The key to the economy that will bring Kenenisa Bekele to the Paris 2024 Games

Kenenisa Bekele did not achieve success in Valencia Marathon, but he set a sensational +40 world record with a time of 2h04’18 to confirm that his career has not yet reached its end. The 41-year-old Ethiopian champion (1982) aspires to represent his country in the next Paris 2024 Games.

“I’ve never reached my peak performance in a marathon. “I’ve been hurt for a long time”said the five-time Olympic medalist in an interview for CIO. “My head is telling me that I can still do better in the marathon. I still have many goals left. The Olympic Games are coming up and maybe the ones in Paris will be my last.”, he explained, referring to his main motivation to move forward and not hang up his shoes. Despite being a three-time Olympic champion and five-time world gold medalist on the track, the Ethiopian federation requires him to earn his spot with a good record in the marathon to attend the Games. An important need that no one can skip, including a legend of this sport like him.

In Valencia, Bekele He set his best time in the last four years and did so only after leaving the brand that dressed his feet throughout his career (Nike) to wear the latest model from the Chinese company Anta.

Bekele’s data in Valencia every 5km

last time: 2h04’18

Medium speed: 2.57/km

5 km 14’29 14’29 2’54

10 km 28’56 14’27 2’53

15 km 43’21 14’25 2’53

20 km 57’46 14’25 2’53

1/2 1h00’57 03’10 2’53

25 km 1h12’43 14’57 2’59

30 km 1h27’45 15’02 3’00

35km 1h42’53 15’07 3’01

40 km 1h57’42 14’49 2’58

Purpose 2h04’18 06’36 3’00

Requirements to participate in Paris 2024
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The athletics program Paris 2024 will feature 1,810 athletes (905 men and 905 women) with the highest three athletes by country and event. The marathon fee is set at 80 men and 80 women. The minimum score set by the CIO to compete in a marathon is 2h08’10 (male) and 2h26’50 (women) and must be held between November 1, 2022 and April 30, 2024. Based on this criterion, each country has the possibility to tighten this requirement if it has many athletes classified as Olympic minimum.

Ethiopia will configure a team with the three best athletes based on their records. Right now, Bekele He occupies the fourth position in his country, which would make him the first athlete bookingbut it’s possible that one of the top three will give up their Olympic place to focus their preparation on one of the commercial marathons in the fall in search of juicy. financial reward. Let’s remember that the Olympic Games do not distribute cash prizes (each country decides how to reward its medalists) and some commercial marathons even reward their winners with checks larger than 100,000 euros.

The olympic marathon It will be held on August 10 (men) and August 11 (women) and running here will not make it possible to be on the start list for future marathons such as Sydney (September 15), Berlin (September 29), Lisbon (October 6), Chicago (October 14), Amsterdam (October 20) or even New York (November 3). Commercial marathons that guarantee their elite athletes a generous starting price just for participating.

The 10 best Ethiopian marathoners of 2023
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1) Sisay Lemma 2h01’48 (Valencia)

2) Tadese Takele 2h03’24 (Berlin)

3) Dawit Wolde 2h03’48 (Valencia)

4) Kenenisa Bekele 2h04’19 (Valencia)

5) Haftu Teklu 2h04’42 (Berlin)

6) Andualem Shiferaw 2h04’44 (Berlin)

6) Birhanu Legese 2h04’44 (Amsterdam)

8) Tamirat Tola 2h04’58 (New York)

9) Gadisa Shumie 2h04’59 (Seville)

10) Chalu Deso 2h05’14 (Valencia)

Testing injuries are a thing of the past
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Gone are the days when the Bekoji gazelle silently suffered the consequences of stretching its body to the limit for years. His tough match in tartan Haile Gebrselassie, Hicham el Guerrouj either Eliud Kipchoge He ended them with three Olympic gold medals, five world championships and two incredible records in the 5,000 (12’37:35) and 10,000 (26’17:53), but with a broken body and ready to take his toll Especially after achieving 11 world cups of children by punishing themselves for years on all kinds of terrain. Pain so unbearable that anyone else in his position would have chosen to give up, hang up his boots and enjoy his golden retirement. But because legends never die, Kenenisa Bekele He wanted to use his divine nature to perform a miracle.