Haile Gebrselassie

Haile Gebrselassie (Ge'ez: ኃይሌ ገብረ ሥላሴ, "haylē gebre silassē"; born April 18, 1973) is an Ethiopian long distance track and road running athlete. Gebrselassie has achieved major competition wins at distances between 1500 metres and the marathon, moving from outdoor, indoor and cross country running to road running in the latter part of his career. He has broken 26 world records and won numerous Olympic and World Championship titles, and is widely considered one of the greatest distance runners in history. [cite web| url=http://sport.independent.co.uk/general/article274168.ece| title=Gebrselassie's great plan| date=2000-06-02| publisher="The Independent"] [cite web| url=http://www.cbc.ca/sports/story/2001/08/06/mens10000m010803.html| title=Men's 10,000m: Gebrselassie may be the best of all time| date=2001-08-06| publisher=CBC Sports] [cite web| url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writers/brian_cazeneuve/08/05/nyc.half.marathon/index.html| title=Haile successful: Gebrselassie reminds us once again of his greatness| date=2007-08-05| publisher="Sports Illustrated"] [cite web| url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C01E2DA153CF930A25757C0A9649C8B63| title=MARATHON; Gebrselassie's Plan Could Hurt Him in the End| date=2002-04-13| author=Jere Longman| publisher="The New York Times"] [cite web| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/athletics/1910981.stm| title=Steinle seeking London glory| date=2002-04-04| publisher=BBC Sport]

Early career

Gebrselassie was born as one of ten children in Asella, Arsi Province, Ethiopia. As a child growing up on a farm he used to run ten kilometres to school every morning, and the same back every evening. This led to a distinctive running posture, with his left arm crooked as if still holding his schoolbooks. [cite web| url=http://www.olympic.org/uk/athletes/profiles/bio_uk.asp?PAR_I_ID=90856| title=Profiles: Haile Gebrselassie| publisher=International Olympic Committee]

Gebrselassie gained international recognition in 1992 when he won the 5,000-metre and 10,000-metre races at the 1992 Junior World Championships in Seoul, [cite news
url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/olympics_2004/3757997.stm| title=Olympic countdown: 73 days |date=May 28, 2004| publisher = BBC Sport] and a silver medal in the junior race at the World Cross Country Championships.

The next year, in 1993, Gebrselassie won the first of what would eventually be four consecutive world championships titles in the men's 10,000 metres at the 1993, 1995, 1997, and 1999 World Championships. At the 1993 World Championships, he also ran in the 5,000-metre race to finish a close second behind Ismael Kirui of Kenya. In 1994 he won a bronze medal at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships. Later that year he set his first world record by running a 12:56.96 in the 5,000-metres, breaking Saïd Aouita's record by two seconds.

In 1995, Gebrselassie ran the 10,000-metres in 26:43.53 in Hengelo, Netherlands lowering the world record by a full nine seconds. That same summer, in Zürich, Switzerland, Gebrselassie ran the 5000 metres in 12:44.39, ripping an astonishing 10.91 seconds off the world record 12:55.30 (established by Kenya's Moses Kiptanui earlier in the year). This world record at the Weltklasse meet in Zürich was voted "Performance of the Year" for 1995 by "Track & Field News" magazine. At the same Weltklasse meet in Zürich in 1996, an exhausted Gebrselassie, suffering from blisters obtained on the hard track in Atlanta (where he had won the Olympic 10,000 metres gold), had no answer to the 58-second lap of Daniel Komen with five laps to go as Komen went on to win and just miss Gebrselassie's record, finishing in 12:45.09. In 1997, Gebrselassie turned the tables on Komen at the same meet. Coming off his third 10K world championship gold medal, Gebrselassie outkicked Komen in another Zürich classic on August 13, 1997, covering the final 200 metres in 26.8 seconds to break his 5,000 metres world record with a time of 12:41.86. Komen, in turn, took Gebrselassie's record only nine days later when Komen ran a 12:39.74 performance in Belgium.

Middle career

The next year, 1998, saw Gebrselassie lowering the indoor world records for 2,000 and 3,000 metres, enjoying success outdoors by taking back both the 5,000 and 10,000 metres world records, as well as earning a share in the Golden League jackpot for winning all of his races in the Golden League series that summer. In June 1998, in Hengelo, Netherlands, Gebrselassie set a 10,000 metres world record 26:22.75, breaking Paul Tergat's world record 26:27.85, running evenly paced 13:11/13:11 5K splits.

Just 13 days later, Gebrselassie took on the 5,000 metres mark of Komen in Helsinki, Finland. Croatian pacemaker Branko Zorko took the pace out slowly, hitting 1000 metres in 2:33.91 and dropping out at the mile. Millon Wolde and Assefa Mezgebu led Gebrselassie through 2,000 metres in 5:05.62. His pacemakers could not maintain the pace, though, and Gebrselassie was left alone for a difficult solo effort six laps out. Hitting 3,000 metres in 7:38.93, even the British commentators announcing the race counted him out. With four laps to go (8:40.00), Gebrselassie needed a sub-4 minute final 1,600 metres for the record. With one lap to go and in great pain, Gebrselassie took off, recording a final lap of 56.77 seconds and a final 1,600 metres of 3:59.36 (= 4:00.96 mile) to race to a 12:39.36 world record.

In 1999, Gebrselassie starred as himself in the movie "Endurance". The film chronicled his quest to win Olympic gold in the 10,000 metres in Atlanta. On the track, he won a 1500/3000 metres double at the World Indoor Track Championships, defended his Outdoor World Track Championships 10,000 metres title, and remained undefeated in all his races (which ranged from the 1,500 up to 10,000 metres).

In 2000, Gebrselassie again won all of his races, ranking first in the world yet again in both the 5,000 and 10,000 metres. At the 2000 Sydney Olympics, he became the third man in history to successfully defend an Olympic 10,000 metres title (after Emil Zátopek and Lasse Virén). The narrow Olympic victory over Kenya's Paul Tergat came down to a blistering final kick, with Tergat's 26.3 second final 200 metres being topped by Gebrselassie's even faster 25.4. The winning margin of victory was only 0.09 seconds, closer than the winning margin in the men's 100 metre dash final.

In 2001, Gebrselassie won the IAAF World half marathon and the bronze medal in the 10,000 metres at the 2001 World Championships in Athletics.

On August 30, 2003, Gebrselassie topped the polls when elected as a member of the IAAF Athletes Commission. Also in 2003, at the World Championships in Paris, Gebrselassie was involved in one of the most remarkable 10,000 metres races of all time while gaining a silver medal behind countryman and protégé Kenenisa Bekele. The last half of the 10,000 metres final at the championships was completed in a staggering 12:57.24 (12:57.2 for Bekele and 12:58.8 for Gebrselassie). According to the IAAF, "Not only was this split the fastest closing 5,000 metres in the championships 10,000m (the previous record was 13:12.12, recorded in Atlanta), but it was also the fastest 5,000 metres in a global championships surpassing the 12:58.13 Salah Hissou recorded when he won the 5,000m in Sevilla'99." (This remark remained true until a week later when the World Athletic Championships 5,000 metres medalists (including Bekele) all ran faster than the second 5,000 metres split in the previous week's 10,000 metres.) "The difference between the closing 5,000 metres splits (12:57.24) and the 5,000 metres World record (12:39.36) was 17.98 seconds, which is a record. The previous best of 18.4 seconds (13:31.4 for the closing 5,000 metres when the World Record was 13:13.0) was recorded in the 1976 Olympics." [cite web| url=http://www.iaaf.org/news/Kind=2/newsId=23083.html| title=Paris 2003 – from a distance| date=2003-09-02| publisher=IAAF.org]

In 2004 Athens Olympics, Gebrselassie sought to become the first man in history to win three straight Olympic gold medals in the 10,000 metres. He was unable to do so, however, finishing fifth in a race won by his compatriot Kenenisa Bekele, who had broken both of Gebrselassie's major track world records, the 5,000 metres and the 10,000 metres records. Shortly before the Athens games, Gebrselassie was unable to train for 3 weeks due to inflammation of his Achilles tendon. The injury was severe enough that he would not have competed otherwise, but did so because of significant pressure from his country. This loss of the final period of training likely cost him a medal. [cite web| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympics_2004/athletics/3584572.stm | title=Brilliant Bekele takes gold| publisher=BBC Sport| date=August 20, 2004] [cite web| url=http://www.iaaf.org/news/Kind=2/newsId=26998.html| title=Haile farewell| publisher=IAAF| date=August 23, 2004]

Later career

Since leaving the track after the 2004 Olympics, Gebrselassie has focused on road racing and the marathon. His adult marathons to date include London 2002, Amsterdam 2005 (1st place), London 2006, Berlin 2006 (1st place), Fukuoka 2006 (1st place), London 2007, Berlin 2007 (1st place and World Record), Dubai 2008 (1st place) and Berlin 2008 (1st place and another World Record).

In 2002, Gebrselassie made his debut at the marathon at the London Marathon. He started the race with a very fast pace, within world record time. He was unable to hold it, however, as world record holder Khalid Khannouchi and Paul Tergat both eventually passed him. Khannouchi broke his own world record, while Gebrselassie finished third. [cite web| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/specials/london_marathon_2002/1929071.stm| title=Khannouchi breaks world record| date=2002-04-14| publisher=BBC Sport]

In 2005 Gebrselassie went undefeated in all of his road races. This included a British All-Comers record in the 10K at Manchester (27:25), a win in the Amsterdam Marathon in the fastest marathon time in the world for 2006 (2:06:20), and a new world best for 10 miles in Tilburg, The Netherlands (44:24). (His unofficial split of 41:22 at the 15K mark was 7 seconds faster than the official world best.)

Gebrselassie started 2006 positively by beating the world half marathon record by a full 21 seconds, recording a time of 58 minutes and 55 seconds on January 15th. He broke the record, his first one on American soil, by running the second half of the Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Marathon. During the race he also broke Paul Tergat's 20 km record, both records having stood since 1998. (Gebrselassie passed the 20 km mark in 55:48.) That year also marked another victory for Gebrselassie as he shattered the 25 km world road record (albeit in non-IAAF ratified fashion) by 68 seconds in a time of 1:11:37. The race was organized where Gebrselassie and six other runners would run 5 kilometres and then cross the starting line of the 20-K Alphen race in Alphen aan den Rijn of the Netherlands.

On April 23, 2006, he finished 9th in the London Marathon with a time of 2:09:05 (the race was won by Kenyan Felix Limo, who clocked 2:06:39). Gebrselassie referred to the 9th-place finish as "the worst race of my career". [cite web| url=http://www.iaaf.org/news/Kind=2/newsId=36532.html| title=Gebrselassie targets Fukuoka Marathon in December| date=2006-10-11| publisher=IAAF] However, on September 24 he came back with a win in the Berlin Marathon in the fastest time of the year, 2:05:56. His time in Berlin made him only the fifth man in history to run under 2:06 for the marathon. This was followed by a win in the Fukuoka Marathon in Japan in 2:06:52.

In London on April 22, 2007 Gebrselassie challenged the 2006 London Marathon winner Felix Limo, 2005 London Marathon winner Martin Lel, 2004 Athens gold medalist Stefano Baldini, 2006 New York Marathon winner Marílson Gomes dos Santos, and the current marathon world record holder Paul Tergat in what organizers anticipated would be an exciting race. [cite web| url=http://www.london-marathon.co.uk/site/media_centre/index.php?page=61| title=World's Greatest Marathon Runners set for London: Gebrselassie, Tergat, Baldini, Gharib And Limo] However Gebrselassie dropped out at the 18 mile stage complaining of a stitch and inability to breathe, which turned out to be an allergic reaction to the pollen in the air. This left the 2005 winner Martin Lel to come home in first place.

One month later, Gebrselassie made a surprise return to the track for the first of two stadium races that summer. In the first, he ran a 26:52.81 in finishing 5th in a very competitive 10,000 metres race in Hengelo, The Netherlands. Then, on June 27, 2007, Gebrselassie launched an attack upon the world record for the one hour run, in Ostrava, Czech Republic. This record attempt was successful as Gebrselassie passed the hour mark at 21,285 m (13 miles 397 yards), eclipsing the previous best of 21,101 m, set by Mexican Arturo Barrios in La Fléche, France, on March 30, 1991. Furthermore, Gebrselassie covered 50 laps (20,000 m) in 56:25.98, another world best, well within the previous 56:55.6 also set by Barrios in 1991. These were his 23rd and 24th world records.

Gebrselassie made his running debut in New York City when he won the New York City Half Marathon on August 5, 2007 in 59:24, breaking the previous course record by two minutes. His win in the Lisbon Half Marathon (59:15) in March of 2008 gave him a perfect record of 9–0 in winning all of his half marathons.

On September 30, 2007 Gebrselassie won the Berlin Marathon in 2:04:26 [cite web| url=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/30/sports/othersports/30marathon.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin| title=Marathon Record Is Set in Berlin| date=2007-08-30| publisher=New York Times] (4:44.8 per mile), setting the world record and shaving 29 seconds off Paul Tergat's record, set on the same course in 2003. His victory further energized the celebrations of the Ethiopian Millennium (unique to the Ethiopian calendar), which began on September 12, 2007.

Prior to the 2008 Dubai Marathon, his manager suggested that Gebrselassie would be able to run a sub 2:04 time for a new world record. While Gebrselassie agreed that a sub 2:04 was possible, he stated that the conditions would need to be perfect for such a time. [cite web| url=http://www.iaaf.org/news/Kind=2/newsId=42838.html| title=Sub 2:04 perfection possible for Haile in Dubai?| date=2008-01-07| publisher=IAAF] The event was held on January 18, 2008 and was won by Gebrselassie in a time of 2:04:53, making it the second fastest marathon in history. However the early pace had been too fast and he was unable to continue at that speed, resulting in a time 27 seconds short of his own world record. [cite web| url=http://www.iaaf.org/news/Kind=2/newsId=42929.html| title=Second fastest of all time for Gebre in Dubai Marathon| date=2008-01-18| publisher=IAAF]

At the Hengelo FBK-Games on May 24, Gebrselassie ran 26:51.20 for the 10,000 meters to finish a close 2nd behind countryman Sileshi Sihine's 26:50.53. Along with his 10,000 meter performances in 2003, 2004, and 2007, Gebrselassie is the only man older than 30 years of age to break 27 minutes in the 10,000 metres; his nine career sub 27 minute 10,000 meter performances is more than any other athlete has run.

Because of Beijing's air pollution levels, Gebrselassie decided to withdraw from the marathon at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He suffers from asthma and said that running in such conditions may be harmful for his health. [cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/olympics/athletics/7287578.stm| title=Gebrselassie opts out of marathon| publisher=BBC Sport| date=2008-03-10| ] Gebrselassie later admitted that he regretted the decision as the Beijing air was cleaner than expected. [cite web|url=http://www.indianexpress.com/story/350364.html |title=Blue sky in Beijing makes Haile regret pulling out of marathon |publisher=Indian Express |date=2008-08-19 |accessdate=2008-10-04] . He did, however, run the 10,000 meters, finishing sixth with a time of 27:06.68. The gold medal went to his countryman and current world record holder, Kenenisa Bekele. [BBC Sports http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/olympics/athletics/latest_results/default.stm] The following month, on 28 September 2008, he defended his Berlin Marathon title, averaging 2:56.5 per kilometer (4:43.7 per mile) for a time of 2:03:59, which was 27 seconds under his own world record set on the same course.

He has stated that he would like to enter politics after retiring. [ [http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1819129_1819134_1826058,00.html "Haile Gebrselassie"] , n°97 on "Time"’s list of "100 Olympic Athletes To Watch"]

Honors

*1993 World Championships in Athletics
**10,000 metre gold medal
**5,000 metre silver medal
*1993 African Championships in Athletics
**5,000 metre silver medal
**10,000 metre bronze medal
*1994 IAAF World Cross Country Championships – bronze medal
*1996 Summer Olympics
**10,000 m gold medal
*1997 World Championships in Athletics
**10,000 m gold medal
*1997 IAAF World Indoor Championships
**3,000 m gold medal
*1999 World Championships in Athletics
**10,000 m gold medal
*1999 IAAF World Indoor Championships
**1,500 m gold medal
*2000 Summer Olympics
**10,000 m gold medal
*2001 World Championships in Athletics
**10,000 m bronze medal
*2001 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships winner
*2003 IAAF World Indoor Championships
**3,000 m gold medal
*2003 World Championships in Athletics
**10,000 m silver medal

World Record and 'World Best' performances

References

External links

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* [http://www.spikesmag.com/athletes/Heroes/hailegebrselassie.aspx SPIKES Hero profile on www.spikesmag.com]
* [http://www.iaaf.org/news/Kind=2/newsId=33961.html Gebrselassie approaching Record for Running Records]
* [https://netfiles.uiuc.edu/bpence2/www/Geb_Index.html Gebrselassie's World Records, rankings, race history, recent news, and more.]
* [http://scienceofsport.blogspot.com/2007/10/haile-gebrselassie-world-record-splits.html Pacing splits and analysis of Gebrselassie marathon world record]
* [http://www.sportsscientists.com/2008/09/haile-gebrselassie.html Berlin 2008: Gebrselassie runs 2:03:59 – race report and analysis of pacing]
* [http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1819129_1819134_1826058,00.html "Haile Gebrselassie"] , n°97 on "Time"’s list of "100 Olympic Athletes To Watch"