Spectators of the Bavarian town of Würzburg’s traditional 10km road race witnessed a phenomenal display of Kenyan running on Sunday (26). Runners from East Africa took 19 out of the first 20 places in the men’s race with Abraham Chebii winning the event in 28:08. The Würzburg race has been Germany’s best quality 10km race already in a number of recent years. On the seven-lap-course Abraham Chebii started dominating the race early on. Only after the end of the first lap did a bigger lead group with around ten Kenyans gather at front. At the end of lap two Chebii was in a clear lead and from then on continued to increase the gap. With his winning time of 28:08, he was 26 seconds ahead of Patrick Kimeli (28:34) and David Langat (28:37).So, who is this Abraham Kosgei Chebii?
Born 23 Dec. 1979 in the Rift Valley, he now mainly lives in Eldoret with his wife and two kids.
He began running in secondary school, mainly 800m and 1500m, with modest success (10th in provincial championship in final year of high school). An excellent student, he was granted a place in Kenyatta University in Nairobi but was unable to enroll for lack of fees. Inspired by success of local boy Moses Kiptanui, he decided to try to make a living as a runner. He was signed by KIMbia and taken to Europe for six minor races at 3000m and 5000m the summer of 1999 and then stayed in Australia for 'winter' training. The next three years he slowly climbed up the ladder with somewhat higher quality races but few victories and few top times, et alt. making two appearances at World Cross Country Championships with mixed results (5th at 4 km 2000; 24th at 4 km 2002).
In late autumn 2002, he altered training to improve his ability to stay on fast pace and finish even faster. After quick-kicking wins in first three GPs of 2003, he tested new training in Oslo GL 5000 against no less than Kenenisa Bekele, staying with 13-minute pace and streaking to the front shortly after the bell. He held lead into home straight but tied up badly and finished 4th (in a PB of 12:52.99!) behind Kenenisa and Kenyans Sammy Kipketer and Eliud Kipchoge. A week later, in Paris, he outkicked the great Haile Gebrselassie, leaving the "Emperor" nearly a second adrift (12:53.37 to 12:54.36). A week after that he even blew past both Haile and Kenenisa in Rome (12:57.14).
2004 began promising but soon he developed knee problems. The knee had recovered by the middle of the 2004 track season, but Chebii showed little of his 2003 explosiveness. After finishing a conservative 3rd in Kenya’s Olympic trials 5000 (13:27.8), he dawdled through the distance in Rome (12th in 13:08.40, nearly 22 seconds off Kipchoge’s winning time) and Zurich (5th in 13:08.01). Early reports from the Kenyan training camp were positive—all three 5000 men pushing hard and keeping up. But in speed drills shortly before flying to Athens, Chebii injured his calf again. He hobbled through his 5000 heat and qualified but says he wouldn’t have started the final if it had not been the Olympics. He dropped out half-way through the race.
Abraham Chebii may be the most explosive kicker of the early 2000s. Even in an era in which a top-class 5000 runner has to be able to close a 13:00 race with a 55 second last lap, Chebii stands out. In the Grand Prix Final at the end of the 2002 season, he clocked 50.68 for his last 400 meters, and he didn't start his full sprint until 250 to go. As he says, however, "It is easy to kick when the pace is slow. You must be able to follow a fast pace and then kick." Which is what he trained himself to do over the 2002-2003 off-season. The most convincing evidence of that training's effectiveness came in the Rome Golden League, where Haile Gebrselassie, having been outsprinted by Chebii in Paris, started driving for home from 600 meters out, with Kenenisa Bekele and Chebii in tow. Haile was spent by the final turn and moved wide to let Kenenisa through, but Chebii slipped through the gap as well and bounded after the sprinting Kenenisa. He passed the Ethiopian with 50 to go and was timed at sub-25 for his last 200 -- in a 12:57 race.
2005 he took silver on the long course CC worlds. Since then, he hasn't been in the same stellar shape as back in the days when he beat the two Ethiopian greats. He's still a factor in most races, winning here and there be it road and track.
mzungo.org hopes that Abraham finds the desire to turn to marathoning. Given that he trains under Dieter Hogen it would not come as a surprise. Maybe we can see him battling Kenenisa and a still superfit but ageing Haile next year in London?
ShareThis