PARIS, 2 July 2005 — Kenenisa Bekele yesterday missed bis world record but stormed to an impressive 5,000 meters victory in an Ethiopian podium sweep at the Golden League series season opener. Bekele, 23, clocked 12 minutes 40.18 seconds, the best time of the year, fourth best in event history and less than three seconds shy of his world record 12:37.35 from last year.
Bekele, the 10,000m world and Olympic champion and a four-time reigning double cross-country world champion, ran away from his rivals at the halfway mark, but in the end paid the price for slightly overpacing early on.
Abebe Dinkesa Negera was a distant second in 12:55.58 and Gebre Egziabher Gebremariam third in 12:58.60 minutes as a total six runners beat the 13-minute mark.
In other early action, Aziz Zakari won the men’s 100m dash in 10.04 seconds, edging out European record holder Francis Obigwelu (10.05) by one hundredth of a second.
Jamaican Dwight Thomas was third in 10.11 in the absence of compatriot Asafa Powell, who last month improved the world record to 9.78 seconds, and Olympic champion Justin Gatlin of the US.
In the women’s sprint, European champion Christine Arron delighted a home crowd of more than 60,000 by winning in 11.03 seconds, beating Chandra Sturrup of the Bahamas (11.05) and Lauryn Williams of the U.S. (11.16).
There was more French delight when Ladji Doucoure shocked Olympic champion Liu Xiang of China and the four-time world champion Allen Johnson of the US in the 110m hurdles with a personal best 13.02 seconds. Johnson was second in 13.04 and Liu third in 13.06.
