NEWS & ANALYSIS
AUGUST 1996
Haile continues his domination
Haile, a three-time world champion, and Kenya’s Tergat broke away from the pack with five laps to go and Gebreselassie kicked past the Kenyan in the final 400 meters for a memorable victory in an Olympic record time of 27:07.34.
Haile, who was clearly hobbling as he climbed off the podium after the medal ceremony, added he could not let his Ethiopian fans down by not competing in the 5,000 meter.
“They know I came for the 10,000 and 5,000 meter so I must run,” he said, suggesting it was one of the worst surfaces he had ever raced on. But a day later, Haile pulled out of the first round of the men’s 5000 meter, citing soreness in his feet caused by running on the hard, sprinter-fast track. It was a bitter decision for the world-record holder who opted not to continue his quest to duplicate Miruts Yifter’s previous double in the distance events. Miruts was Haile’s childhood hero. Miruts was in Atlanta cheering on his protege.
“It is impossible to do 25 laps on this track. I don’t know how they made this track. I cannot walk anymore,” Haile said. “When I finished my feet were hurting really badly.” The Atlanta track was designed with sprinting in mind, its ultra-hard surface helping Donovan Bailey of Canada to win the 100 meter gold in a new world record of 9.84 seconds.
The downside, however, of the track, made by Italian firm Mondo and right up on the limits of legality, is that it is very hard on the leg and ankle joints of the middle and long-distance runners.
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Prepared by ER Staff
A news and opinion journal on Ethiopia
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