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Tuesday, 26 August 2008 |
Ethiopian runner Kenenisa Bekele wins second Olympic gold
 Ethiopian sprinter Kenenisa Bekele won the 5,000m gold on Saturday, and in so doing, he has claimed his second gold medal if you add in the 10,000m title he had already claimed just eight days back.
Bekele was in the lead throughout the race and set a new Olympic record time of 12 minutes 57.82 seconds by defeating Kenyan runners Eliud Kipchoge and Edwin Cheruiyot Soi.
Bekele's achievement is an incredible one because it is the first time the long distance double has been won in 28 years.
Bekele's time was better than the previous Olympic record of 13:05.59, which had been set by Moroccan runner Said Aouita when he too claimed gold in 1984.
Bekele joins the ranks of Hannes Kolehmainen from Finland (1912) and Lasse Viren (who won the double twice in 1972 and 76), Czechoslovakian sprinter Emil Zatopek (1952), Russian runner Vladimir Kuts (1956), and compatriot Miruts Yifter (1980) as 5,000m and 10,000m winners at the same Olympic Games.
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 28 August 2008 )
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