Kenenisa Bekele

Already boasting a resume that makes him perhaps the greatest distance runner of all time, Bekele is looking to recover from injury in time to bolster his legendary status in London. When he's healthy, there is no one better in the 5,000- and 10,000-meter races, as the Ethiopian holds world records at both of those distances after breaking countryman Haile Gebrselassie's marks in 2004. Bekele shattered his own 10,000 record the next year, running a 26:17.53, while his 2004 time of 12:37.35 stands in the 5,000. After he won a gold (10,000) and a silver (5,000) at the Athens Games, Bekele repeated as 10,000-meter champion in Beijing and bounced back in the 5,000, setting an Olympic record and winning by nearly five full seconds. He posted another double-gold performance at the 2009 world championships, becoming the first man to pull off the feat in those events at worlds and winning his fourth consecutive world title in the 10,000. Bekele, though, missed most of 2010 while battling a calf injury and then a knee problem, and he's slowly been working his way back. His health may determine whether the diminutive star can defend either or both of his Olympic titles in London and perhaps finally gain the attention sprint champion Usain Bolt thinks he warrants. "The problem is that everyone these days concentrates on the shorter distances," Bolt told the British newspaper The Telegraph in 2009, "and Bekele just doesn't get the recognition he deserves."