| Pressure and Obligation: Kenenisa explains the sacrifice of the 5000m double |
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| Kenenisa celebrates winning the 5000m (Photo- IAAF) |
Monday Aug 24, 2009 - Berlin, Germany
Ethiopia's world 5000m and 10000m champion Kenenisa Bekele on Sunday said on Sunday that he was under immense pressure to run and win the men's 5000m race at the 12th IAAF World Championships in Berlin, Germany.
The 27-year old, who had won his fourth world championship 10000m title last Monday, went through the rigours of qualifying and had to complete 20,000m in six days of brutal competition.
"I was under a lot of pressure," said Kenenisa. "After we lost the women's 10000m gold medal, everyone in Ethiopia was shocked. Everybody wanted me to run the 5000m and win it. If I did not run today, I knew that I would be blamed of saving myself for money competitions. It was not easy."
But doubling in Berlin may have come at a risk for Kenenisa who is still in contention to win the golden league jackpot after winning his first four races in Berlin, Oslo, Rome, and Paris. To win the jackpot (American Sanya Richards, Jamaican Kerron Stewart, and Russian Yelena Isinbayeva are the others in contention), Kenenisa must pick up additional 5000m wins in Zurich (28 August) and Brussels (4 September).
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