Kenenisa Bekele proves his mettle at the Valencia marathon, but his pursuit of an Olympic marathon appearance goes on

This is a piece from Deji Ogeyingbo on Kenenisa Bekele, and his inspiring 2:04.19 reminds all runners over 40 that they have a few more good races in the tank.

Kenenisa Bekele is the former WR holder at 5,000m and 10,000m. Kenenisa won 26 gold medals, 3 silver medals, and 2 bronze medals at the Olympic Games (3 gold, 1 silver), World Champs (5 gold, 1 bronze), one gold at World Indoors, two gold at African Champs, 2 gold at All-African Games, 112medals at World Cross Country (11 gold, 1 silver) and two Marathon Majors. 

He now runs for Anta Footwear. 

If there was any major takeaway from this year’s Trinidad Alfonso Valencia Marathon, aside from reigning 10,000m world champion Joshua Cheptegei’s 37^th place finish in 2:08:59, it surely has to be seeing Kenenisa Bekele running in a marathon again. The multiple world and Olympic champion is widely regarded as the greatest distance runner of all time, and many won’t begrudge him if he had hung his running shoes years ago. However, the Ethiopian continues to push his boundaries.

Last year in London, Bekele broke the record by running 2:05:53, but Switzerland’s Tadesse Abraham surpassed him by running 2:05:10 in Berlin in September. Now Bekele has the record again and is the first man over 40 to break 2:06. Does that mean he’s getting back into shape ahead of next year? Certainly not. But if there’s one thing that has characterized Bekele’s career, it’s the sheer zeal to reach unchartered territory. He has held a lifelong dream of competing at the Olympics and this performance in Valencia accentuates why he deserves a chance to be at the Paris Olympics. 

Bekele’s transition to the marathon and subsequent Olympic selections have proven challenging. Despite his remarkable track career, Olympic selection eluded Bekele in 2016 and 2021. The marathon has posed new challenges, yet the allure of the Olympic stage remains a beacon of aspiration for this seasoned athlete.

The Valencia marathon served as a defining moment in Bekele’s relentless pursuit. Before the race, the 41-year-old did not finish at the London Marathon in April and placed 5^th the year before.  Still, he proved his mettle in the Spanish City. 

Clocking an impressive halfway mark of 60:58, he displayed remarkable tenacity, pushing through the grueling second half and overtaking multiple competitors. Bekele’s resilience and unwavering…