One of many nice athletics rivalries of all time will probably be renewed at Paris 2024 after Kenenisa Bekele was named in Ethiopia’s marathon squad.
The 41-year-old is a three-time Olympic champion over 5,000m and 10,000m however has not appeared on the Video games since London 2012, when he completed fourth over the longer distance.
Nevertheless, his second-placed end within the London Marathon final month means Bekele will come up towards Kenyan nice Eliud Kipchoge on 10 August.
Former marathon world file holder Kipchoge, 39, is aiming to develop into the primary particular person to win three successive Olympic marathons after his victories at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020.
His rivalry with Bekele stretches all the way in which again to their first assembly in a remaining, additionally in Paris, on the 2003 World Championships.
On that event Kipchoge took gold within the 5,000m, with Morocco’s Hicham El Guerrouj in second place and Bekele taking bronze.
A 12 months later on the Olympics in Athens, Kipchoge must accept bronze over the identical distance as Bekele took silver behind El Guerrouj, with the Ethiopian then clinching gold over 10,000m gold.
4 years on on the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Bekele would once more get the higher of Kipchoge on the Video games because the pair completed first and second within the 5,000m and Bekele defended his 10,000m title.
Kipchoge has established himself as an all-time nice since switching to marathon-running in 2013, profitable 11 main races alongside his two Olympic gold medals.
Bekele produced the sixth-fastest debut over 26.2 miles (42.16km) when he made a profitable marathon debut in Paris in April 2014, however his profession since then has been hampered by accidents.
Now, 21 years on from their first battle within the French capital, this could possibly be the ultimate time Bekele and Kipchoge go head-to-head.
