Bekele, the world record-holder and former Olympic champion over 5 000 and 10 000 metres, believes he's overtaken his Ethiopian compatriot Gebrselassie when it comes to track, but there's still one more test: The marathon!The 31-year-old Kenenisa Bekele says he took up distance running because of the prodigious achievements of the great Haile Gebrselassie. But now wants to prove he's better than his idol and mentor even though he's following Gebrselassie's path by stepping up to the marathon....i think that's a big shot for bekele!...
According to him "If you want to compare, just take a look at the races I won and the medals I received," Bekele Boasted!..He argued that "Haile has run for a long time with a great achievement and I have got a huge respect for him. But ... no one has broken my (5 000 and 10 000 metres) records so far. I think it is clear that my achievement in those track races is better than any other athlete." Bekele bragged!....and went on to say that Gebrselassie's impressive legacy was his ability to succeed at distances ranging from 1 500 metres right up to the marathon. Now 40, Gebrselassie is still competitive.
It's clear that Bekele is eager to move out of the shadow of a man still regarded as Ethiopia's best, and one of the best ever. To do that, Bekele probably has to succeed in the marathon. He said he hadn't needed any advice from Gebrselassie over the move up.
in his own word he said"You don't need to be influenced by others to do what you wanted to do for a long time. I made this decision myself," Bekele said and confidently vowed to make his competitive debut over 26 miles (42 kilometres) at the Paris Marathon on April 6.Bekele has also targeted a meeting with Farah as another test of his status. They are the only two men to have held the Olympic and world 5 000 and 10 000 titles at the same time.
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