Haile Gebrselassie issues a stark warning to Mo Farah
Sep 18 2010 by Luke Edwards, The Journal
HAILE Gebrselassie has sent a chilling warning to Britain's Olympic medal hope Mo Farah that he has little chance of competing against the best African runners.
Gebrselassie, arguably the world’s greatest long-distance runner, will finally compete in tomorrow’s Bupa Great North Run ten years after first agreeing to appear on Tyneside.
But, at 37, the Ethiopian, who has broken 26 world records over a variety of long-distance events, fears even he will not be good enough to qualify for the Olympics in two years time.
Farah, who was born in Somalia, but raised in Britain, is regarded as one of our best medal hopes in London – but Gebrselassie fears that he will be pushed out of the reckoning by the frightening number of endurance athletes emerging from Africa.
“The strength of Ethiopian running now is incredible,” said Gebrselassie, who pulled out of the Great North Run in 2000 because of injury and has been unable to enter since.
“There are so many great runners, sometimes I do not even know their name. I remember watching one of the European meetings earlier in the season.
“An Ethiopian runner won one of the races, and I didn't even know who he was. He wouldn't even make the top ten in Ethiopia, but he was winning a major track race in Europe.
“I know the big runners, but there are new ones coming through all the time. It's very difficult to know just how many there are. I think the dominance in long-distance running will continue.
“Ethiopia and Kenya are so strong – I cannot see that changing.”
Farah was crowned European Champion at both 5,000 and 10,000 meters this summer, but on the world stage, those titles do not mean anything.
And, while Farah has the talent to compete, Gebrselassie believes the only way he will get a medal is if he trains and competes against the African athletes. He said: “It is not easy. This athlete has to be smart to win against the leading Ethiopians and Kenyans. When I say smart, I mean he has to know the tactics.
“He is a good athlete, but the question is, 'Is he good enough to beat the Kenyans and Ethiopians?'
And it is not just them now. You have African runners running for Qatar and countries like that. The chances are getting smaller and smaller.
"It is not easy for him, especially here in England because of the media and the interest now. People expect something.
“They will put a lot of pressure on him. What is important for Farah is to train seriously with the Kenyans and Ethiopians. That is the only way to improve.”
As for his own ambitions, Gebrselassie would love to win the Great North Run tomorrow as he prepares to bring an end to his glittering career at the London Olympics.
He said: “It is a massive ambition to compete in 2012. I hope I am one of the names there. That would mean a lot to me, but it will not be easy.
“I have to qualify first, and because of all the competition in Ethiopia, that will not be easy. To be in the top three in Ethiopia is hard. In many ways qualifying for the team will be even harder than doing well in London.”
American Dathan Ritzenhein, the bronze medalist at the world half marathon last year, and Morocco’s Olympic marathon silver medalist Jaouad Gharib, will offer stiff competition.
However, Gebrselassie will be the overwhelming favourite to cross the line in South Shields first.
He added: “There is a little bit of pressure on me, I accept that. I am not hiding from that fact. This is a race I have wanted to compete in for years, and people want to watch me.
“It is important for myself to win the race. I want to do something special because just to take part is important to me. It is very exciting to be here.
“As an athlete, you always look to the really big races like Great North Run, London, Berlin, New York and so on. To win any of those races is a massive achievement. We will see.”
