Ethiopia preview: Another long-distance charge to launch

By sportswriter Wu Junkuan

BEIJING, July 24 (Xinhua) -- Ethiopia's star-studded long distance squad is ready to launch another fierce charge in next month's Beijing Olympic Games.

With 14 golds, five silvers and 12 bronzes earned since its Olympic debut in 1956 Games, Ethiopia has never been in a leading role at the Olympic stage.

But with all the medals pocketed from the long-distance races, Ethiopia is definitely a superpower in the Olympic track events.

The Ethiopia Olympic Committee (EOC) named a 36-member athletics squad for the coming Beijing Games. They will compete in the men's and women's marathon, 10000m, 5000m, 3000m steeplechase and 1500m events.

In the 2004 Athens Games, Ethiopia brought home two gold medals respectively in the men's 10000m and women's 5000m. In Beijing, the Ethiopia team of star athletes will do everything possible to defend their rule in the two events.

Kenenisa Bekele is the reigning Olympic and world champion in the men's 10000m, while quadruple world champion Haile Gebreselassie swept two Olympic golds in 1996 and 2000 in the event.

World marathon record holder as Gebreselassie is, the 35-year-old Ethiopian decided to give up marathon to focus in 10000m, hoping for a unique Olympic triple after winning in Atlanta and Sydney.

Bekele also ruled out an Olympic 5000-10000 double in Beijing, in spite of narrowly missing out on winning both races four years ago.

And there is also Sileshi Sihine, the 10000m silverist in Athens and recent two World Championships. And he will go all out in Beijing to break the fate as a runner-up.

Ethiopia's Tirunesh Dibaba holds the world record over the women's 5000m. The diminutive 22-year-old ran 14:11.15 at last month's Oslo Golden League, shattering the mark set by her compatriot Meseret Defar last year.

Being the reigning two-time world 10000m champion, Dibaba will arrive in Beijing as the hot favourite for gold in the 5000m, and 10000m maybe, if she decides to double up.

Though losing the world record, defending 5000m Olympic and world champion Defar will try her best to avoid being dethroned in Beijing's "Bird Nest".

The EOC is also hoping for a medal boost in other long-distance events. Ejegayehu Dibaba in the women's 10000m and Tariku Bekele in the men's 5000 are both medal prospects for Ethiopia.

However, Ethiopia's long-distance charge will not be an easy case, with their neighbor country Kenya also being an athletics powerhouse. The two countries will have a tough rival in Beijing for the lion's share in distance events.