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Gebrselassie says the reigning 10,000m cross-country world champion can run “under 26 minutes” in 10km on Wednesday.
One afternoon in August, Haile Gebrselassie had her eyes glued to Joshua Cheptegei on the television screen.
After watching a race for almost 13 minutes, the Ethiopian legend of distance racing he was stunned.
“Fantastic!” he exclaimed.
Cheptegei had comfortably broken Kenenisa Bekele’s 5,000-meter world record in her first running track appearance of the season.
The vertiginous career of the Ugandan, who was just eight when Bekele set a record that would remain undefeated for 16 years, stunned the retired distance star on the track.
“He is a superstar and simply the best.” – Haile Gebrselassie on Joshua Cheptegei.
Gebrselassie, who enjoyed success breaking 5,000m and 10,000m world records, was completely impressed by the way Cheptegei had effortlessly set the new brand.
“I saw the 5,000m world record in Monaco, and it didn’t seem difficult [for him] compared to the time I ran the 5,000m. “
As an athlete, Gebrselassie set 27 world records, including an incredible 5,000-meter time of 12: 39.36 in Helsinki, Finland, in 1998.
And now the two-time Olympic gold medal winner is bowing Cheptegei to break the 10,000m record on Wednesday (October 7) in an event that you can watch live on the Olympic Channel.
Cheptegei can go even faster at 5,000m
At the resumption of the athletics season, reigning 10,000m world champion Cheptegei decided that he would mark his return to competition in style following the interruption of the COVID pandemic.
He announced a plan to attack both the 10km time and the 5,000m record.
Improving the 5km road world record in 12 minutes 51 seconds from the previous mark of 13:22 in February, gave him the motivation to chase the track record on the shorter of the two distances. And doing it in 2020 was his goal.
“There would be no right time to try to break the world record. So I told myself that even if we have COVID-19 now, this year presents me with the right time and the right opportunity to try to make history,” he said. Olympic Channel of your decision.
Gebrselassie, who set a gold standard at 5,000m that stood for six years before it was improved by compatriot Bekele at Hengelo. [12:37:35], I was in awe of seeing Cheptegei finish in 12:35:36 in that August race.
Speaking exclusively to Olympic channel Gebrselassie said: “The 5,000m world record in Monaco didn’t seem difficult compared to the time I ran. He is a superstar and simply the best!”
“Looks like he can run at 12:35 for 5,000m. It is amazing to see such wonderful athletes in this generation. I don’t know what time will be in the future. “- Haile Gebrselassie on Joshua Cheptegei
Gebrselassie: ‘Sub 26 possible’ in the 10,000m
The race in Monaco was an inspiring performance that has the legend excited by this record 10,000m challenge from Uganda and the new group of runners coming from East Africa.
“It’s not just Joshua, the other friend of his [Jacob] Kiplimo. Wow from these two athletes! Where do they come from? Amazing! It seems they can run sub 26, if not 26:10.
“I’m worried that if they run less than 26 minutes, it will be difficult for others to break it,” Gebrselassie said, with his mind set on Cheptegei, 24. World record attempt in Valencia on October 7, which is live on Olympic Channel.
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Gebrselassie feels the Kapchorwa high-altitude region runner in eastern Uganda is the present and the future, and could dominate long-distance running like he and Bekele did.
Bekele’s world record stands at 26: 17.53 set in Brussels in 2005. No athlete, except for the triple Olympic champion himself, has reached five seconds of that mark.
Kenya’s 2008 Olympic bronze medalist Micah Kogo was the closest with his career of 26: 35.63 in 2006.
Cheptegei’s personal best is 26: 48.36, his winning time at the 2019 World Championships in Doha, which ranks him 18th on the all-time list.
Technological advances make things seem “easy”
Two-time Olympic champion Gebrselassie, who in his prime outpaced his pacemakers in racing, wonders how much faster he could have run if he had the new technology available to athletes now.
“If you watch athletics now, I’m jealous. The shoes I’m running in now from Adidas, Wow! very comfortable. These people should have brought these shoes [out] when I was in shape. “
“Technology is helping these athletes! When you have that kind of technology and [what] worn in the stadium when athletes run, you can plan your pace. That [becomes] very easy to break the world record ”, he reasoned.
Cheptegei wore Nike’s new Dragonfly sneakers when he broke the world record in Monaco, which is believed to give runners a boost.
He also had access to Wavelight technology featured at this year’s Diamond League track events.
The system uses the rail (within the 400m track) in which the lights flash at an assigned rate for the runners, helping them keep up with the target time.
Cheptegei, the man to beat in Tokyo?
Cheptegei dreams of becoming the best, not only by running super fast, but by being “the best of all time, like Kenenisa, Gebrselassie and Eliud Kipchoge.”
He’s determined to win the 5 billion and 10 billion titles after Great Britain. For Farah won double in both London 2012 Y Rio 2016 and will try to defend both in Tokyo.
the five times olympian Gebrselassie feels Cheptegei is on the right track as he heads into the Olympic year.
“If you look at Joshua and Kiplimo, can you take the gold from those athletes? My friend of mine [Farah] it will not be easy [for him] but he will be prepared for that. “
Talking 10,000m relives special memories for Gebrselassie and her latest Olympic Games victory in Sydney 2000.
“[Until now] it’s like i’m still in the race racing paul [Tergat]. Looks like I took that gold away“ He said as he burst into laughter.
“If you ask me what was my best race? or if you ask me which [race] Do I choose in my sports career? Of course Sydney! If you ask me to choose 1,2,3… 1. Sydney! 2. Sydney! 3. Sydney! “- Haile Gebrselassie to Olympic Channel.
“Bless that day in Sydney. In the history of Olympic athletics, I can say that they were the greatest athletics events of all time. It was an incredible 10,000m even for other people watching and not just Haile or Paul Tergat. “
Watch Cheptegei attempt to break the 10,000m world record in Valencia live on Olympic Channel on Wednesday 7th October here.
