Yomi Omogbeja (02/08/2005)

Bekele and Dibaba gun for double in Helsinki

Ethiopia's running crown prince and princess, Kenenisa Bekele and Tirunesh Dibaba goes to Helsinki for weekend's World Athletics Championships seeking glory in the 5000m and 10000m.

Bekele, who is the double world record-holder in both events and the reigning World and Olympic 10000m champion, missed out on the Olympics 5000m title in Athens last year.

The 23-year-old lost his fiancee and training partner Alem Techale, the 2003 world youth 1500m champion in January, but came back to win both the short and long-course world cross-country races in Paris for a remarkable fourth consecutive time in March.

The world 5000m champion, Tirunesh Dibaba,who at 19 was the youngest-ever winner when she won in Paris two years ago, will contest both the 5000m and 10000m in Helsinki.

An unknown figure then, she left experienced contenders such as Berhane Adere, Gabriela Szabo, Marta Dominguez in her wake as she shocked the world.

Despite an inconsistent 2004, Dibaba's came back strongly in 2005 smashing the World 5000m Indoor record in Boston in January and posting an historic short and long-course double at World Cross Country Championships in St-Galmier, France later in March.

But, she has her plate full in Helsinki with strong competition expected from Olympic 5000m champion Meseret Defar, former world recold-holder Berhane Adere, Kenya's Edith Masai and World Junior 5000m sensation Meselech Melkamu who defeated her at the Ethiopian championships.

Kibaki warns Kenyan athletes against defection

Kenya's President Mwai Kibaki has warned Kenyan athletes not to changed their nationalities and defect in search of money and better training facilities.

About 40 Kenyan athletes has been lured away by the oil-rich Gulf states of Qatar, UAE and Bahrain in recent times.

High profile defectors include: Olympic 1500m silver medallist Bernard Lagat (USA), world 3000m steeplechase champion and record holder Saif Saaeed Shaheen, formerly Stephen Cherono (Qatar), Yusuf Saad Kamel, formerly Gregory Meritei Konchellah (Bahrain), Nicholas Kemboi (Qatar) and Francis Kirwa (Finland).

The president said: "Let us resist the temptation to change our citizenship for financial gains.

"This is the country that has made it possible for you to attain international fame and recognition.

"The least you can do is to assist other talented young people to develop their sporting talents and become winners like you."

Rahouli leads Algerian team to Helsinki

Algeria's Triple Jump record holder Baya Rahouli will lead the Algerian athletics team to Helsinki.

Raouli, who is the Asian Games champion, has been a consistent performer this season and she's second only to Russian Tatyana Lebedeva in the event rankings with her 14.98m leap at the Mediterranean Games in Almeria on July 1.

The Algerian team include 9 athletes - 7 men and 2 women - with the reigning World 800m champion Said Djabir Guerni the best male athlete.

Others include: 1500m men - Tarek Boukensa, World Junior finalist Zerguelaine Antar and Kamel Boulahfane.

5000m men - Reigning Olympic silver medallist, Ali Saidi-Sief; Marathon men - Belhout Said; Long Jump men - Nima Issam; 3000m Steeplechase women - Bahi Azzouhoum Fatiha.