Time to put the rabbit to bed.

[JRinaldi]

El G has finally proved to everyone that he needs no rabbit to win a major. Both his 1500 and 5000 showed that he is a true master of tactics. Fairplay to him

[trackstar]

Re: Time to put the rabbit to bed.

I was thinking similar thoughts as I just looked over the 5K times. Six runners under 13 and no rabbit? Heck, who needs them?

[DentyCracker]

Re: Time to put the rabbit to bed.

Bekele was the "rabbit"
GREAT race, had me screaming my lungs out for the last 2 laps

[vaulter83]

Re: Time to put the rabbit to bed.

El G still wouldn't do any work though. Bekele slowed down to a jog at one point trying to get him to take over the lead.

[miler manque]

Re: Time to put the rabbit to bed.

Unfair to expect a 1500m runner, inexperienced in the 5000, to do the pacing work. It's enough that he was in the race to give the big boys in the 5000 a real race.

[Guest]

Re: Time to put the rabbit to bed.

>El G has finally proved to everyone that he needs
>no rabbit to win a major. Both his 1500 and 5000
>showed that he is a true master of tactics.
>Fairplay to him

Yes, the reason a rabbit wasn't needed was that El G was in the race. Bekele had to try to neutralize him which he did to some degree, unfortunately he neutralized himself more.

All three medalists were incredible. And ran the race they had to to put themselves in the best position for the win. Great tactics.

[Guest]

Re: Time to put the rabbit to bed.

>El G still wouldn't do any work though. Bekele
>slowed down to a jog at one point trying to get
>him to take over the lead.

El G. would have been stupid to do the work. The "work" cost Geb the 10 and Bekele's strategy to trail gave him gold - though I think this was designed by Geb who didn't care about the win as long as Ethiopia got the sweep.

El G. showed himself to be a masterful tactician in a fast 5 as well as the 15.

[Guest]

Re: Time to put the rabbit to bed.

I agree. It's interesting that Bekele's Ethiopian teammate apparently gave him no real assistance. Is Geb the only one with Ethiopian team/nationalistic spirit? If Bekele had not felt it necessary to push the pace for the first half, it certainly seems he would have had more left at the end. By rights, of course, Bekele's 1:53.3 last 800 should have buried any field--just like Geb's 12:58 last half "should" have won the 10,000.

This was the 49th sub-13 minute 5000 in history. Only a handful have had more guys under that barrier: Oslo 2000 (8) and Rome '99 (7). Tied at 6 under are Zurich '96, Zurich '97, and Oslo '03.

I simply wish US television had showed more than the first and last 2 laps of this barnburner. I had no sense at all of the "narrative" of the race. What a shame.