It's Kenyans versus Mo Farah
Athletics
By
JONATHAN KOMEN
| Aug 02, 2017
Kenyans will be out to kill two birds with one stone when the men’s 10,000m final gets underway at the IAAF World Athletics Championships in London tomorrow night.
World silver medallist Geoffrey Kamworor, Olympic silver medallist Paul Tanui and Bedan Karoki, fourth at the Beijing worlds – just a re-enactment of the Beijing worlds and Rio Olympics – will renew their battle with Britain’s defending champion Mo Farah from 11:20pm at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in East London.
It will be a sight to behold as the three Kenyans strive to bring Farah down and end Kenya’s 16-year gold drought in the men’s 10,000m at World championships.
Kenya has won three gold medals in this race; the 2001 worlds in Edmonton, Canada, was the last time Kenyans triumphed.
“We are okay in London. The mood here is good and we are now waiting for the race. We will do our best to counter this guy (Mo Farah). Tanui and Karoki are also ready and we will give our best,” said Kamworor.
Analysts insist that the men’s 10,000m showdown is a battle for silver, given Farah’s dominance in global championships over the past six years.
Since missing out on gold in Daegu in 2011, after Ibrahim Jeilan unleashed one of the greatest ever final laps, Farah has won world doubles in 2013 and 2015, and Olympic doubles in 2012 and 2016.
If he triumphs in the 10,000m in London, he will have strung together an unprecedented 10 consecutive global track distance titles (11 if he wins the 5,000m as well). No runner has ever achieved that – not Kenenisa Bekele (four, with Olympic and World Championship doubles in 2008-2009), not Haile Gebrselassie (six at 10,000m, but no double wins), not Lasse Viren (four at Olympic level in pre-World Championships days), not Emil Zatopek, not Paavo Nurmi.
So can anyone break Farah’s golden streak? One thing is certain: Farah’s opponents will need to change their tactics from recent years and not leave it until the final lap.
Charles Kamathi, who won gold in Edmonton, said the three must come up with a new tactic to counter Farah.
“Mo Farah has not raced this season. It’s difficult to gauge his form. He has played his cards close to his chest. But our men look strong enough to take him head on,” said Kamathi.
“They need to keep the pace high because Farah has a good kick. He can do 51 seconds in the final lap. They need to plan well; the way we did to beat Haile Gebrselassie in Edmonton.”
The trio will need to be fast and sustained to have any chance of breaking the Briton. Farah has proved his ability to win the race however it is run; he has also shown he can cope with mid-race surges and even clawed his way back from a fall to take gold in the Olympic final last year.
Given that they lead the world on times – 27:08.26 and 27:09.08 – Ethiopians Abadi Hadis and Jemal Yimer might be tempted to take it out fast from the start.