BEIJING (AFP) — Ethiopian Kenenisa Bekele on Wednesday cruised into the final of the men’s Olympic 5000 metres to keep his bid for an elusive long-distance running double on course.
Bekele finished third in his heat and advanced to Friday’s final where he will seek to emulate the 5000/10,000m double last achieved by compatriot Miruts Yifter in the 1980 Moscow Games.
The Ethiopian, who won his second consecutive 10,000m Olympic gold on Sunday, was happy to coast along at the back of the pack as Swiss Philipp Bandi set the early, slow pace.
Abdelaziz Ennaji el Idrissi of Morocco and Belgium’s Monder Rizki took up the running with four laps to go, before Kenyan-born US runner Bernard Lagat hit the front.
James Kwalia C’Kurui then darted away, taking a 20-metre lead into the final lap.
But the Kenyan-born Qatari faded in the final straight and was caught by Lagat, who failed even to make the 1500m final in his own ambitious bid for a double.
“I proved to my fans that I’m doing my best to win a medal in the final,” said Lagat.
“I’m happy I won. I wasn’t going out there to win but I thought when I was leading ‘why not just go and win it?’
“I missed the 1500m so to win in the 5000m is my only objective.”
Kenyan Thomas Pkemei Longosiwa finished in the fourth and final automatic qualifying berth ahead of Australian Craig Mottram.
After his speedy breakaway, C’Kurui fired out a warning to his rivals from Africa.
“If it’s a fast race, I will go fast,” he warned. “If it is a slow race I will win. It’s not just about Kenya and Ethiopia for this event.”
American Matthew Tegenkamp was a surprise winner of the first heat, winning the race to the line in a five-man sprint to clock 13:37.36.
Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge, Bekele’s younger brother Tariku and Eritrean Kidane Tadesse followed him home.
“I didn’t want to let the race get away from me like it did in the 1500m,” said Tegenkamp. “I had to be aggressive and I am happy I won.
“I felt strong and pushed it all the way, I had some problems with my left achilles and I lost a few weeks of training, it’s good now it has been looked after well by the USA staff.”
The second heat winner was Edwin Chruiyot Soi of Kenya, who outsprinted Moses Ndiema Kipsiro of Uganda to the line, with Ethiopian Abreham Cherkos finishing third.
Bahrain’s Rashid Ramzi, who won the 1500m on Tuesday, elected not to race.