The 10k record wasn't meant to broken this Sunday in Manchester. Blame it on the wind or simply lack of that little extra but Haile Gebrselassie is sharp as ever while quickly approaching 40. In a great interview with the Guardian he talks about breaking the marathon world record in Berlin again, how to cope with the speedy Wanjirus, how he dealt with his first injuries and what he thinks of druggies."I was very angry about it. I said, 'Why did this happen to me? Why?' When I had a serious injury, my character was completely different. I had a lot of problems with my family, sometimes shouting, I even started to drink because of injuries. Now, when I'm injured, I learned that this is what sport gives."
"I heard this news [about Rashid Ramzi]," says Gebrselassie, shaking his head solemnly. "What I don't understand is why the athlete thinks only about today. What about tomorrow? Live today, die tomorrow is not good. You cannot cheat yourself. Think about your future, think about your children. If my children find out their dad is cheating, imagine the shame?
One thing I don't like is what about the one who came second? He is now the gold medallist, but no-one will ever call him the gold medallist. It is cheating others, destroying others' careers."
For today, Gebrselassie's focus will be on getting a good time in the 10k. "One of my plans is to tackle the world record half-marathon in Hengelo [The Netherlands] in two weeks' time. But I am also preparing for the [Berlin] marathon in September. If I run under 28 minutes today, then breaking the marathon record should be easy," he laughs."
RESULTS Manchester Great Run 10k
Full race report at IAAF.
Men
1, H Gebrselassie (Ethiopia) 27:39
2, A Ali Zaied (Libya) 28:13
3, S Lebid (Ukraine) 28:36
4, F Joseph (Tanzania) 28:41
5, J-M Martinez (Spain) 28:42
6, C Thompson (GB) 28:45
7, A Lemoncello (GB) 29:18
8, P Nicholls (GB) 29:21
9, M Lauret (Netherlands) 29:34
10, A Brownlee (GB) 29min 35sec
Women
1, V Cheruiyot (Kenya) 32:01
2, S Moreira (Portugal) 32:33
3, J Prokopcuka (Latvia) 32:41
4, A Kalovics (Hungary) 33:23
5, M Sig Moller (Denmark) 33:33
6, L Simon (Romania) 33:46
7, R Robinson (GB) 34:13
8, J Potter (GB) 34:14
9, A Aguillar (Spain) 34:20
10, C Hoyte (GB) 34:21
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