Ethiopia is actually totally insane if they don't let athletes double. Why wouldn't you want Gidey or Wale to double. The 10k/5k double is obviously easily done and I just looked and realized the steeple / 5k double is actually very doable for the men with the steeple taking place on days 1 and 3 and the 5000 on days 4 and 8.
Is kip kieno the last guy to medal in the steeple and something else at an Olympics or Worlds?
rojo wrote:
Ethiopia is actually totally insane if they don't let athletes double. Why wouldn't you want Gidey or Wale to double. The 10k/5k double is obviously easily done and I just looked and realized the steeple / 5k double is actually very doable for the men with the steeple taking place on days 1 and 3 and the 5000 on days 4 and 8.
Is kip kieno the last guy to medal in the steeple and something else at an Olympics or Worlds?
I agree with you on one hand. Ethiopia should allow it. At the same time, if I were Wale I would be focused 100% on the 5k. Sure, he ran 8:05 and placed 4th globally in the steeple at a young age—but he’s now on the verge of becoming the #1 3k/5k man from Ethiopia or Kenya, and that’s obviously saying something. Go for the glory in the flat events, I say.
rojo wrote:
Is kip kieno the last guy to medal in the steeple and something else at an Olympics or Worlds?
I’m pretty sure this is true, though Kiptanui and Shaheen would have had good shots at 5k medals if they’d attempted the double.
And one more thing, if I were the EAF I would definitely want Gidey doubling, as well as Barega and Kejelcha (assuming they were interested).
W
1500 - Tsegay, Hailu, Hailu
5k - Gidey, Tsegay, Taye
10k - Gidey, Gebreselama, Gemechu
M
1500 - Lemi, Abate, Tefera
5k - Wale, Barega, Kejelcha
10k - Barega, Kejelcha, Berihu
And of course, Wale (if he wants it), Girma and Takele in the men’s steeple.
John Wesley Harding wrote:
rojo wrote:
Is kip kieno the last guy to medal in the steeple and something else at an Olympics or Worlds?
I’m pretty sure this is true, though Kiptanui and Shaheen would have had good shots at 5k medals if they’d attempted the double.
And one more thing, if I were the EAF I would definitely want Gidey doubling, as well as Barega and Kejelcha (assuming they were interested).
W
1500 - Tsegay, Hailu, Hailu
5k - Gidey, Tsegay, Taye
10k - Gidey, Gebreselama, Gemechu
M
1500 - Lemi, Abate, Tefera
5k - Wale, Barega, Kejelcha
10k - Barega, Kejelcha, Berihu
And of course, Wale (if he wants it), Girma and Takele in the men’s steeple.
Nice picks. It’ll be interesting to see if things change after the Florence 5k. On the men’s side, I’d personally like to see the three you’ve chosen (barring another miraculous comeback by Edris) but I’m wondering if Kejelcha will be left out again. He got clowned on these boards after his poor race in the 2019 DL final, but it was a huge mistake not having him double. I think the Ethiopians would’ve swept the podium had he been selected over Bekele.