When we talk once again about the two world records set by Hicham El Guerrouj in front of the crowd of the Rome Olympic Stadium, it should be better to talk about Platinum Moments, the most resistent and precious metal rather than Golden Moments of the Golden Gala, or better talk about the Dream Moments of the meeting. The Dream moments of the meeting were the two world records broken on 14th July 1998 and on 7th July 1999. The historic significance, as well as the quality, weighs on the importance of the two still unbeaten world records broken by the Moroccan middle-distance legend. In more than 30 years the meeting created by Primo Nebiolo has left important marks.
They are deep and lasting like the tracks left by the first men able to walk upright which were discovered in a valley of Eastern Africa. The 1500 m world record was broken on 14th July, a day of great importance for human history. That period was marked by words and warlike music of the Marseillese National anthem. The French multi-ethnic football team mocked Brazil winning the Football World Cup in Paris St. Denis. Two million people on the Champs Elysées, enthusiasm without borders, dark clouds overGue Ronaldo’s health. It was about to take our mind off this overexcited climate quickly and turn our attention soon on less wild and loved paths replacing Zinedine Zidane with Hicham El Guerrouj. North-Africa was like a garden of Sport’s Eden. Hicham had not turned 24 yet.
In 1997 he launched a serious attack to Noureddine Morceli’s world record when he won at the Zurich Letzigrund with 3:28.91 and joined the Club of the Dream Knights. One year earlier he fell on the track during the final of the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta leaving the ground to Noureddine Morceli and Fermin Cacho. All those who admired him and had learnt to love him, had no doubts. He deserved that gold medal which would have remained elusive for a long time.
The world record attack was planned by Luigi D’Onofrio, a former hurdler and careful meeting organizer. Robert Kibet, an experienced runner, and a promising 19-year-old runner Noah Ngeny were charged with the task to act as pacemakers. First Robert, then Noah kept a fast pace needed to launch the attack to the world record of 3:27.37 set by Morceli in Nice. They reached the 400m mark in 53.6, the 800m in 1:50.5 and the 1000 m in 2:18.5. El Guerrouj went to the front at 1200m in 2:48.4 before covering the last 300 metres in 39.6 (running the last lap in 53.5). The effort did not take its toll on his beautiful running style. “He had a round running stride, which nobody else had”, recalled a still moved D’Onofrio A small pan of the time-keeping system did not prevent the record, which was clear, but its precise entity.
The issue was settled and the record (3:26.00) soon became a reality. Morceli’s world record was broken by 1:37 and the first half of the Maghreb derby ended with Morocco leading over Algeria 1-0. Only El Guerrouj came close to his record when he clocked 3:26.12 in Brussels three years later pushing Bernard Lagat to 3:26.34. The record was partly threatened last year by Asbel Kiprop who clocked 3:27.72 in Monte-Carlo with his efficient running style which is similar to Pippo, the friend of Mickey Mouse Fifty-one weeks later El Guerrouj chose the same stadium and the same meeting as the perfect venue to make the double adding the mile record over the classic Emperial distance to the record over the 1500m.
He was paced by Robert Kibet and another experienced pacemaker William Tanui. Ngeny, who grew up becoming a world-class runner, was El Guerrouj’s first serious rival. Kibet kept a 1:51.58 pace at 880 yards before Tanui took over going through at 2:18.8 at the 1 km mark. Hicham took the lead at 1200m in less than 2:48. Ngeny followed him like a shadow. El Guerrouj went through at 1500 in 3:28.21 to Ngeny’s 3:28.6. The kenyan runner was 0.4 seconds behind but he clawed his way back reducing his gap to just 27 hundredth of a second in those unforgettable final metres which El Guerrouj covered in 15 seconds to Ngeny’s 14.8. El Guerrouj crossed the finish-line in 3:43.13 improving Morceli’s record by 1:27. Ngeny is still the second fastest runner in history with 3:43.40. The extrahordinary and deeply-religious Hicham chose Rome for another attack to his record in 2001 when he clocked 3:44.95 setting the sixth fastest time in history. He holds four of these six times. That’s all for the Platinum Moments. The Golden Moments are behind the corner and are going to arrive.
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26 May, 2014
