Ethiopia rubbishes Haile's claim

From John Mehaffey in Leeds, England
April 02, 2008 DUAL Olympic champion Haile Gebrselassie will not compete in the 10,000m at the Beijing Games, Ethiopia's chief athletics coach, Woldemeskel Kostre, said in dismissing the athletics legend's prospects.

Gebrselassie, 34, has withdrawn from the Olympic marathon because of concerns about pollution in Beijing, but he said he could return to the track and compete in the 10,000m.

The four-time world 10,000m champion retired from the track after finishing fifth in the 2004 Olypics final in Athens to concentrate on the marathon, over which distance he is the world record holder.

"It's very tough for him because he can't compete with the younger men over the 10,000," said at a reception for the all-conquering Ethiopian cross-county team at Leeds Metropolitan University.

"That's why he has shifted to the marathon.

"We really admire him, we love him, we respect him but he's not ready to run 10,000 metres at the Olympics."

Ethiopia won each of the four individual titles for the first time at the world championships in Edinburgh over the weekend.

Gebrselassie is scheduled to run over 10,000m in the Dutch town of Hengelo on May 24, but Kostre said an exceptional time in the athlete's only 10,000m race since Athens would not ensure selection for Beijing.

"We have got five others who have run 10,000 in 26 minutes," he said.

Kostre meanwhile said that Kenenisa Bekele, who became the first man to win six world cross-country titles in Edinburgh, was unlikely to attempt the 5000m-10,000m double in Beijing.

Bekele, the Olympic and world 10,000m gold medallist, was beaten into second place in the 5000m in Athens by Moroccan Hicham El Guerrouj.

"We think that one will be enough," Kostre said.

Agence France-Presse