Dr. Woldmeskel Kostre (coach) with Kenenisa Bekele after the World record in Hengelo (© c)
Ethiopia’s World and Olympic 10,000m champion Kenenisa Bekele feels that he is in record breaking shape as he puts the finishing touches to his preparations for the Thales FBK Games - IAAF GP - in Hengelo, The Netherlands, Sunday 29 May, where he is scheduled to make an attempt at the World 10,000m record.
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Speaking by phone from his new training base in the United States, Bekele said that he is confident of lowering his own World record time of 26:20.71 set in Ostrava last year this coming Sunday. “Yes, I feel I am in record-breaking shape,” said Bekele. “I have been training for two months here in the USA and I am confident of lowering my own mark.”
Bekele, who is Athlete of the Year and heads the Overall standings in the IAAF World Rankings, set the World 5000m record last year on the Hengelo track which has famously in the past also played host to so many of Haile Gebrselassie’s long distance records.
Bekele’s running career looked to have come to a halt early this year following the death of his fiancée, the World Youth 1500m champion Alem Techale, who collapsed while on a training run in the outskirts of Addis Ababa. But following two high-profile indoor defeats in Boston and Birmingham, he made a winning return to form in March becoming the most medalled athlete in the history of the World Cross Country Championships, when grabbing his 21st medal in a memorable and dramatic weekend in central France.
Away from the memories of Alem
Bekele has since left Ethiopia to train at high altitude in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA, and said that he has profited from the change of environment.
“I wanted to get away from the training places that reminded me about Alem (Techale),” he said. “I wanted to go to a quite place where I can recover from my loss and get my mindset right for the coming outdoor season.”
He also added that he will decide on the rest of his racing programme before the 10th IAAF World Championships in Helsinki, Finland after returning from Hengelo, although organizers of the TDK Golden League meeting in Paris on 1 July last week confirmed that he will run in their meet.
Click here for Paris TDK Golden League story
“At the moment, I am focusing on running a World record at the 10,000m,” he said. “I will decide upon my return to Addis Ababa (after Hengelo) if I am going to look for the 5000m or the 3000m records as well.”
Elshadai Negash for the IAAF
Editor's Note - A full meeting preview of the Thales FBK Games will follow later this week, and a meeting report on the night of competition, from our correspondent at the meeting Cors van den Brink
