Boom of world records! Irregular? I don’t like it, but the development is moving forward, says the Czech ace

Joshua Cheptegei set Kenenis Bekele for the 10,000m world record.

Profimedia.cz

How do you explain that two one-year records changed in one evening, plus such a difference? Former European indoor champion and Czech record holder in the 15-year-old Jakub Holuša closely watched the races in the hotel in Šumava, where he is preparing with his old-new training group of coach Josef Vedra.

How do you view the use of lighting technology that helps runners keep a record pace?

I don’t like it at all. But it must be said that Cheptegei has an incredible form, he is the best runner he is here now. And the development goes forward in terms of treadmills even now that lighting technology. It will help immensely to keep a constant pace, the runner does not even need wires. There is also a time board every hundred meters at the meetings, but sometimes you are in such a trance that you will not be able to perceive it. And Cheptegei could be seen watching the lights.

When was it obvious?

Especially around the seventh to ninth kilometer, when Bekele slowed down during his record. Cheptegei kept a constant pace, gaining the lead and checking it, turning a few times to see the light. It’s a technological development, we can only speculate how Bekele would run under current conditions. But once there was a slag run, now after the world, the world is moving forward.

So would you recognize world records with this technological help, or would you put them in the category of exhibitions, such as Eliud Kipchoge’s two-hour marathon?

It was different there, the drivers took turns, he still had seven people around him, which is a much bigger advantage. Joshua ran here alone, it’s regular for me, although I don’t want him to run like this in all Diamond leagues, for example. The races would lose the plot.

Wouldn’t you be tempted to try to run some fast time with the help of this technology?

You know it attracted. But in normal races I like more tactics, when you can sell experience, you react to your opponent…

You also mentioned shoes. How much have the shoes moved since the days of Bekele and Dibaba?

Lots of. Those shoes from Nike clearly add performance, we see a huge shift even on the middle tracks. I don’t want to reduce the performance of runners, but it’s also thanks to those shoes, I have them myself, so I see it.

Can you estimate how many seconds the new shoes can take?

For road shoes, it’s a huge difference from five years ago. When I put them on in training, it can easily help for three to five seconds per kilometer, which is very much. It’s not so significant on the track, but my guess is that, for example, on the 15th, the shoes can help by two seconds.

There were a lot of cross-country world records set this season as well. Only Cheptegei ran three, in women they also fell in a watch and two in a half marathon… What’s that? Bad languages ​​also lead to lower activity of doping commissioners this year.

I don’t think there would be a lack of controls. Although I didn’t race this year, I was tested three times. I attribute it more to the fact that there were not so many races. He was training more, Cheptegei had only run the three races so far, he would normally go around the Diamond League and chase money, he was going to the Olympics… That way he was left with the energy to try world records, he prepared for the deadline and managed to sell it.

How tall do you place 24-year-old Cheptegei among the running giants?

It is the fastest in terms of performance at five or ten kilometers, but so far it does not have as many medals as Bekele or Farah. He is still young, he has a great future ahead of him and I think he can easily match them in time…

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