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Welcome to the Paris 2003 Day 5 |
Day 5 of the Paris 2003 World Track Championships, saw Hicham
El Guerrouj attempting to become the most successful 1500m
runner of the WC ever. He needed to win an unprecedented 4th
title to cement this fact.
He did not disappoint, up against the crowd favourite and
much improved Mehdi Baala of France, El Guerrouj would adopt
a brave front running tactic which would win over many a sceptic.
There were also the Women's 1500m Heats, where Turkey's favourite
chance to win a Gold Medal, Süreyya Ayhan, qualified
with relative ease for the semi-final. There were no major
surprises, except for the withdrawal of Kelly Holmes from
the 1500m running. | results
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Men's 1500m Final :
In an event where Morocco's Hicham El Guerrouj; who presently
holds World Records in both the mile and 1500m, has been unbeaten
over the distance longer than anyone in history and has won
this 1500m title on 3 occasions before, yet still has to prove
himself as the greatest ever.
Needing to prove his status as the best, the Moroccan needed
to defeat all and sundry without the assistance of a pacesetter.
The stress and tension was pallable, especially considering
that his main challenge would be coming from France's very
own Mehdi Baala. To say that Baala, was a crows favourite
would be an understatement. The Frenchman had been working
on his speed of recent, and had competed successfully over
800m recently and was been seen as El Guerrouj's conqueror
in waiting.
With no countryman to pace the World's premier miler/1500m,
the many sceptics were lining up ready to witness the downfall
of the King of Middle Distance. And El Guerrouj was going
to prove his true value the hard way.
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Hicham El
Guerrouj
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Click for large image
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After an opening lap by way of Spain's Reyes Estévez
in 57.70, El G was left with no other choice but to be leading
through 800m in 1:56.29 The pace had dropped, to play into
the hands of Baala and the others finishing speed would be
folly. However, to take the lead so early in a 1500m final
was also unexpected and to a certain extent unheard of from
an outright favourite.
Going to the front leaves you exposed, however if you are
truly the World's greatest ever 1500m runner, then nothing
should be daunting. After the opening lap of 57 and the 2nd
in 59 second, the smooth striding 3 time winner, took them
to 1200m in 2:51.28. An increase in tempo to a 54.99 second
lap.
They now had 300m to travel, and the crowd favourite to beat
El G was well positioned to deliver that desire.
Well, it never happened, El Guerrouj claimed his 4th title
by covering the next 300m in 40 sec, maintaining a even tempo
down the backstraight before picking it up in increments.
In the last 100m Baala was still there, a glance to his right
and El G applied pressure for the last time. The effort of
trying to dethrone the World's greatest 1500m runner is evident
in the last 60m as his form leaves him.
El Guerrouj pours home in 3:31.77 followed by Baala in 3:32.31,
and surprise Bronze medalist Ivan Heshko [Ukraine] in 3:33.17
In 4th place was the improving sort, Paul Korir [Kenya] in
3:33.47
For the Moroccan the winning of this title in the manner
he did, hopefully exorcised his demons from losing in Sydney
2000 His celebrations after his victory was to me pure illustration
of the re;ief he felt at winning | results
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