(Aqumada) — The Ethiopian team has been somewhat disappointing. The ‘usual suspects’, Keneinsa Bekele and Tirunesh Dibaba have won gold in their specialties. Seleshi Sihine, as usual, has taken the silver in the 10k. Although not the color we expected, Meseret Defar has also grabbed a medal. The rest of the team, however, has performed below par and there is not sign of any up and coming young talent in our traditional events [not to take anything away from the performances of Jarso and Zemzem in the steeplechase].
On the other hand, Kenenisa and Tirunesh have extended the gap between themselves and the rest of the athletes. Both these athletes have made a good case to be considered the greatest long distance runners of all time.
The biggest disappointment: Gelete Burka
There is no doubt that Gelete is one of the most talented Ethiopian runners. Not able to make the immensely talented 5k Ethiopian team, she dropped down to the 1,500 meter and even had the season best going into the Olympics. However, she was unable to make it the finals of this event after running badly in the preliminaries. Gelete is notorious for inconstancy and Beijing has once again proven that she has not matured tactically and there is no sign that she will be able to perform to the best of her abilities any time soon. Clearly, Gelete needs to a drastic change in her training and approach to races. Perhaps she needs to do the Berhane Adere [change coaches and come up with a suitable training for herself]
The greatest moment: Kenenisa’s victory in the 5k
Kenenisa’s victory in the 5k was a demonstration of power, skill, and, tactical brilliance. He has clearly learned from the past that a slow pace in the 5k is as good as handing over the Gold medal to the 1,500 specialists such as Lagat. Kenenisa did not make the same mistake he made in Athens this time. With the help of Tariku and Abraham, he set a furious pace which dropped likes of Lagat early in the race. With a lap remaining, he destroyed the only two remaining Kenyan runners by running 53 seconds last lap. This was not a race. This was a demonstration of dominance by Kenenisa.
The only remaining race for Ethiopian athletes is the Men’s marathon and after watching the condition of our athletes in the rest of the races, my expectations are extremely low.