2012 Ethiopian Olympic Track & Field Team Named

By LetsRun.com
July 9, 2012

The Ethiopian track and field Olympic team was announced earlier this week and the Ethiopian federation showed zero creativity in their picks. They went strictly by 2012 seasonal best times.

We'll provide a few comments about the team after we present a chart with all of the Olympians on it to you first. Below you will see the 2012 Ethiopian middle distance and distance track and field team for the 2012 London Olympic Games. To the right of the athlete's names, you will find their current 2012 world rank based on time. If a second number is listed, that is their rank if one takes out more than three people from a given country. For example, there can only be three Kenyan men or three Russian women in a given event so we've removed #4, #5, etc.

800 Men  1. 1:43.51 Mohamed Aman (#4)	800 Women1.   1:57.48   Fantu Magiso (#5)
1500 Men 1. 3:31.45 Mekonnen Gebremedhin (#6/#5) 2. 3:33.82  Dawit Wolde (#16/#10) 3.  3:34.55 Teshome Diressa (#28/#20)	1500 Women1. 3:56.54 Abeba Aregawi (#2) 2. 3:57.77 Genzebe Dibaba (#4) 3. 4:06.52 Meskerem Assefa (#53/#36 9 RUS, 4 KEN, 3 USA, 1 MAR)
Steeple Men1. 8:0616 Roba Gari (#6/#4) 2. 8:18.63 Birhan Getahun (#23/#13) 3. 8:20.23  Nahom Mesfin (#26/#16)	Steeple Women1. 9:09.00 Sofia Assefa (#2) 2. 9:09.61 Hiwot Ayalew (#3) 3. 9:21.54 Etenesh Diro (#6)
5000 Men1. 12:46.81 Dejen Gebremeskel (#1) 2. 12:47.53 Hagos Gebrhiwet (#2) 3. 12:48.77 Yenew Alamirew (#4)	5000 Women1. 14:35.65 Meseret Defar (#2) 2. 14:41.43 Gelete Burka (#4) 3. 14:48.43 Genet Ayalew (#9/#7) Reserve: 14:50.80 Tirunesh Dibaba (#10/#8)
10000 Men1.  27:02.59  Kenenisa Bekele (#3) 2. 27:03.24   Tariku Bekele   (#4) 3. 27:03.58  Gebre Gebremariam  (#5) Reseve 27:11.98 Lelisa Desisa (#13/#7)	10000 Women  1. 30:24.39 Tirunesh Dibaba (#1) 2. 30:26.70 Belaynesh Algera (#3) 3. 30:50.16 Worknesh Kidane (#4)
Marathon 1. 2:04:23 Ayele Abshero (#1) 2. 2:04:50 Dino Sefer (#4) 3. 2:04:50 Getu Feleke (#5/#4) Left off: 2:04:48 Yemane Adhane (#2)	Marathon 1. 2:18:58 Tiki Gelana (#2) 2. 2:19.31 Aselefech Mergia (#3) 3. 2:19:52 Mare Dibaba (#6) Reserve: 2:20:30 Bezunesh Bekele (#8/#6)

Where's Dibaba On The Women's 5000 List?
The list shows the Ethiopians weren't sentimental at all in their picks - time ruled the day.

The most interesting development is in the women's 5000. Double Olympic champ Tirunesh Dibaba is only the 4th fastest Ethiopian on the year in the event even though she's undefeated on the year. As a result, she was named to the team as a "Reserve." Will she not be moved to a top three position unless she improves her time between now and the start of the Olympics?  What if she wins the 10,000? Wouldn't that be enough?

One might think so but don't know the answer. As a result, we are reaching out to LetsRun.com friend and Ethiopian journalist Teferi Debebe to try and find out.

Men's 10,000 - "Mr. Silver" Sileshi Sihine Left Off
Subjectivity certainly wasn't used for the men's picks either.

For example, in the men's 10,000 the third spot came down to Gebre Gebremariam (27:06.58) and Sileshi Sihine (27:03.65). Gebremariam and Sihine raced at 10,000 twice this year - once in Hengelo and once in London - as the Ethiopians kept having round after round of unofficial Olympic Trials, and the results were 1-1.

In Hengelo, Sihine beat Gebremariam by 1.06. In London, Gebremariam beat Sihine by just 0.07. Yet Gebremariam was named to the team because the London result was more recent and the time was faster there than in Hengelo.

Gebremariam is no slouch as he was the 2009 World Cross-Country and 2010 ING New York City Marathon champion but one might think the Ethiopians would have picked Sileshi Sihine. Gebremariam has been to five Olympics or world champs on the track and never medalled. Sihine has proven himself time and again as someone who can get the job on the track as he's won five World Championships silver medals in the 5,000/10,000. You'd think Ethiopia might reward "Mr. Silver" for his past accomplishments but that's not what happened.

Men's Marathon - The Only Exception
The men's marathon was the only event where times didn't rule the day. World #2 for 2012 Temane Adhere who ran 2:04:48 to win Rotterdam was left off the team in place of the runner-up at Rotterdam, Getu Feleke, who was just two seconds behind - 2:04:50. The rationale behind this decision was that Adhere ran the unofficial Ethiopian Trials in Dubai on January 27 and was only 10th (admittedly in 2:06:29) and they didn't want to reward him for having an extra race or have him run three marathons in the span of 7 months.

Comments, questions, suggestions, or a story you'd like to submit? Email us.

Ethiopia’s next generation of runners to carry Olympic torch | Kuwait Times

ADDIS ABABA: Ethiopia’s 800m runner Mohammed Aman, 18, stretches after a training session for the upcoming 2012 London Olympics at the national stadium. —AFP

ADDIS ABABA: Beneath the colorfully painted Olympic rings at Ethiopia’s national stadium, running hopefuls circle the track, sweating and breathless, as coaches shout out “good job!” and “beautiful!”

For many of these runners, the London 2012 games will be their first time competing in the Olympics, as running veterans-including legend Haile Gebrselassie-pass the baton to Ethiopia’s next generation of young, promising stars.

“The new generation is coming, and they are performing better, even (Gebrselassie) is saying he wants to see the new generation perform like him…  everybody wants to see that,” the head coach of Ethiopia’s Olympic team, Yirma Berta, told AFP.

Two-time Olympic 10,000m champion and the godfather of Ethiopian long distance running, Gebrselassie, 39, failed to qualify for this year’s Games. At the forefront of Ethiopia’s rising stars are 800m runners, Fantu Magiso Manedo, 20, and 18-year-old Mohammed Aman, a much-anticipated Olympic favorite. Mohammed set the 800m men’s record for Ethiopia last year when he came in first place in Rieti, Italy with a time of 1:43. He said the fleet of young athletes heading to London are a promising bunch, not only because they train hard but because they have the support of strong coaches behind them.  Young runners are not only dominating middle-distance running but also the marathon team, which has an average age of 25 for men, and 24 for women.
The average age of male marathon runners from Kenya-Ethiopia’s strongest competitors in Africa-is 29 for men and 30 for women.

“We are developing our team with youngsters so we can have an advantage with our athletes,” said marathon coach Melaku Deresse.

Several well-established names qualified for the team this year, with Olympic champion Tirunesh Dibaba defending her 10,000m title.

Tirunesh, who also won first place in 5,000 in Beijing, qualified as a reserve for the 5,000 category this year. Olympic champion Keninisa Bekele, 29, also the title holder for both the 5,000m 10,000m races, will compete in 5,000m, but only qualified as a reserve for the 10,000m race this year. Despite suffering a three-year injury, his teammates have high hopes for him. “He is a very strong athlete, as an Ethiopian and as an athlete I am very happy with his (recovery) and am very confident that he will perform in the Olympics,” marathoner Aselefech Mergia said. Talent, and the strength of the entire 33-person team, she hopes Ethiopia will bring home at least three gold medals, though her teammate, marathon runner Dino Sefir, said he is hoping for six: “why not?” he queried. “Every runner in Ethiopia has the desire to win and to make history. That is also my passion, to be a history-maker,” he said. Ethiopia is known for producing marathon champions, including Abebe Bikila, who famously won marathon gold in the 1960 Rome Olympics after completing the race barefoot. The 2012 London Games is the first time Ethiopia will compete for 800 metre titles for both men and women, signalling a move toward middle-distance running among the country’s athletes, traditionally known for producing long-distance champions. “We have to focus on that, because it is not good to just focus on 5,000m, 10,000m and marathons,” Yirma said. “Some of our middle distance runners are coming, they are good and they are trying you outshine the world,” he added.

Dube Jillo, technical director for the Ethiopian Athletics Federation, said with more young runners entering professional athletics, it is natural that participation in shorter distances expands. He did not rule out moving into short-distance running racing in the future.

“For the upcoming Brazil Olympics, maybe we will try coming down to 400 metres and 200 metres, why not?” he said. “We are going to continue our job, we never sleep.”

Mohammed said he focused on 800m running because he started setting records at a young age, even though he idolised long distance runners as a child.

“That is the history, but you have to change history,” he said with a timid smile. He now carries the hope of his nation to London 2012 where he said he is aiming for gold.

“I have to train hard to bring gold for me and my country,” he said, sitting under an awning to escape Ethiopia’s cold July rains.   “If you believe, if you run, if you try hard, put a little pressure, that’s good, it makes me stronger.” -AFP

Ethiopia: Tirunesh Dibaba National Athletics Center pass 143 Athletes for Clubs - YouTube

Ethiopia: Tirunesh Dibaba National Athletics Center pass 143 Athletes for Clubs - YouTube: ""

'via Blog this'