Stunning Bekele makes it look easy

ATHLETICS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: MUHAMMAD ALI always said the crowds don't come to see a good fight. They come to see a good whuppin'. World Championship 10,000-metre running is a bit like that these days. The crowds come to see Kenenisa Bekele whup everyone else.

He’s 27 years old and he’s never lost a 10,000 metres race. The undefeated, undisputed best distance runner in the world. The way Bekele won his fourth successive title at the distance last night merely underlined that: a championship record of 26:46.31, making it look easier all the time. If he shows up for the 5,000 metres later in the week he’ll win that too.

In fairness, Zersenay Tadese of Eritrea didn’t make it easy, giving it socks from nine laps out, putting the pedal to the track, and never once letting up. The small Ethiopian just bounced along directly behind him, and, as if on cue, went with the sound of the bell for the last lap. He didn’t need to look back. Tadese finished over three seconds behind in 26:50.12, but it was nowhere near that close.

They’d covered the second 5,000 metres in an astonishing 13:06.5, leaving the rest of the field spread around the track, looking as if they didn’t know which way they were running. It was carnage.

Kenya had high hopes they might upset the Ethiopians as they’d done in the women’s race last Saturday night, but instead Moses Masai, the brother of women’s 10,000 metres champion Linet Masai, was out the back door from a mile out, and could manage only third in 26:57.39.

Of course that’s still exceptional running, just not when Bekele is in charge. At 27 he is showing no sign of tiring of his success. Some of his rivals hoped he might be put off two years ago when he married Ethiopian supermodel Dana Gebregziabher, but married life clearly hasn’t upset his training routine. Who knows, maybe it’s focused him even more.

Bekele is coming out of his shell more as well, and did the sort of celebratory dance that only one man could inspire: Usain Bolt.

Ethiopia and Kenya also claimed fourth and fifth in Imane Merga and Bernard Kipyego, although there was some hope for the rest of the world when the American Dathan Ritzenhein ran a personal best of 27:22.20 to finish sixth.

Only one man has rivalled Bekele’s reign in this event, and that was his great predecessor Haile Gebrselassie, who won four World titles from 1993-1999. Given Bekele shows no sign of letting up, it’s only a matter of time before he takes complete reign.

It’s nice not to talk about war between nations, but truth is Ethiopia and Kenya are at war here for world domination in distance running – and if Saturday night’s victory for their women meant the first battle went to Kenya, this war will continue for the week.

But so far Kenya aren’t yet enjoying the sort of championships they had in Osaka two years ago, when they placed third overall in the world.

Kenya were also run out of the top two medals in the 3,000 metres steeplechase last night, which isn’t quite as shocking as it might sound given it was the women’s version. Still, Marta Dominguez of Spain was a fairly shocked-looking winner there.

Not that she didn’t deserve it. The 33-year-old ran a brilliantly executed race, timing her finish to perfection to win gold in 9:07.32, the fastest in the world this year.

Some of you may remember Dominguez as the old rival of Sonia O’Sullivan, or else for her famous pink headband, but this was easily the performance of her long career. Yuliya Zarudneva of Russia ran a personal best of 9:08.39 for silver, with team-mate and world record-holder Gulnara Galkina fourth in 9:11.09. The Kenyan women aren’t yet as dominant in the steeplechase as their male counterparts, and Milcah Cheywa still ran well to take third in 9:08.57.

Kenya are at least looking a safe bet to win tomorrow’s 1,500 metres final: Asbel Kiprop looked superbly comfortably in winning the second semi-final last night in 3:36.24, his team-mate Augustine Choge third in 3:36.43.

Defending champion Bernard Lagat, the Americanised Kenyan, took it slightly easier in the first semi-final, taking third in 3:36.86. But don’t rule out the Ethiopian Deresse Mekonnen.