Ethiopia Athletics: Deresse Mekonnen to challenge Bernard Lagat at Millrose Games
New York, USA – Deresse Mekonnen of Ethiopia will challenge Kenyan-American Bernard Lagat in the Mile race when the two athletes will meet at the 104th Millrose Games to be held at the Madison Square Garden here on January 28, 2011.
The 104th Millrose Games is the first IAAF Indoor Permit Meeting in 2011.
The 23-years-old Deresse, who won gold medals at the 2008 and 2010 World Indoor Championships, is considered as one of the world’s best indoor miler. But he will face a formidable opponent in Lagat, who won his record eighth Wanamaker Mile, surpassing Irish man Eamonn Coghlan as the “Chairman of the Boards†at Millrose.
One source of motivation for Deresse is that he might want to avenge his loss to Lagat at the 2009 World outdoor mile race.
