Icon Haile believes Farah ‘can be beaten’
Ethiopian to groom future champs
Ethiopian middle and long distance icon Haile Gebrselassie believes it’s a matter of time before the East African nation reclaims glory in the men’s 10 000m.
In an exclusive interview with Sowetan during his visit to the country at the weekend, the multiple world and Olympic champion warned that Mohamed Farah, the current dominant force in the distance, can be beaten but it’s not about planning for “just one person”.
There has been no stopping Somali-born Farah, who is regarded as the most successful British mid distance runner having successfully defended the 5 000m and 10 000m Olympic titles, a feat only achieved by Ethiopian Kenenisa Bekele.
“We are working hard to groom future champions but I’m not preparing my athletes just for Mo Farah. Yes he can be beaten but there are many others to challenge over other distances that Ethiopia used to dominate,” said Gebrselassie, who is still settling in sports administration following his election as the Ethiopian Athletics Federation president six months ago.
SA also had two attempts at derailing Farah but Stephen Mokoka (10 000m) and Elroy Gelant (5 000m) fell short in last year’s Olympic Games in Rio.
Gebrselassie, 44, maintains that middle and long distance running favours East African runners with an added advantage of training at high altitude.
“Runners from Ethiopia and Kenya always excel because of their poor background. I personally experienced that but we achieved more once we were exposed to proper training and having a good coach,” said the two-time Olympic10 000mchampion.
On his transition from being an athlete to an administrator, he said: “If you need to run sport properly you have to have someone who knows sports. It’s not that difficult because we know the runners and what it takes to become a champion. The only challenge is [finding] sponsorship.”
Gebrselassie also runs a successful business empire in his home country.
“I do different businesses, mainly in car dealerships and hotels.”