Solely July 14 in 1998, Hicham El Guerrouj arrived in Rome with the intention of breaking Noureddine Morceli’s world 1500m report of three:27.37 set in Good in 1995. The sports activities world was nonetheless nursing a FIFA World Cup hangover as France had crushed Brazil 3-0 within the event ultimate two days earlier. To flee the mid-summer warmth, many Romans had gone on vacation, too, which meant the cavernous Stadio Olimpico within the Italian capital was largely empty.
As a younger reporter for AW, I’d acquired an SOS from The Occasions to cowl the assembly as their athletics correspondent, David Powell, had a nasty again. It’s not simply the athletes, I found, who miss occasions with accidents.
These had been the times when large newspapers commissioned a contract reporter for a significant athletics occasion if their most important author was out of motion. So I answered the decision and flew to Rome primarily anticipating to put in writing about Mark Richardson difficult Thomas Schönlebe’s long-standing European 400m report of 44.33.
Earlier than the 400m, although, at round 9pm native time we had been handled to a world 1500m report as El Guerrouj sliced 1.37 seconds off Morceli’s mark. His time of three:26.00 additionally got here nearly 40 years to the day after Herb Elliott of Australian ran a world report of three:36.0 – precisely 10 seconds slower than the Moroccan.
Aged 23, El Guerrouj was approaching the height of his profession. After successful world indoor 1500m titles in 1995 and 1997, he gained his first world outside crown in Athens in 1997 and he took to the monitor at this Golden Gala assembly in Rome with what he referred to as his “Kenyan leopards”, Robert Kibet and Noah Ngeny, performing as pacemakers.
Hicham El Guerrouj (Getty)
El Guerrouj adopted Kibet by way of 400m in 54.3, 800m in 1:50.7 and 1000m in 2:18.8 earlier than Ngeny took over. The Moroccan hit the entrance simply after the bell and powered across the ultimate lap in 53.47 to run 3:26.00.
Runner-up Laban Rotich of Kenya ran 3:30.94 with John Kibowan third in 3:31.08 and Daniel Komen fourth in 3:31.10. Britain’s John Mayock ran 3:36.74 however was tenth.
The one drawback is that the clock didn’t cease when El Guerrouj crossed the road, so it took round 20 minutes earlier than his time was confirmed.
“I felt nice the entire approach. It was nearly simple with the nice monitor circumstances and the superb help of the pacemakers,” he stated.
Hicham El Guerrouj (Mark Shearman)
“My dream is to run 3:24 and I hope to do it earlier than this season is out,” he added. “If not I can be again to do it right here.
“Earlier than it was Aouita’s time,” he continued, referring to Stated Aouita, the previous world record-holder for 1500m. “Then it was Morceli’s time. Now it’s Hicham’s time.
“Proper now I really feel solely the clock can beat me. Hicham is my solely enemy.”
Seb Coe and Hicham El Guerrouj (Getty)
His aim afterwards was to run 3:24, a time his coach, Abdelkader Kada, believed he might obtain. The report was by no means improved, although, because it stays the world report to this present day.
The next yr El Guerrouj returned to Rome and took the one mile report down to three:43.13. Like his 1500m mark, it additionally survives at present.
READ MORE: Hicham El Guerrouj interview
On the 2000 Olympics in Sydney he was out-kicked by his outdated pacemaker Ngeny however he bounced again to win the 1500m and 5000m titles on the 2004 Olympics in Athens.
“I’m comfortable that my world data are nonetheless alive,” El Guerrouj instructed AW in Could. And I’d like them to outlive a bit longer! I believe in the future they are going to be damaged, possibly by Jakob (Ingebrigtsen) or possibly one other athlete. It’s pure for this to occur. However I’m comfortable to be a part of the historical past and to take part within the evolution of monitor and subject.”
Can the category of 2024 beat the mark? They’re getting nearer for certain. Ingebrigtsen has run 3:26.73 in Monaco this summer season whereas Olympic champion Hocker clocked 3:27.65 to win in Paris and Kerr has improved the British report to three:27.79.
Learn extra classic reviews in our AW archive, which is offered right here.
» Subscribe to AW journal right here
