Gebrselassie and Bekele each won four world titles and two Olympic gold medals in the 10,000m. The latter’s 11-medal tally at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships is another impressive reminder from a bygone era.
With the sport currently in a transition period, technical director of the Ethiopian Athletics Federation, Dube Jilo, said that ensuring his country continues to set the tone in long and middle distance running world is important, but admitted replacing legends like Gebrselassie is not an easy task.
“It is very tough, you know Kenenisa and Haile are the best athletes and they are unique because Haile was running for about 20 years,” said Dube Jilo.
“So replacing these two guys is very difficult. We are trying to develop good young new athletes like Yomif Kejelcha and Hagos Gebrhiwet.
“Maybe for the future these two athletes can replace them. We will try, but we can never have runners like Haile and Kenenisa. This is a big challenge.”
Much was expected of the 18-year-old Kejelcha after he won IAAF Diamond League 5000m races in Brussels, Rome and Eugene last summer and running a world-leading time of 12:53.98.
But in a slow tactical race he could finish only fourth at the IAAF World Championships Beijing 2015. Gebrhiwet, 21, meanwhile took the bronze.
Jilo and other Ethiopians involved at the highest level of the sport point to a general lack of competitive 10,000m races these days as one reason their search for a new superstar has not come to fruition.
He laments the fact many young athletes are going straight to road racing where they can earn more money.
“When you are comparing the time when Haile and Kenenisa competed in the 10,000m, there were a lot of 10,000m races in the world,” said running coach Haji Adilo.
“Now, I think there is only the Olympics and World Championships and the trials. When you are thinking about that, it is difficult for these athletes to fit in the 10,000m.
“Yomif will have no problem when he comes up to 10,000m. If there were a lot of 10,000s in the world, a lot of young athletes would come up like Haile and Kenenisa.”
There is also a mental side to the equation, says Adilo. Britain’s Mo Farah has supplanted the Ethiopians winning two Olympic and two World Championships 10,000m golds and it seems his success has put fear into the minds of potential rivals.
“Haile and Kenenisa, those athletes are pushing the pace from the beginning; they don’t worry about the others,” said Haji Adilo.
“Now, if it’s Mo Farah in the competition and other very strong athletes, they are thinking not only about themselves but thinking about athletes competing together. This mentality is a little bit different from Haile and Kenenisa.
“The talent is there. If I am talking about Kejelcha his talent is there. In one way maybe it’s better than Haile and Kenenisa in what he has shown us in the beginning. Now we will see if, with experience, he can reach Haile and Kenenisa’s level.”
The Ethiopian Athletics Federation currently supports 345 athletes from youth to senior age level. In addition to supplying each with clothing and shoes, they provide the athletes with about 1000 Birr (US $47) a month, enough to pay rent for a small house. The athletics clubs also provide money to offset living expenses.
Source: African News Agency (ANA)
