In for the long haul

LASSE VIREN’S long-striding style was a familiar feature of seventies distance running. Brendan Mooney met the flying Finn in Helsinki as the city prepares to host the World Athletics Championships.

AFFLUENCE, if it ever reaches that continent, may be the only hope there is of ending the African dominance of middle and long distance running. That's the view of legendary Olympian Lasse Viren as Helsinki braces itself for another assault on the world championship medal treasury spearheaded by the young Ethiopian sensation,

Kenenisa Bekele.