| In 1993, on the world 10,000m rankings list, the name of Haile
Gebrselassie is numbered tenth, with a season best of 27min. 30.7secs -
the time he recorded when finishing third in the African Championships
in Durban - how statistics can deceive! An alternative list reads World
Championships: 1st - Haile Gebrselassie in 27min. 46.02secs. 2nd -
Moses Tanui in 27min. 46.54secs. 3rd - Richard Chelimo in 28min.
06.02secs. Tanui was the defending champion and Chelimo had broken the
10, 000m. world record that year (later improved upon by Yobes Ondieki).
So, who was this kid of just 20 years old who had just taken on the
stars of middle distance running and beaten them all. The phenomenon of the decade would not be an exaggeration.
Trailing Moses at the bell Haile, the 1992 junior world cross country
silver medallist, unleashed a final lap that had the spectators gasping.
He covered the last 400m. in 54.98secs. compared to Moses' 55.66secs,
thereby making amends, from his point of view, for his defeat in the 5,
000m. just six days earlier. He lost that final to an even younger
champion 18 year old Ismael Kirui who had won with a daring front
running display setting a Championship record of 13m 02.75secs. with
Haile second in 13min. 03.17secs. From then on however the Ethiopian was
determined to seek nothing less than gold. (George Herringshaw) |