Bekele beaten in Oslo

e won in Oslo in 2003. He won again in 2009. And here he was, back again: Kenenisa Bekele. Once again the 29-year old was the favorite for the men’s 5000m but as it turned out he couldn’t perform as expected. In the end of the long race fellow Ethiopian Dejen Gebremeskel was the winner – with a time of 12:58.92. "Very satisfied wiht the race, fast time and Olympic qualification. Why not go for a medal in London? And yes we are the new generation of Ethiopian runners. My next race is in Paris."<br />He was 0.7 seconds in front of Hagos Gebrhiwet (ETH) who scored a new personal best. Bekele came in fourth and was by all means disappointed with his race.

Nevertheless he still showed his respect for the enthusiastic Norwegian crowd who supported him throughout the race. The Ethiopian super star drove in by car an hour before the 5.000m for an honor round cheering at the fans. No wonder they happily returned the favor. In the end it didn’t help – there was no triple Oslo-joy for Bekele.