Kenenisa Bekele

Family

Wife Danawit Gebregziabher

Language(s) spoken

English

Club name

Muger Cement, Addis Abeba, ETH

Coach

Woldemeskel Kostre, Tolosa Kotu

Injuries

He ruptured a muscle during the 10,000m event at the 2011 world championships. (abs-cbnnews.com, 10 May 2012)

In 2011 he suffered a knee injury. (nation.co.ke, 24 Jan 2012)

In 2006 a minor injury sustained during training forced him out of competition for one week. (IAAF, 26 Mar 2006)

Prior to the 2004 Olympic Games, he was hampered by an Achilles injury. (AFP, 06 Jun 2004)

He suffered from an illness, suspected to be haemoglobin deficiency, prior to the 2003 World Cross Country Championships. (Waltainfo, 06 Aug 2003)

He suffered an Achilles injury in 2002 which prevented him from participating in the track season. (BBC, 31 Aug 2003)

In 2001, he suffered severe abdominal pains before the 5000m at the Rome Golden League meet. The race served as Ethiopia's trial for that year's World Championships and he could only manage a time of 13:15.39 and failed to make the team. (Runners World, 05 Jun 2003)

Additional information

Start of sporting career
He began running while at primary school and ran his first competitive race for his local regional club when he was 15. (IAAF, 31/08/03, BBC, 31 Mar 2003)

Reason for taking up this sport
"When I saw Haile [Gebrselassie] running, I thought that perhaps one day I could be like him." (BBC, 31 Mar 2003)

Hero
Ethiopia's World and Olympic Games 10,000m champion Haile Gebrselassie. "Haile made me want to run," he said. "After I see him win the Atlanta Olympics in 1996. I was 14 and I watch him on television. On top of the television I have a loud radio, so I also listen to the race. I don't miss anything about Gebrselassie. So when we train together it is a big dream. And now we run against each other." (BBC 31 Mar 2003, Guardian, 21/06/04)

Sporting philosophy / motto
"I have never been scared of the other runners, no matter how good their record." (BBC, 31 Mar 2003)

Awards
In August 2009, he etched his name in distance running history at the IAAF World Championships in Berlin by winning his fourth consecutive world 10 000m title. The gold in Berlin follows previous success in Paris 2003, Helsinki 2005 and Osaka 2007. He equals his hero and compatriot Haile Gebreselassie for the most world champioship titles won over the event. (abc.net.au, 18 Aug 2009)

After winning a gold and silver medal at the 2004 Olympic Games, setting world records in the 5000m and 10,000m in the space of nine days, setting another world mark over 5000m indoors and winning a third consecutive long and short course world cross country double, he was named Male Athlete of the Year by the International Association of Athletics Federations [IAAF] for 2004. (IAAF, 19 Sep 2004)

General
BAN LIFTED
In January 2012 he and 34 other Ethiopian athletes were briefly banned from competition by the Ethiopian Athletics Federation for missing a mandatory training camp. However, the ban was lifted just a week later after the federation and the athletes met. (nation.co.ke, 24 Jan 2012)

LOSS OF FORM
In March 2007 he failed to defend his World Cross Country crown in Mombasa, Kenya. It was his first loss in a major cross country race since 2001 and a defeat that has affected him badly, leaving him with an unexplainable loss of form. "I have seen many doctors but they all tell me that I'm not ill," he said. "But I feel I have no power any more. When I do hard training sometimes I have this pain in my head which I cannot resist. I don't have power in my body any more. I train well one day and the next day I cannot train well, I need time to recover." (All Africa, 20 May 2007)

TRAGEDY
In January 2005 his 18-year-old fiancee Alem Techale collapsed and died of a suspected heart attack while out training with him. She was also an international standard athlete and was the 1500m champion at the 2003 World Youth Championships. (AFP, 05 Jan 2005)

PARENTAL GUIDANCE
While he was inspired to be an athlete, these were not the wishes of his parents. "They didn't encourage me to become a runner," he said. "They wanted me to be a good student and then hoped I would become a professional, maybe a teacher or a doctor. They are happy now, because they've seen my picture on the television and read about me in the newspaper." (BBC, 31 Mar 2003)

TACTICS
He says the tactics in a race are what he enjoys most about running. "When I train with Haile [Gebrselassie] and other runners on the national team we talk of tactics and I have learned much from them. For every race you have different tactics. You make a plan, but you never know what will happen in the race. It is best then to figure out the race while you are running." (Track and Field News, May 2003)

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
He is a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF. (IAAF 19 Jul 2005)

POP SONG
He was the subject of hit pop song 'Kenenisa Anbessa' by Ethiopian vocalist Teddy Afro. The song celebrates his gold medal at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens and his generosity towards Haile Gebrselassie. (IAAF, 19 Jun 2005)

Previous Olympics

Beijing 2008, Athens 2004