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The men's 10,000m final could have been an old show: Mebrahtom
"Meb" Keflezighi and Abdihakim "Abdi" Abdirahman
dueling through the final miles, with nobody else in sight. The
difference this year was that in the end, it was Abdirahman who
had the better speed; he fought off Keflezighi's kick right to the
finish line in 28:10.38. (Keflezighi's finish time was 28:10.57.)
It was Abdirahman's second time winning the 10,000m; his first,
in 2001, also came in a post-Olympic year.
The
ever-changing leaders of the pack behind Abdirahman and Keflezighi
included Patrick Gildea, Jason Hubbard, Matt Lane, Ed Torres, Ryan
Kirkpatrick, and Chris Graff, but it was Matt Downin who was in
position to dominate the furious charge to the finish, taking third
in 28:34.65.
Abdirahman
and Keflezighi were the only two entrants with the "A"
standard for the World Championships, so Downin or any other finalist
hoping to be the third team member for Helsinki will need to run
under 27:49.00.
Q:
How does it feel to win for a second time?
Abdi Abdirahman:
It's sweeter than the first. It's a long time coming, that we've
waited for this one. Today I was going to do whatever it [took]
to win that title.
Q:
You did a lot of the work in the middle of the race. It looked like
you were trying to get Meb [Keflezighi] to come up and help you.
AA:
I wanted him to help, but he didn't want to take the pace. So I
said, all right, I was going to push the pace, but I want to run
tomorrow, so I'll just wait and see what happens. I was comfortable
with my kick, I knew I had good speed coming in, so I had faith
and I waited until the last two or three hundred meters.
Q:
What were you thinking in the last lap?
AA:
In the last lap, I was in good position. I felt good with a thousand
meters to go. I just waited until the last 400, but my legs felt
so comfortable. With 400m to go, I felt like I'd just started the
race.
Q:
Did Meb actually pull ahead of you down the stretch?
AA:
Yes, and I thought, 'This is a really good race!' I thought, 'If
you want it, go get it, but I'm not going to let it go.' I changed
gear and came up in the last 10 meters.
Q:
You're coming back in the 5,000m?
AA:
Yes, I'm coming back in the 5. [Note: He didn't.] We'll see how
that goes. I'll sit down with my coach and my manager and see how
my body feels tomorrow.
Q:
And in Helsinki?
AA:
In Helsinki I'm going to do the 10K, with a lot of training. It
also depends on the schedule this year, but I'm in good shape right
now. The 10 is my event. If I make the team, I'm not going to run
the 5 in Helsinki. I think I can do a good 10K. I know a couple
of those guys, maybe three guys, are out of my league, but top five
would be nice.
Q:
Do you do a lot of training with Bernard Lagat?
AA:
Yes, I do a lot of training with Bernard. I was chasing Bernard
[in my mind] at the 200. I do a couple of 200s with Bernard, and
he'll run 26, and I'll run 27, which is my PR. I ran a couple of
26s myself, so that's not bad.
I
want to give thanks to my coach, Dave Murray, to my manager, Ray
[Flynn], for helping me out and putting me in some good races. I
want to thank everyone.
(Interviews
conducted June 23, 2005)
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Abdi
Abdirahman.
(Photo by Alison Wade/New York Road Runners)
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