NEWS » must carry on after Gebrselassie and Bekele, tw

The Western Bulldogs stunning victory over Sydney could end up being a critical point in their AFL season.But coach Luke Beveridge stopped short of likening its potential impact to that of last seasons identical four-point triumph at the SCG.The Bulldogs set up their excellent 2015 campaign with an epic defeat of the Swans in Round 5.On Saturday, they returned to the same venue for the first time to beat the Swans by the same margin.Jason Johannisens goal in the dying seconds lifted the Dogs into fifth place on a sardined ladder, equal second on points alongside the Swans and another three teams carrying 10-4 win-loss records.A loss - which seemed likely once Lance Franklin (five goals) offset the Dogs dominant third quarter by scoring two of three Swans fourth-term majors - would have left them in eighth.However Beveridge was less inclined to believe the result would prompt the same effect as the last, which came when the then new coach was little-known, and months before hed be voted AFL coach of the year by his peers.They were obviously the overwhelming favourites in the betting agencies, but I think last year we were more of an underdog than we were this year, Beveridge said.So the magnitude of beating the Swans was probably amplified last year.The Dogs now look ahead to next weekends home clash with Richmond.While theyll fancy themselves against the 12-placed Tigers and the top eight appears all but set, Beveridge was careful not to write off contenders outside the eight waiting for their moment.Its so tight in the eight, you cant afford to drop off, he said.Port Adelaide are sniffing around, and some others. http://www.brownsrookiestore.com/Hats/ . DAmigo scored twice in regulation and added the shootout winner as the Toronto Marlies edged the San Antonio Rampage 5-4 in American Hockey League action. http://www.brownsrookiestore.com/Browns-Randall-Telfer-Jersey/ . Zvonareva, who won the tournament in 2009 and 10, couldnt handle her opponents big groundstrokes in only her third event back after 17 months out with a shoulder injury. Zvonareva made her comeback in January in Shenzhen and played in the Australian Open but lost her first matches at both tournaments. http://www.brownsrookiestore.com/Browns-Christian-Kirksey-Jersey/ . -- The proud fathers huddled near the Dallas Stars dressing room, smiling, laughing and telling stories while wearing replica green sweaters of their sons team. http://www.brownsrookiestore.com/Browns-Jamar-Taylor-Jersey/ . Booth picked up 65 caps after making her national team debut in 2002 at the age of 17. She most recently played for Sky Blue FC of the National Womens Soccer League. "It just felt like it was my time to move on," she said in a phone interview from her hometown of Burlington, Ont. http://www.brownsrookiestore.com/Browns-Deshone-Kizer-Jersey/ . In Europe, top teams seem to be largely happy with their squads after spending nearly $1 billion in the off-season. And although English league clubs are unlikely to splash cash in January, Arsenal and Chelsea could be tempted to strengthen their squads with new strikers. RIO DE JANEIRO -- Yigrem Demelash arrives for a training session and right away gets into an argument with one of the coaches.The coach has an idea of how this session should go. Demelash, short, slight, 22 years old and yet to run at the Olympics, has a different idea and isnt afraid to say it.With a wave of his arm, Demelash dismisses the instructions, turns his back and jogs off down the track.I dont have a good feeling about the current coaches, he said in an interview with The Associated Press in Ethiopia a couple of weeks ago.Such is the style of Ethiopias new hope for a return to its former glory in the 10,000 meters. That glory slipped away with the retirement of the great Haile Gebrselassie and the fading of world-record holder Kenenisa Bekele, and was then wrenched away with the arrival of current Olympic champion Mo Farah.Ethiopia used to own the 10,000 meters.Between 1996 and 2008, the mens 10,000 at the Olympics was an Ethiopian procession, with back-to-back golds by Gebrselassie and then his protege Bekele. At the world championships, the dominance reached another level. Ethiopians won gold in nine of the 10 worlds between 1993 and 2011. Four straight titles for Gebrselassie (1993-99), four straight for Bekele (2003-09) and one for Ibrahim Jeilan in 2011.Since then, nothing.Farah crashed the party, and its mighty tough to replace runners of the caliber of Gebrselassie and Bekele. But Demelash thinks there are also problems with the way Ethiopia plans for big events these days. The coaching, he contends, is one of them. Demelash says Ethiopia will never have another Woldemeskel Kostre, the legendary coach who trained Gebrselassie and Bekele and who died this year.In the past, when the running greats like Haile and Kenenisa were in the national squad, everything was good. There were good coaches and a good environment, Demelash said from Ethiopias new sports academy in Addis Ababa. Athletes and coaches should agree on many things but thats not the case here.Theres another reason for Ethiopias slide, he said.ddddddddddddRoad races, where the competition is more regular and the money better, are draining Ethiopias best track talent.The 10K and 5K events are neglected, Demelash said. Other athletes (could) have an even better performance than Haile and Kenenisa if the sport is given due attention. But thats not the case at the moment. All the attention is where the money is. ... Thats road races.The emergence of Demelash, the 2012 world junior champion, has coincided with what appears to be a messy end for the 34-year-old Bekele, the holder of the world and Olympic records in the 5,000 and the 10,000. Bekele was set on running the marathon in Rio de Janeiro only to be told by Ethiopian track officials that despite making the Olympic qualifying time he hadnt run enough big races over the last year.Clearly unprepared for the shorter distance, Bekele then tried and failed in Ethiopias 10,000-meter trial, dropping out of a race that was won by Demelash in a personal best and world-leading time of 26 minutes, 51.11 seconds. Thats more than two seconds faster than Farah has run this year.Bekele had strong criticism of the officials and their qualifying criteria after his snub, but they stood by their decision to exclude the world-record holder. As Demelash sees it, thats another reason to doubt those in charge.It would have been a boost of morale for everyone if he was in the team, Demelash said.But hes not, and the youngster now carries a heavy weight on his skinny shoulders. He must carry on after Gebrselassie and Bekele, two of the greatest distance runners ever and two who created an aura of Ethiopian power in the sport.If its any consolation for Demelash, the track coaches back him and rate his talent highly. The feeling is not mutual.---Associated Press writer Elias Meseret in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, contributed to this report. Wholesale Hoodies NFL Shirts Outlet Jerseys NFL Wholesale Cheap NFL Jerseys Free Shipping Wholesale Jerseys Cheap Cheap NFL Jerseys China Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '