Selemon Barega’s Story behind the Picture
Ethiopian distance-running sensation Selemon Barega reflects on what winning this year’s IAAF Diamond League 5000m title in Brussels and climbing to fourth on the all-time list over the distance, courtesy of his 12:43.02 time, meant to him.
“Going back to my preparation for the 2018 season I definitely changed my approach to training. I decided to add interval/tempo workouts on top of the training programme given to me by my coaches and I believe this helped my overall shape.
“During the indoor season, I won a world 3000m silver medal in Birmingham, but overall I was frustrated not to run a quicker time during the indoor season, (note, he did run a world-leading time of 7:36.64 in Liévin), although I did learn a lot from my experiences.
“I started the outdoor season well, winning the two miles at the Eugene Diamond League, the 3000m in Ostrava and the 5000m in Stockholm.
“However, my confidence then suffered a jolt after I had to settle for fourth over 5000m at both the World U20 Championships and African Championships.
“Frankly speaking, I am always more comfortable when the race is run at a quicker tempo. At the World U20s I tried to make the race faster but the weather was hot. Unfortunately, just before the African Championships I was sick and I did not feel at my best in Asaba.
Read more at: IAAF
