With a win in Zurich, Kenenisa Bekele remains unbeaten and on track to win the AF Golden League series. © www.photorun.net

Five days after his triumph at the World Championships where he won double gold in the 5,000-meter and 10,000m events, the 27-year-old Ethiopian distance-running superstar Kenenisa Bekele finished first in the 5,000m event in Zurich. He crossed the line in 12:52.32 minutes, which was the fastest time in the world this year for this distance. Hence, Bekele remains in the hunt for the AF Golden League jackpot.

After wins in Berlin, Oslo, Rome, and Paris, he only needs another victory in Brussels this coming Friday to qualify for the jackpot. Those athletes who win their particular event at each of the six AF Golden League Meetings will share one million dollars (US) between them. Besides Bekele, the Russian pole-vaulter, Yelena Isinbayeva, and the American 400m runner, Sanya Richards, remain in contention for the lucrative purse.

True to form, Bekele dominated the 5,000m in Zurich and was all by himself in the lead going into the final kilometer to improve this year’s fastest time by almost four seconds. Edwin Soi (Kenya) was second in 12:55.03 ahead of Dathan Ritzenhein who stunned the crowd by running a 12:56.27, which was a new American record. Bob Kennedy owned the previous record when he ran 12:58.21 in Zurich 13 years ago.

“It’s great to be still in with a chance of the jackpot but I really wanted to run faster,” noted an unsatisfied Bekele afterwards. “I can’t automatically assume I’m going to win every race—that would be a pipe dream. But I can certainly make it tough for anyone to beat me.”

The world champion, Ezekiel Kemboi of Kenya, also proved to be a winner in the 3,000m steeplechase in Zurich, just ten days after his triumph in Berlin. He won with the impressive time of 8:04.44, ahead of Frenchman, Bob Tahri (8:05.29), who finished third in the World Championships. Paul Koech (Kenya/8:06.10) finished third while Finland’s Jukka Keskisalo broke a remarkable national record when he finished sixth in 8:10.67. The previous Finnish record by Tapio Kantanen (8:12.60) had stood for 33 years!

The men’s 800m also produced impressive performances. The Kenyan, David Rudisha, won in 1:43.52, defeating his fellow countryman Alfred Yego (1:43.66), while the world champion, Mbulaeni Mulaudzi (South Africa), finished third in 1:44.03. The first eight athletes to finish broke 1:45.

Vienna Champion Kirwa to Run Frankfurt Marathon

With eight weeks to go before race day, the elite field for the Commerzbank Frankfurt Marathon is coming together. The contest for first place could be between the course record holder, Robert K. Cheruiyot (2:07:21 hours/2008), and his Kenyan compatriot, Wilfred Kigen, who won Frankfurt on consecutive occasions from 2005 to 2007. In addition, the Austrian, Günther Weidlinger, is aiming to break the national record belonging to Gerhard Hartmann (2:12:22), which has stood for 23 years.

“We’ve recruited another five Kenyan runners who have the potential to run at the same kind of level as Cheruiyot and Kigen,” said the race director, Christoph Kopp. As part of this latest influx of talent, Kirwa will be making his debut in Frankfurt. The 23-year-old won the Vienna Marathon—his debut—this past April in 2:08:21 in scarcely ideal conditions. Jason Mbote can claim an even faster personal best. The 32-year-old finished second in the Seoul Marathon last year in 2:07:37. Mbote has a good record in Frankfurt where he took second place behind Kigen four years ago. KIMbia’s Stephen Kiogora is another Kenyan with happy memories of the Frankfurt course where he set his fastest time of 2:08:24—good for third last year. Another career highlight for the 32-year-old was finishing second in New York in 2006. The runner-up last year, Wilson Kigen (2:08:16), has also said he’ll be running this year. This means the top three finishers of 2008—Cheruiyot, Kigen and Kiogora—will be on the start line on October 25, 2009.

“This is ample proof of the race’s international ranking,” said the race director Christoph Kopp. The International Athletics Association (IAAF) has awarded the Commerzbank Frankfurt Marathon the top category for road races for the first time, designating it a “Gold Label” event. The fifth of the new recruits to the elite men’s field is William Kiplagat. He finished eighth in the 2007 World Championships and the 37-year-old veteran’s personal best of 2:06:50 shows he is not only the oldest in the elite field but also possesses the fastest career performance.

The organizers estimate that the total entry will be between 13,000 to 14,000 runners. Entries can be made online at: www.frankfurt-marathon.com