By Gene Cherry
SALVO, North Carolina, March 31 (Reuters) - Ethiopia's two greatest track runners Haile Gebrselassie and Kenenisa Bekele could meet over 10,000 metres at the Beijing Olympics.
"It's up to the federation, but they could end up together in the 10 kms. It's a big possibility," their manager Jos Hermens told Reuters by telephone from Edinburgh shortly after Bekele won his sixth world long-course cross country title on Sunday.
Gebrselassie's fitness in a 10,000 metres race at Hengelo on May 24 will be a big factor.
So too will Bekele's choice of events for Beijing. He has yet to decide whether to defend his Olympic 10,000 metres title, chase gold in the 5,000 where he was the silver medallist in Athens four years ago or tackle both races.
"I can't say this far ahead but to do both would not be easy," Bekele told a news conference in Edinburgh. "The pollution might mean I would have to focus on one."
Gebrselassie's course is much clearer. The world marathon record holder is bypassing the longer race at the Games because he is concerned the pollution could affect his health.
The 1996 and 2000 Olympic 10,000 metres champion and former world record holder hopes to qualify for Beijing at that distance with a strong Hengelo showing.
He has no road races planned until then.
"He has to catch up with some speed work," Hermens said. "He needs the track training."
Hermens said Bekele was likely to run a 5,000 at Hengelo.
The current 5,000 and 10,000 metres world record holder also wants to compete in the African championships from April 30 to May 4 on home soil in Addis Ababa.
"It's a bit close to this so it won't be easy but I do believe I have to take part, though I'm not sure what distance I will run," he said at Sunday's news conference.
Bekele has never run outdoors in the United States but that is likely to change in June.
The Olympic champion is working on plans to compete in the June 8 Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon, Hermens said.
"He knows he needs to be there," his manager added.
Bekele was scheduled to compete over two miles last year in the meeting which is heavily supported by his sponsor Nike, but withdrew because of lack of fitness.
"It is too early for sure to say what he might run," Hermens said.
Meeting director Tom Jordan also confirmed Bekele was expected in Eugene.
"I do anticipate he will be competing in the Prefontaine Classic, but I do not know at what distance," Jordan told Reuters via phone from his Eugene office on Monday.
- - - -
FAST START
American world 400 metres silver medallist LaShawn Merritt was surprised when he began his outdoor season with a 2008 world-leading 44.72 seconds at the low-key Raleigh Relays in Raleigh, North Carolina, on Friday.
"It was the fastest I have opened up," Merritt told Reuters via phone while visiting in Miami on Monday. "It's going to be a good year.
"It (the race) wasn't all out but it wasn't like I was just trying to get in a practice race. But I didn't realise I was running that fast."
The 21-year-old Merritt eclipsed Olympic and world champion Jeremy Wariner's Melbourne opener by a tenth of a second for the world lead.
"That's great," Merritt said, "but it is so early. The important thing this year is the Olympics and the Olympic trials."
Merritt ran 43.96 seconds to Wariner's 43.45 as both set personal bests in last year's Osaka world championships final. Compatriot Angelo Taylor finished third.
The three are hoping for another medals sweep in Beijing.
- - - -
NO. 1 TOO
While Merritt ran the 400, Wariner dropped down to the 200 metres and ran the year's leading time of 20.37 seconds at Arlington, Texas, on Saturday.
Sanya Richards, the top-ranked women's 400 metres runner, worked on her speed, too, clocking 11.28 seconds for 100 metres.
"I really want to be on the 4x100 relay team in Beijing, so today was kind of a rehearsal for that," Richards told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. "In a perfect world, I'll get three gold medals - one individual and two in relays (4x100 and 4x400)."
- - - -
JUST LIKE MOM AND DAD
Alana Boyd's first appearance on the Beijing Olympics pole vault runway will make Australian history. For the first time in any sport, the country will have a mother-father-daughter combination of Olympians. Boyd's mother, sprinter Denise Robertson, represented Australia in the 1976 and 1980 Games, making the 200 metres final in 1980. Her father and current coach, Ray, vaulted in the 1972 and '76 Olympics. He won the 1982 Commonweath Games title. (Additional reporting by Mitch Phillips in Edinburgh) (Editing by John Mehaffey)
("Countdown to Beijing Olympics" blog at
http://blogs.reuters.com/china))
