Bekele adds to great Berlin drama

ATHLETICS: IF THE true definition of sporting greatness is brilliantly and repeatedly beating your rivals then in normal circumstances Kenenisa Bekele would have been the headline act at these World Championships.

In his latest display of all-conquering distance running, Bekele yesterday added the 5,000 metres title to the 10,000 metres title he won last Monday, which means the little Ethiopian has now collected an astonishing 24 gold medals at major championships. Enough to melt down into a life-size statue of himself.

Bekele’s only problem, of course, is that these weren’t your normal World Championships – and he has still found himself no match for Usain Bolt in the popularity or indeed personality stakes. Few athletes ever have, nor possibly ever will, and even if Bekele had won here with one hand tied behind his back he’d still be playing support act to Bolt.

Pity, because while Bekele may not be breaking world records here in Berlin – which in distance running is always more difficult in championship environs – he is now unquestionably the greatest distance runner of all time. The 27-year-old won more or less as he pleased; leading for practically the entire race, before out-gunning Bernard Lagat of the US in the home-stretch duel.

These were one of the greatest athletics championships ever staged. Bolt’s two world records over 100 and 200 metres were always going to set them apart, but there was enough drama and excitement in the old Olympic Stadium over the past nine days to restore a lot of people’s faith in the sport.

Although Bolt didn’t get his third world record in the 4x100 metres relay, he did get his third gold medal when he helped Jamaica ease home ahead of Trinidad in a championship record of 37.31 seconds.

That merely underlined the extraordinary dominance of the Jamaican sprinters and the small Caribbean island ended up second only to the US on the medals table, with seven gold medals in total.

The US won 10, but needed to win both men’s and women’s 4x400 metres relay yesterday evening to ensure they remained the world leaders in track and field.

With 202 nations represented here over the past nine days it was also the one truly global championship, although only 37 countries went home with medals. Olive Loughnane’s silver in the 20km walk last Sunday ensured Ireland was among them, for only the fifth time, and in fact level 24th, as six countries only won bronze. There may still be a bit of a cloud over the future of Irish athletics, but as the saying goes . . .