(Reuters) –Ethiopian Olympic champion Kenenisa Bekele will attempt to break his 10,000m world record at next month's Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon, organisers said today.
The race will take place at the University of Oregon's Hayward Field on June 8. The stadium is also the site of the June 27-July 6 US Olympic trials. Bekele set his current record of 26 minutes 17.53 seconds on August 26, 2005 in Brussels.
"The record is not easy," Bekele's manager Jos Hermens said in a statement. "But this is an absolutely serious attempt. His training is going well, and he is 100% 'go' for the record." It will be the 25-year-old Bekele's first outdoor appearance in the United States.
Bekele, who also holds the world 5 000m record, will run in the morning ahead of other events at the 34th annual grand prix meeting to take advantage of what should be more favourable wind conditions.
"We compiled 20 years of data about wind conditions, humidity, temperature - you name it," meet director Tom Jordan said. "The conditions are slightly better during the morning than the evening."
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