Will Men’s 5000m Be Yet Another 4000m Jog/1000m Dash?
Posted by Jimmie R. Markham | August 19, 2008
Get this: eighteen men on the start list for tomorrow’s 5000m heats have PR’s that are faster than the Olympic record of 13:05.59 which was set by Said Aouita way back in 1984. That includes three Ethiopians (world-record holder Kenenisa Bekele, his little bro’ Tariku Bekele, Abreham Cherkos), three speedy Kenyans (Eliud Kipchoge, Thomas Pkemei Longosiwa, Edwin Cheruiyot Soi), a plucky Australian (Buster Mottram) who thinks that African distance runners can be beat, a pretty dangerous Ugandan (Moses Kipsiro) and even a couple of guys (Bernard Lagat, Matt Tegenkamp) who are a part of the American distance resurgence.
Most Olympic 5000m finals are tactical affairs. Take for instance the 2004 Games. The first 1000m split was 2:58.5, on pace for an embarrassing 14:52 finish. The next 1000m split was a respectable 2:37.5, a pace which would have yielded a final time of 13:07. The 3rd 1000m split was a serious 2:34.9, on pace for a scintillating 12:54.5. The fourth 1000m found the runners putting on the brakes again. The split at the 10 lap mark was 2:37.7, which would have been good for a final time of 13:08.6. Finally, it got down to the 1000m race it really was all along. The final 1000m was run in an unseemly 2:25.8, which would have translated to a 12:08.9 final time had some super human been able to run that pace for twelve and a half laps.
The Sydney final in 2000 was even more pedestrian. Check out that last 1000m split in the table below. A mile at that pace would be run in 3:54.40:
| Intermediate | Time | Split | On Pace For |
| 1000m | 2:45.36 | 2:45.36 | 13:46.80 |
| 2000m | 5:39.54 | 2:54.18 | 14:30.90 |
| 3000m | 8:21.79 | 2:42.25 | 13:31.25 |
| 4000m | 11:09.84 | 2:48.05 | 14:00.25 |
| 5000m | 13:35.49 | 2:25.65 | 12:08.25 |
I find it inconceivable that the race strategies of the Craig Mottrams and the Matt Tegenkamps of the world (both of whom should make the final) would be to allow this Olympic 5000m final to come down to a 4000m jog followed by a 1000m dash. Not with the Bekele brothers, Lagat and the other incredible kickers in the race. If they want a medal, either man (or both men) will have to take it out hard and run the kicks out of at least eight dangerous speedsters. If that were to happen, I wouldn’t be surprised if 5 men dipped under the Olympic record on Friday, August 22nd, 2008. If those first two 1000m splits aren’t at least 2:40 and 2:35, then it’ll be yet another 4000m jog followed by a 1000m dash and the non-African runners won’t stand a chance.
Here are the starters, listed in ascending order by PR:
| Heat | Athlete | NAT | SB 2008 | PB |
| 3 | Kenenisa Bekele | ETH | 12:58.94 | 12:37.35 |
| 1 | Eliud Kipchoge | KEN | 13:02.06 | 12:46.53 |
| 2 | Moses Kipsiro | UGA | 12:54.70 | 12:50.72 |
| 2 | Ali Saïdi-Sief | ALG | 13:22.59 | 12:50.86 |
| 3 | Thomas Pkemei Longosiwa | KEN | 13:14.36 | 12:51.95 |
| 2 | Edwin Cheruiyot Soi | KEN | 13:13.53 | 12:52.40 |
| 1 | Tariku Bekele | ETH | 12:52.45 | 12:52.45 |
| 2 | Abreham Cherkos | ETH | 12:57.56 | 12:54.19 |
| 3 | James Kwalia C’Kurui | QAT | 13:04.70 | 12:54.58 |
| 3 | Craig Mottram | AUS | 13:11.99 | 12:55.76 |
| 3 | Moukheld Al-Outaibi | KSA | 13:12.78 | 12:58.58 |
| 3 | Bernard Lagat | USA | 13:16.29 | 12:59.22 |
| 3 | Alberto García | ESP | 13:20.48 | 13:02.54 |
| 2 | Mourad Marofit | MAR | 13:02.84 | 13:02.84 |
| 3 | Monder Rizki | BEL | 13:04.06 | 13:04.06 |
| 1 | Matthew Tegenkamp | USA | 13:28.52 | 13:04.90 |
| 2 | Mohammed Farah | GBR | 13:25.01 | 13:07.00 |
| 1 | Alistair Ian Cragg | IRL | 13:16.12 | 13:07.10 |
| 1 | Sultan Khamis Zaman | QAT | 13:07.57 | 13:07.57 |
| 2 | Adrian Blincoe | NZL | 13:10.19 | 13:10.19 |
| 2 | Ali Abdalla | ERI | 13:18.76 | 13:10.71 |
| 2 | Rashid Ramzi | BRN | 13:10.72 | 13:10.72 |
| 1 | Anis Selmouni | MAR | 13:11.24 | 13:11.24 |
| 1 | Juan Luis Barrios | MEX | 13:28.53 | 13:11.37 |
| 3 | David Galván | MEX | 13:58.83 | 13:12.18 |
| 1 | Kidane Tadasse | ERI | 13:13.17 | 13:13.17 |
| 1 | Takayuki Matsumiya | JPN | 13:41.55 | 13:13.20 |
| 2 | Jesús España | ESP | 13:13.32 | 13:13.32 |
| 2 | Ian Dobson | USA | 13:29.76 | 13:15.33 |
| 1 | Geofrey Kusuro | UGA | 13:18.38 | 13:18.38 |
| 3 | Hasan Mahboob | BRN | 13:18.98 | 13:18.98 |
| 3 | Kensuke Takezawa | JPN | 13:49.73 | 13:19.00 |
| 1 | Aadam Ismaeel Khamis | BRN | 13:19.27 | |
| 2 | Kevin Sullivan | CAN | 13:19.27 | |
| 1 | Aelemayehu Bezabeh | ESP | 13:20.46 | 13:20.46 |
| 1 | Collis Birmingham | AUS | 13:21.12 | 13:21.12 |
| 3 | Abdelaziz Ennaji El Idrissi | MAR | 13:21.39 | |
| 2 | Tonny Wamulwa | ZAM | 13:25.58 | 13:25.58 |
| 3 | Philippe Bandi | SUI | 13:25.83 | 13:25.83 |
| 3 | Selim Bayrak | TUR | 13:26.14 | 13:26.14 |
| 2 | Nader Almassri | PLE | 14:24.81 | |
| 1 | Soe Min Thu | MYA | 15:16.23 | |
| 3 | Abdinasir Said Ibrahim | SOM |
Topics: Beijing Previews, Blog, Long Distance, Olympic Games |