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|  Bekele leads stunning Ethiopian 10K sweep at Worlds August 25, 2003 Courtesy: Charlie Mahler/Running USA
Both Bekele and Gebrselassie, the World Record holder at 10,000
meters,
impressively broke 13 minutes for the final 5000m; Bekele
clocked 12:57.24
in victory. Bob Kennedy's American Record for 5000 meters is
12:58.21. The U.S. was led by 2003 national 10,000m champion Alan
Culpepper who
finished 14th in 28:14.92. Team USA California's Meb Keflezighi
was 16th in
28:35.08 and Pan American Games bronze medalist Dan Browne was
19th in
29:01.60. The race was run in 79 degree temperatures. Keflezighi played a role in the historic race, if only as a
footnote. The
10,000 meter American Record holder led the race through just
short of 3
kilometers before falling out of contention when the pace surged
after the
race's half-way point - reached in 13:52 with Keflezighi 13:58,
and
Culpepper and Browne a few strides behind in 14:01. "I thought I was pretty ready," Keflezighi offered, "but the
results don't
show it." While the medal contenders were driving furiously to the finish
line in the
second 5000, the American trio - the USA was one of only three
nations to
have a full complement of runners qualified for the event - had
to make do
in the disintegrated portion of the field. Keflezighi dropped
back
strikingly, while Browne, who opened the race at the back of the
pack and
who had been working his way up, lost feeling in his feet and
hung in as the
race's last finisher. Culpepper, who had nestled himself on the
rail in the
middle of the field early on, held up best but ran alone through
most of the
late-going. "That was my best effort, honestly," Culpepper said. "I felt
like with the
conditions and with the day itself, that was my best effort. I
never gave in
and was just running in to finish, which I've done in other
championships,
because it's easy to do that when you're getting drilled. That
was all I
had." "We [U.S. runners] are slowly getting to where we are running
some more fast
times," he continued. "It's now a matter of converting those to
running fast
times at major championships, which is really hard to do. It's a
whole
different scenario. These Stanford-style time trials that are
set up are
totally different than these." Culpepper and Browne will both turn their focus to the marathon.
Culpepper's
training will be focused on preparing for the U.S. Olympic
Marathon Trials
in Birmingham, Ala. this February 7. Browne plans to turn things
around
quickly for the LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon on October 12. "I just feel more like a road guy now, than a track guy," Browne
said. "It's
embarrassing finishing last place, but at least I finished. I'm
not a
quitter. Unless I have physical pain, like I can't run, I won't
quit on
myself." Keflezighi is unsure of his immediate plans or of whether he
will focus on
the 10,000 meters or the marathon for the Olympic year. His
ultimate goal is
clear however. "I've always said 2008 is going to be my gold medal," Keflezighi
said. "I
want to get the "A" standard in both the 10,000 and marathon and
then leave
the option open as to which will be my best chance to medal - I
think the
marathon might be it." 9th IAAF World Track and Field Championships
Men's 10,000 Meters: Final
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Two-time double World Cross Country
Champion Kenenisa Bekele (trailing) led an Ethiopian
sweep of the medals in the 10,000
meter run at the IAAF World Track and Field Championships.
Bekele clocked a
championship record 26:49.57 and used a devastating kick to edge
countryman
and four-time 10,000 meter World Champion Haile Gebrselassie
(leading) who ran
26:50.77. Sileshi Sihine was third in 27:01.44.