10,000 metres, Men

After winning the World Championships four consecutive times (1993-99), Ethiopia’s Haile Gebrselassie had come back to the field slightly by 2004. He had finished third at the 2001 Worlds, and in 2003, placed second to his countryman, Kenenisa Bekele. Bekele had also won the International Cross-Country from 2002-2004, and had broken Geb’s world record earlier in 2004 and was favored in Athens. After seven laps, the Ethiopians (including Sileshi Sihine) took off and forced the pace. On the 22nd lap, Bekele and Sihine had dropped the other runners, but on the final lap, Sihine had no match for Bekele’s speed. Bekele ran the final lap in 52.9 seconds, and the final 200 in 25.7 to win the gold medal.