Gebrselassie May Skip Olympic Marathon – New York Times
Concerns about Beijings pollution have dominated preparations for the games.Gebrselassie has had problems with his lungs in the past and is known to have a pollen allergy. Hermens said many racers who have performed in damaging conditions have never returned to their best.
It may be 1 or 2 percent damage, but that means a lot for such an athlete, Hermens said. And if you look deep into his heart, he wants another marathon record.
Gebrselassies record is 2 hours, 4 minutes, 26 seconds.
I can’t blame Gebrselassie for thinking of not doing the marathon. Anyone with his talents (2.14:26 marathon P.R.!!!!) has to think about his assets and longevity. I’ve read that a doctor assigned to the U.S. team has been fitting team members with masks that they could wear up to the time of their events, but China doesn’t want Olympic athletes walking around with masks since that would be horrible for public relations. I do hope the air quality is good for Beijing 2008, but I have a bad feeling there will be at least a few really bad days.