Ethiopia’s Kenenisa Bekele established himself as one of the greatest distance runners of all time after another remarkable year in which he achieved the first ever 5,000 and 10,000 metres double in the World Athletics Championships, in Berlin.
In a front line career of more than eight years, Bekele has never been beaten at 10,000 metres and he has won gold at that distance in four straight World Championships.
His double success in Berlin followed an equally stunning Olympic Games in 2008 when he became the first man in 25 years to win the 5,000 and 10,000 metres in the same Olympiad.
By winning his second Olympic 10,000 metres title, Bekele joined an elite group of athletes who have accomplished this – Pavo Nurmi, Emil Zatopek, Lasse Viren and Haile Gebrselassie. And his 5,000 and 10,000 metres Olympic double put him alongside Hannes Kolehmainen, Zatopek, Vladimir Kuts, Viren and Miruts Yifter.
