Meseret Defar.
Also, although she smashed the World indoor 5000m record by eight seconds (14:39.29 in Stuttgart, Germany) this winter, in total she has won only three out of the nine individual races she has run since winning the 10,000m in Paris. But Adere says that this loss of form does not worry her at all.
Not concerned
"I would not call it a dip in form and I am not worried about it," she says. "In both Newcastle and Vilamoura, Paula [Radcliffe] was more ready than I was because she did not take part in Paris, while I had run many races in the summer. That is the difference between someone who has been training for a while and another who has been running continuously."
Leg injury
Adere attributed her defeat in Budapest to a leg injury. "I knew that I was not in the best shape to defend my title when I headed to Budapest," she admitted. "Still, second was not bad and I only lost out in the finish."
Since then, the Shewa-born runner has travelled to Frankfurt, Germany for treatment on her injured leg and believes that her injury nightmares could well be behind her.
"I know that if I am in good health, I am capable of winning any race and running fast times," she said.
Limited racing programme prior to Athens
While her Ethiopian compatriots swept the field apart at the 32nd IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Brussels, Belgium, Adere has been quietly training for the track season, although she has not decided yet where to run.
"I have not decided yet in which meetings I will run," she said. "In fact, I will not run in many races this year, maybe two or three between now and Athens."
With so many other great Ethiopian runners in the frame for the Olympics, Adere says her summer season will be concentrated on setting good times for both the 5000m and 10,000m in Athens, so that she is selected for the Athens squad.
"I want to get good times in both in order to qualify for the Olympics," she said.
