The post Greatest Men’s Olympic 1500m Final Ever? – How Paris 2024 Stacks Up Against Other Classic Olympic Finals appeared first on Runner's Tribe.

As the sun came up over Santa Monica Boulevard on August 12th, not far from the starting point of the race at the Santa Monica College track, volunteers, LAPD (police) and officials began to make preparations for the men’s marathon to be held throughout the city later that day. it was the final event on the program and the runners would make their way into the stadium at around 7.10pm- 7.20pm, just prior to the closing ceremony

There were, in addition to the course drink stations dotted along the course, several hoses and sprinklers suspended above the road, there to provide additional cooling to athletes who would have to deal with the heat of the late afternoon. It was forecast to be somewhere around 30°C and over 80% humidity.

As mentioned in Part 1, there were fears for the marathon runners’ well-being during these Olympics, given the heat and humidity of a California summer, fears that were not entirely unfounded.

The USA’s Joan Benoit was seemingly untroubled by the weather conditions in her now legendary performance in the inaugural running of the women’s marathon, when she stole a lead coming out of a drink station after 4.5km and ran away with the race (2.24.52), finishing a minute and a half up on world champion Grete Waitz (NOR). Aussie Lisa Martin – now Ondieki – was 7th behind Benoit, Waitz, Rosa Mota (POR), Ingrid Kristiansen (NOR), Lorraine Moller (NZL) and Priscilla Welch (GBR). Benoit was within 2min 9 of her world record and a number of women ran PBs.

However, the final lap of 37th place finisher, Gabriela Andersen-Schiess (SUI) is indelibly seared into the memory of those who witnessed her stagger and weave her way to the line once in the stadium. It was reminiscent of Jim Peters in the 1954 Vancouver British Empire Games, or Callum Hawkins in the Brisbane Commonwealth Games in 2018, when the Scot collapsed at the 40km mark. A dehydrated and clearly distressed Andersen-Schiess made it to the line, though just barely, and this incident had many worried for the men in a few days’ time.

There was a buzz around the streets as runners warmed up at the Santa Monica College stadium track. It had been a magnificent Games for athletics, one of the best ever. Carl Lewis (USA) had emulated his idol Jesse Owens by winning 4 gold medals (100m, 200m, 4 x 100m relay and the long jump), British superstars Sebastian Coe (1500m) and Daley Thompson (decathlon) had successfully defended their titles. Valerie Brisco-Hooks had won a spectacular double over 200m and 400m.Mary Decker (USA), a double world champion and huge favourite for the 3000m, fell after clipping the heel of South African born British athlete Zola Budd. Budd was booed by the parochial crowd and faded to 7th, finishing the race in tears.

This was one of the greatest marathon fields ever, with all the big favourites on the starting line. The Communist boycott of these Games meant that neither the reigning champion Waldemar Cierpinski (GDR), nor the top Ethiopian contingent (World Championships silver medallist Kebede Balcha and others) would start. Realistically though, none of the runners in the boycotting nations were considered medal chances.

At 5pm sharp, the gun went off and  a field of 107 runners ran a few laps of the track before heading out onto the roads under the blazing late afternoon sun.

Gidamis Shahanga (TAN) led the pack early and Gerard Nijboer (NED) took on the pace after 2km as the field headed north-west to Malibu, before taking a sharp turn south-east towards the coast. The opening 3km were run in about 9.15. with a large pack spread out behind the big Dutchman. Rob de Castella (AUS), Carlos Lopes (POR), Toshihiko Seko (JAP), Rod Dixon (NZL) and Alberto Salazar (USA) were all content to hang back.

Cor Lambregts (NED) took over from his teammate and led through 5km up a slightly uphill section in around 15.28 and as the pack swallowed up Lambregts, there was still a huge pack which contained most of the favourites (de Castella, Lopes, Ikangaa, Dixon et al).

After the pack slowed between 6km and 9km, Somalian Ahmed Ismail, joined by Juma Ikangaa (TAN) and Kim Ngeny (KEN), went through 10km in 31.07 and this small breakaway group continued to surge hard at slightly under 3 minute km pace as the pack moved south-east along the coast, though the group reeled them in after 13km. De Castella (‘Deek’ to Aussie fans) and Lopes were still there, with Alberto Salazar (USA) drifting off the pace. The crowds around Venice Beach were huge, as Joseph Nzau (KEN), Shahanga and Ikangaa and Nijboer pushed on, with the leaders now on about 2.09.45 tempo.

Through halfway in 1.04.53, Nzau led a pack of about 10, which included Charlie Spedding (GBR), John Treacy (IRE), Ikangaa, Lopes, de Castella and Dixon, Seko and twins Shigeru & Takeshi So (JAP). The same group stayed together for the next 10km or so and they were joined by Treacy’s compatriot Jerry Kiernan at around 26km. Salazar was about 35 seconds off the pace, running alongside Hugh Jones (GBR) and really struggling.

The pace slowed slightly during this section and they were now at about 2.11.00 pace at 30km. Salazar was now a minute or so behind as Nzau and Ikangaa began testing the others, surging slightly and Deek appeared to struggle to go with these surges and dropped off the pace by 15-20 metres.

At around 33km, Charlie Spedding noticed de Castella losing ground and decided to make a sustained, hard surge. Deek dropped off even more and, at 34km, was now 10th, just behind Kiernan, about 30-odd metres off the pace. The lead group was down to eight (Spedding, Ikangaa, Nzau, Treacy, Lopes, Takeshi So, Seko and Ahmed Saleh of Djibouti)

Spedding decided it was now all or nothing and continued to push hard. At 35 km, the group was down to 6 (Spedding, Lopes, Ikangaa, Nzau, Treacy and Takeshi So). They were now moving at just under 3 minute per km pace and, a few hundred metres later, only Lopes, Nzau and Treacy (running his debut marathon) were able to live with the Englishman.

At 37km, Nzau was dropping off and it was at this point that the canny veteran Lopes began his move and almost immediately began to move away from Spedding and Treacy. At 38km, the pint-sized Portuguese star was already about 10 seconds in front of the Englishman and Irishman, who were now in a battle for silver.

Lopes was on fire, and was running the race of his career at an age when most international athletes would already have been retired for several years. He was moving further in front, moving at around 2.55 per km and looking as smooth as he had for the entire race.

As Lopes came into the stadium, the crowd roared for the aging star as Treacy made his move outside the stadium and stole a lead on Spedding.

Lopes won by a full half a lap of the stadium track, looking remarkably fresh after smashing the Cierpinski’s Olympic record by over 30 seconds (2.09.21). It would remain the Olympic record for 24 years until beaten by Samuel Wanjiru (KEN) in Beijing 2008. Lopes had run the final 5km in 14.35, an incredible finish in such conditions.

Treacy held on for silver (2.09.56) in one of the great moment in Irish sporting history, from Spedding (2.09.58), who was one of three men from the British distance team from the North East of England to medal at the Games (Mike McLeod, silver, 10,000m and Steve Cram, silver, 1500m being the other two). One of the remarkable aspects of the marathon podium at these Games was the fact that, prior to the Games, these three medallists had completed just three marathons between them.

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Takeshi So ran well for 4th (2.10.55) and Deek, who looked completely spent at 33km, had made a remarkable comeback, finishing 5th (2.11.08), outsprinting his great rival Ikangaa in the straight to beat the Tanzanian by one second, Nzau was 7th, Djama Robleh (DJI) was 8th, Jerry Kiernan held on for the performance of his career to finish 9th, in front of Rod Dixon who made a late run to reel in several stragglers to finish in 10th.

Seko and Salazar were disappointing, finishing in 14th and 15th respectively (Seko 2.14.13, Salazar 2.14.19). The tough conditions took their toll, with 29 men failing to finish. They included fairly big names, such as Geoff Smith (GBR), Nijboer, Rodolfo Gomez (MEX) and World Championships 4th placegetter, Kjell-Erik Stahl (SWE).

Carlos Lopes was feted throughout his homeland as one of its greatest ever sporting heroes, having won its first Olympic gold in the 72 years of Portuguese Olympic history. Ten weeks after the Games, he matched up again with Deek in Chicago and although he finished ahead of Deek (2.09.06 to 2.09.09), both men were blown away by Welshman Steve Jones, who in winning the race, not only beat de Castella’s world record (2.08.05), but did so as he completed his first ever marathon (Jones had dropped out of the Chicago Marathon the previous year).

The following year, the 38 year-old Lopes enjoyed an end to his career that even the greatest athletes could only ever dream of. He had an astonishing win at home in Lisbon at the 1985 World Cross Country Championships, winning his second successive and third overall World Cross Country Championship and followed that up a few weeks later by smashing Jones’ world marathon record in Rotterdam. Lopes destroyed the record by 53 seconds (2.07.12)  in a perfectly planned, beautifully executed run. It was the perfect end to a magnificent career and Lopes is a much-venerated figure in his homeland, four decades after his greatest triumph.

Treacy continued in the sport for a decade more, notching up some good results, though none topped his Olympic medal and two World Cross Country titles. He ran 5th in Lisbon at the World Cross Country Championships and was a finalist in the 1987 World Championships (26th in the 10,000m and 13th in the 5000m) and 1986 European Championships (6th in the 10,000m). He won the Great North Run in 1988, though failed to finish the Olympic Marathon that year. He was 51st in the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Marathon. Treacy enjoyed a great career on the roads in the US, winning many big races. He now heads the Irish Sports Council.

Charlie Spedding continued on, running second behind Steve Jones’ course record in London the following year. He pushed Jones all the way, stealing a lead late in the race after an urgent toilet stop by Jones. Jones eventually ran Spedding down and won (2.08.16 to Spedding’s English record 2.08.33). He dropped out of the 1986 Commonwealth Games marathon and was 10th in London 1987. He was 6th in the 1988 Seoul Olympic Marathon, in an incredibly gutsy performance behind Steve Moneghetti and two places ahead of de Castella, who was just beaten by a second by Ikangaa, the tiny Tanzanian getting a measure of revenge on the Aussie.

Takeshi So competed at the elite level for almost another decade. He never reached the heights of his early career, but was a consistent top ten placegetter in international marathons in Japan and abroad.

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Juma Ikangaa enjoyed a solid career as a marathon specialist for another decade. His greatest career performances were his wins in Tokyo 1986 (2.08.10) and New York 1989 (2.08.01). His best major championship runs were his 6th place finishes in LA and the 1987 World Championships. He was a welcome guest and popular winner in the Melbourne Marathon in 1984 and he retired from competitive running in 1995.

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Dixon, who had enjoyed a great career on the track, roads and over cross country, ran for a few more years, though without great success. He has since become a successful businessman and public speaker. He is known for his controversial public statements and a charming if occasionally egotistical persona. His often abrasive manner has led to some clashes with officials and running mates, notably his falling out with, and subsequent reconciliation with close friend and former training partner Sir John Walker.

Toshihiko Seko had great success in subsequent years, though never won a medal at championship level. In 1986 he won the London and Chicago marathons  (with a PB of 2.08.27 in the Windy City). He won a star-studded Boston Marathon in 1987 and collected the Lake Biwa title in 1988, but finished 9th behind de Castella in Seoul.

He retired after Seoul and he has become a successful distance running coach in Japan.

Alberto Salazar faded out of the sport after LA, physically and mentally exhausted. He had clearly pushed himself beyond his limits and began to break down, suffering multiple injuries and frequently becoming ill. He was unable to qualify for Seoul and took an extended break from running. He came back to running in the early ’90s and switched to ultramarathons. He won the 1994 Comrades Marathon in South Africa – over an insanely tough 88km course – and promptly retired from running and switched to coaching.

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He coached World Champion and former clubmate Mary Decker in the latter stages of her career, but both were embroiled in scandal when Decker tested positive to an excessive testosterone to epitestosterone ratio. She was banned in 1997, but subsequently reinstated. The IAAF appealed and the ban was retroactively reinstated, meaning she was stripped of her 1997 World Indoor 1500m silver.

In the 2000s, he became a key coach in the Nike Oregon Project, coaching some of the greatest distance runners in the world, such as Sir Mo Farah, Galen Rupp, Sifan Hassan and Alan Webb et al.

Salazar survived a heart attack in 2007, but survived and went on to achieve his greatest coaching success with his athletes winning multiple major championship medals and world and area records. Farah and Hassan in particular are regarded as two of the greatest of all time.

A BBC Panorama and ProPublica investigation obtained several credible testimonies from athletes asserting that Salazar had been involved in microdosing athletes with various PEDs and there have been several allegations of bullying and unacceptable mistreatment of athletes – both emotional and physical. His doping ban ended last year, though he is considered ‘permanently ineligible’ to coach athletes by the SafeSport USA organisation. He has been subject to several lawsuits and has become virtually persona non grata among the international athletics community, a sad ending for a man once so well-respected in the sport.

Rob de Castella, on the other hand, has quite a different reputation in the athletics world. Deek had a steady couple of years after the disappointment of LA, though failed to win a marathon in 1985 and had some patchy form throughout the year, though he did run 2.08.48 for third in Chicago, behind Steve Jones’ phenomenal near world record run (2.07.13). He came back to the top with a stunning performance the following year in Boston. Deek smashed his own national record and ran the third fastest of all time (2.07.51) with an amazing front running performance to win one of the world’s most prestigious marathons. He defended his Commonwealth title that year, with a dominant win in Edinburgh in 2.10.15 (the race, as mentioned, included an auspicious debut run and bronze medal by a 23 year-old from Ballarat, called Steve Moneghetti).

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Deek was unsuccessful in his defence of his World Championship title in 1987 in Rome, dropping out late in the race. Moneghetti was an incredible 4th in only his second marathon. He did win the Great North Run that year, but his form was up and down. He came back with a 2.08.49 in Tokyo early in 1988 and this, for some commentators, made Deek an outside medal chance for the Seoul Olympic Games later that year. He ran a solid 8th place in the Korean capital, but soon experienced a number of injury problems which almost signalled the end of his career.

He moved back to Canberra after a few years in Colorado and was appointed Director of the Australian Institute of Sport in 1990. He now had to juggle training and the demands of a growing young family on top of an incredibly demanding job and his running continued to suffer. In 1991, Deek experienced a minor career revival at the age of 34, when he ran an impressive 2.09.42 to again win the Rotterdam marathon, eight years after his legendary win over Lopes and Salazar in the ancient Dutch port city. He also finished 4th behind Moneghetti’s record-breaking win (40.03) in the greatest ever City to Surf race, running his second fastest time (41.00) over the tough, hilly 14km from the Sydney CBD to Bondi Beach.

Deek stayed in the AIS job until 1995 and has since had a rich and varied career. He’s been a commentator at major athletics championships, started a bakery and he has worked with schools promoting activity and good dietary habits. He is also an impressive public speaker. Most recently, he has been at the helm of the Indigenous Marathon Project, where his organisation has been involved helping many young indigenous athletes in achieving the goal of running a marathon.

He has endured a painful divorce from first wife Gaylene and lost his house and many of his medals, awards and much of his other memorabilia in the 2003 ACT fires. Luckily neither he, nor any family was harmed. He has since remarried and is happily settled in Canberra with new wife Theresa and new young family. His children are doing well in various fields of academia, psychology and tech innovation.

Rob de Castella is one of our greatest ever athletes and he holds a special place in Australian athletics as our first ever World Champion. He has been an inspiration and role model for generations of young athletes throughout the country. Though unsuccessful in his pursuit of Olympic gold, his performance on that warm afternoon in California forty years ago was emblematic of the man’s courage, determination and commitment. The Olympic men’s marathon of Los Angeles 1984 still stands up as one of the all time great marathons.

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The author wishes to thank Athletics Weekly, Runners’ World, The New York Times, The Washington Post, NBC TV (USA), the BBC, worldathletics.org, Sydney Morning Herald and Televisao Portuguesa.

The post Olympic Distance Classics – Men’s Marathon, Los Angeles 1984 : Part 2  – The Race appeared first on Runner's Tribe.

The Men’s Olympic Marathon of 1984  was one of the greatest marathons in Olympic history. It was a deep field and a highly competitive race held in tough conditions (25 degrees, 80% humidity) and in a city which experienced high levels of pollution. The conditions were a major concern for many athletes and coaches in the build up before the Games.

The marathon was the final event on the program and fans out on the course and watching via satellite would see a riveting drama unfold, where a number of favourites would falter, a legendary veteran of the sport would achieve his highest career honour and two newcomers to the event would also make their way onto the podium.

The Main Players:

Robert de Castella (AUS):

Robert de Castella was a 27 year-old biophysicist from the Australian Institute of Sport who was the biggest favourite going into the race. He had enjoyed an unbeaten run of four consecutive victories in major marathons, beginning with his world record (2.08.18)  in Fukuoka in 1981. The record, which was a 16 second improvement on countryman Derek Clayton’s 2.08.34 from 1969, was not recognised as a world record at the time, as Alberto Salazar’s 2.08.13 – in New York a month or so earlier – was considered the best on record.

De Castella won the Commonwealth title in Brisbane in 1982 with a captivating come-from-behind victory over Juma Ikangaa (TAN). That win had established de Castella as a national hero and his astonishing performance in Queensland’s capital on a warm, humid spring morning helped launch a nationwide running boom. In 1983, he outkicked Carlos Lopes (POR) in the big match race against Salazar in Rotterdam (2.08.37) and de Castella then won the inaugural world marathon title in Helsinki (2.10.03) with a dominant display over the final 6km. ‘Deek’ (as he is known) had the best year of his career in 1983. He had also finished 6th in the World Cross Country Championships in Gateshead, won the prestigious Cinque Mulini cross country in Italy – by a huge margin – and he ended the year with a second place finish and a 10 second PB in the Zatopek 10,000m in December (28.02.73).

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De Castella came into the Olympic year maintaining his high volume of training (200km + per week) and planned a racing/training tour of the US in March/April ’84. By the time Deek got to Phoenix, he was rising. He ran superbly in the Continental Homes 10km road race, finishing second in a super fast 27.48. Though he was only 21st in the World Cross Country Championships in New Jersey a few weeks later, he and coach Pat Clohessy still felt he was on course for gold in LA.

Months out from the Games, Deek experienced some injury niggles which, by his own admission, may have been the result of overtraining. Deek was perhaps not quite in the form that took him to victory in Helsinki and there was huge pressure on Deek in Australia as one of the nation’s most high-profile gold medal favourites for LA. De Castella was 180cm and 72kg, with the legs of an AFL full forward, and so was unusually large for a marathoner. He cut an imposing, intimidating figure out  on the roads, tracks and cross country courses around the world. Though he was perhaps off his game a little, with his experience, courage under fire and superhuman ability to focus and to push his body to the limit, he would be feared by the world’s best. All eyes were on Deek.

Carlos Lopes (POR):

At the age of 37, Lopes was in career-best form. The diminutive veteran from Lisbon, who had won Olympic silver (10,000m) and a World Cross Country title in 1976, had experienced a career renaissance in the previous two years, after several injury setbacks in the late ’70s and early ’80s

Since his 35th birthday in 1982, he had run personal bests from 1500m to the marathon, won World Cross Country medals (silver 1983, gold in 1984) and had moved to the marathon.

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Lopes dropped out of the New York Marathon in 1982, but had pushed Deek all the way to the line in Rotterdam ’83 to finish second (2.08.39).

Prior to the Games in 1984, Lopes was running brilliantly. In March, he had a commanding victory in the World Cross Country Championships, surging away from Tim Hutchings (ENG), Steve Jones (WAL) and Pat Porter (USA) in the last 1200m.

He led Sporting CP clubmate Fernando Mamede for much of the race in Stockholm in July, when Mamede smashed the world 10,000m record (27.13.81). Lopes was second, moving to second on the all time list (27.17.48).

Lopes had a major scare 10 days before the marathon. Just prior to flying to the US, he was hit by a car whilst out training. He was a little bruised and was sore for a few days, but recovered well. In the form he was in, Lopes would be dangerous with any pace or in any conditions.

Alberto Salazar (USA):

Cuban-born American Salazar , as mentioned, held the world record for the marathon (2.08.13), though he would lose this record when the New York course – on which the record was run – was remeasured and found to be 150m short.

Salazar was an outstanding performer at the college level for Oregon University and, upon graduation, he had distinguished himself at home and internationally on the track, roads and over cross country and by 1982 he was among the world’s  best distance runners from 5000m to the marathon.

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The 26 year-old had won the 1980 New York Marathon on debut in 2.09.41 – then the fastest debut ever – and since then, he continued to improve. He ran his later disallowed ‘world record’ in the NYC marathon the following year and in 1982, he ran American records in the 5000m and 10,000m, won a silver in the World Cross Country Championships in Rome and ran a Boston Marathon record when he won the famous ‘Duel in the Sun’, beating Dick Beardsley. In unusually hot conditions for April, the two men fought it out all the way, with Salazar just edging the gutsy Minnesotan (2.08.51 to 2.08.53). He also won his third consecutive NYC Marathon that year.

Salazar was second in the World Cross Country in 1983, though from then on, he experienced a worrying slump in form. He failed to go with Deek’s surge 7km from the finish in Rotterdam and finished 5th, a minute-and-a-half behind Deek and Lopes. He was last in the World Championship 10,000m final and was left behind by Toshihiko Seko’s kick in the late stages of the Fukuoka Marathon and again finished 5th (2.09.21).

The US Olympic Trial for the marathon was held just 11 weeks out from the Games marathon, a limited time to recover from a major race. Salazar finished second behind Pete Pfitzinger, though given Salazar’s renowned toughness and determination, he was still very much in the mix. Salazar was renowned for his capacity to rise to any challenge. He had been close to death after a road race in the US as a 20 year old and his Boston Marathon exertions led him to another hospital trip after he was dangerously dehydrated after the race. He was still many pundits’ favourite – especially in the US.

Toshihiko Seko and the So twins (Takeshi and Shigeru):

The three Japanese entrants were among the favourites, particularly 28 year-old star Toshihiko Seko. Seko had been a leading international star in the marathon since his three wins at Fukuoka (1978, ’79 & ’80). He was second in Boston in 1979 behind Bill Rodgers’ record-breaking run, but got his revenge two years later, beating Craig Virgin and Rodgers in a course record (2.09.26). That year he had also smashed the world track records for the 25,000m & 30,000m in New Zealand.

Seko was coached by Kiyoshi Nakamura who was a strict disciplinarian who subjected his athletes to a rigorous training regime and insisted that an athlete’s commitment was total. This approach suited someone of Seko’s character, though it did lead to Seko sometimes overdoing it in training, leading to injury problems which plagued him in 1982. Seko stormed back to the elite level in early 1983, with a win at Tokyo in a PB of 2.08.38. His win at Fukuoka (2.08.52), outkicking an elite field, was equally as impressive. Having missed the Olympics in Moscow 1980 (Japan boycotted the event), Seko was absolutely fixated on winning gold in LA.

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Shigeru So had run at Montreal 1976, though finished in 20th. He had a major breakthrough at the Beppu-Oita Marathon in 1978, running the then second fastest of all time (2.09.06). He had been a consistent performer in marathons since then, though had only won in Japan. His 2.09.11 for third in Fukuoka eight months earlier indicated he was in top form.

Shigeru’s brother Takeshi had been similarly consistent over the previous 5 years or so, running his first sub 2.10 (2.09.49) behind Seko in Fukuoka in 1980, in the fiercely competitive 1980 race (which also featured a fourth place finish by Aussie Gary Henry in 2.10.09, with Deek 8th in 2.10.44). Takeshi had been in great form the previous year, with a PB of 2.08.55 behind Seko in Tokyo and a 2.09.17 in Fukuoka for 4th.

Seko, along with the 31 year-old So twins, would be on the radar of most experts once the gun went off in LA.

John Treacy (IRL):

The 27 year old Treacy was taking a huge gamble in entering the marathon. So were national team selectors, who had faith in Treacy. Though Treacy had never run a marathon, he had done the nation proud whenever he donned the green singlet of Ireland. After a few years battling with injuries, he had built a solid foundation of conditioning and had begun to return to the type of form that had led to consecutive World Cross-Country titles in 1978 and ’79 – most notably the 1979 win at a packed Limerick Racecourse, providing one of the iconic moments in Irish sporting history.

He had collapsed in the heats of the 1980 Moscow Olympic 10,000m, but had recovered sufficiently to finish a creditable 7th in an ultra competitive 5000m final.

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In the years between Moscow and LA, he suffered various injuries. He had failed to make the final of the 1983 World Championships 10,000m and looked a shadow of his former self. However, he had completed a solid block of training over the winter of ’83/’84, increasing his mileage with a view to competing in the marathon in LA. Things were coming together slowly.

There were some encouraging signs in the months leading up to the Games. He had finished 13th in the World Cross Country Championships in New Jersey, his best result in years and he ran a superb 5000m in Oslo in June. He broke World Champion Eamonn Coghlan’s  Irish record and ran 13.16.81 – several seconds faster than his best.

Treacy ran the 10,000m final a week before the marathon and though he led briefly at around halfway, he was unable to live with the brutal surges of Nick Rose (GBR) and the later disqualified silver medallist Martti Vainio (FIN). Italian Alberto Cova won and completed a ‘triple crown ‘ of European,  World and Olympic titles. Treacy’s ninth place finish (28.28.68) turned out to be the ideal tune up for the marathon. Los Angeles was a long way from Tipperary for the rail thin athlete with the awkward yet effective running form. Accustomed as he was to the rainy days at home and the brutal winters of North Eastern USA while at college in Providence, Rhode Island, Treacy would find running his debut marathon in the heat and humidity of California an enormous challenge.

He would be joined by another Irishman and Rhode Island scholar , Jerry Kiernan. Keirnan, inspired by his celebrated compatriot Treacy, would also rise to the big occasion.

The British:

Though most of the attention from British athletics media and fans at these Games was focused on the middle distance trio of Seb Coe, Steve Ovett and Steve Cram,  the British distance running teams – men and women – were very deep in terms of talent and medal prospects and the three British men in the marathon were all accomplished athletes and outside medal chances.

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Geoff Smith, the Boston Marathon champion, had run his PB in New York (2.09.08) the previous year,  when he had set off at an overly ambitious tempo, yet had almost pulled off a win against a strong field and was only caught by Rod Dixon with the finish line in sight. He was passed by the Kiwi star with 400 left but held on to second place and collapsed at the finish.

In Boston 1984 Smith was on pace to smash the world record by 3 minutes at halfway,  but faded over the second half of the race, though he held on to win this prestigious event. Though talented, he was unproven in major championships.

Hugh Jones was the 1982 London Marathon winner, where he ran a course record of 2.09.24. In 1983, he won Stockholm, finished second in Chicago (2.09.45) and was 8th in the World Championships. The redhead with the ungainly style was tough-as-nails and wore the British vest with pride.

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Unassuming Durham pharmacist Charlie Spedding was a newcomer to the event, only making his debut in January that year when he narrowly won in Houston. He followed that up with a win in London (2.09.57) to secure his selection for LA.  Never a star on the track or cross country (though he had been fourth over 10,000m at the Brisbane Commonwealth Games), the 32 year old had finally found his niche in the sport. He would make his mark here in California.

The Tanzanians:

Tanzania had success in the sport in the 1970s and early ’80s with Suleiman Nyambui and Filbert Bayi and now a new generation of runners were emerging as world class athletes.

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Agapius Masong had a promising start to his career with a surprise 5th placing in the 1983 World Championships behind de Castella, running 2.10.42. At just 24, he appeared to have unlimited potential in the sport.

Gidamis Shahanga was de Castella’s predecessor as Commonwealth marathon champion and had a great pedigree on the track. He was Commonwealth champion over 10,000m and had finished 5th in a closely-fought World Championship 10,000m final the previous year.

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He was in great form. Shahanga had won two marathons already that year, the Los Angeles Marathon (2.10.19) and Rotterdam (Shahanga won in 2.11.12 after Lopes, on world record pace for much of the race, had pulled out after 30km).

Tanzania’s main hope was the pint-sized Juma Ikangaa. Ikangaa’s breakthrough race in Brisbane 1982 – with his epic duel with Deek over the closing stages – saw him run 2.09.30 behind Deek’s long-standing all-comers record of 2.09.18 and established him as a star internationally.Though he was disappointing in the World Championships in 1983 with his 15th place, he had prepared well for LA and his aggressive style of racing had many experts identify Ikangaa as a real threat.

Rod Dixon (NZL):

Dixon was now 34 and after a successful career on the track and over cross country, he had been a huge name on the US road racing circuit for some years and he had turned to the marathon late in his career with remarkable success.

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An accomplished cross country runner, Dixon had twice won bronze medals in the World Cross Country Championships (1973 & 1982).

The 1972 Olympic 1500m bronze medallist was a close 4th in the 1976 Olympic 5000m and he had missed the 1980 Games in Moscow due to New Zealand’s boycott.

Dixon had come into medal consideration after his incredible win in New York the previous year in running down Geoff Smith in the last few hundred metres inside Central Park. The canny veteran had not followed the long blue line as Smith had done, but rather had run the tangents of the curves in the road, minimising the distance he had to cover and had rapidly chewed into Smith’s huge lead over the final few miles.

The big Kiwi  triumphed in a long-standing New Zealand record of 2.08.59. With over a decade of international experience and a range of world class ability from 1500m to the marathon, he had the potential to cause problems for the favourites.

Other Notable Athletes:

Somewhat of a late bloomer, Joseph Nzau was a 34 year old Kenyan who had established himself on the road circuit in the US, with wins in big races – most notably a narrow win over Hugh Jones in the 1983 Chicago Marathon in 2.09.45. He had only started running at 25 and earned a scholarship to Wyoming University and had developed in his running career by regular high level road races in the US, rather than run track or cross country.

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He was one of the pioneers of Kenyan marathon running, as most Kenyan stars of the era were steeplechasers or 5000m/10,000m runners. There were no World or Olympic medallists in the event until 1987 and no Kenyan broke the world record until 1998.

Two Djiboutians, Djama Robleh and Ahmed Saleh were outsiders, but were both talented and another ‘x factor’ in the race.

Gerard Nijboer (NED) was the silver medallist from Moscow and was reigning European champion. Though he had run 2.09.01, he had been in a form slump in the previous year and was not expected to medal.

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There were also two Belgians in the race with impressive backgrounds. Armand Parmentier was 6th in the World Championships and had won European silver behind Nijboer in 1982. Two time Olympic medallist Karel Lismont was back at the age of 35. Lismont was a great all-round distance runner, who had won bronze behind Treacy in the World Cross-Country in 1978, though he had not medalled internationally for some years.

As the athletes gathered at Santa Monica College for the start, the anticipation of something special was palpable. The race would more than live up to expectations.

In Part 2, The Race,  we’ll take a deep dive into this all time classic marathon.

The author would like to thank Runner’s World,  Let’s Run.com,  Athletics Weekly online, the BBC, NBC (US), the New York Times and World Athletics.org.

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Recently, Athletics Australia has been rocked by various selection dilemmas in a few events for the fast-approaching Paris Olympic Games.

There is the crisis over the women’s marathon, where four-time Olympian Lisa Weightman had raised the possibility of a legal challenge to her non-selection and several hgh profile figures in the sport have weighed in with opinions, mostly critical of the selection committee. It has led to deep division within Australia’s usually tight-knit athletics community. Similarly, Liam Adams, a late inclusion to the men’s marathon team, has had has expressed his frustration with the system, which almost saw him left off the team.

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The men’s 1500m is a huge headache for the selection panel, with several athletes – Olympic finalists Ollie Hoare & Stewart McSweyn, teen sensation Cameron Myers, National Champion Adam Spencer and Jesse Hunt – all with the potential to wear the green and gold singlet in Paris.

Any cursory analysis of the history of Olympic athletics – and virtually all Olympic sports – can tell us, these selection problems have always been with us. Whether it’s to do with politics, nepotism or the arcane and often inconsistent selection policies of the national sporting bodies and the vagaries of the IOC’s rules and standards of performance which have been the subject of much criticism over the years.  On many occasions, athletes who many have felt should have gone to the Games, have been left at home and it can often seem unjust – especially if the selection criteria are unclear.

In the USA, their selection policy has generally been crystal clear. It is uncompromising and often is considered unfair, but at least it’s consistent: The first three in the trial – provided they meet the necessary performance criteria – are the ones who book their seat on the plane.

This policy has, across the years, caused several athletes who were serious medal threats to be left off the team. In 1988, Jim Spivey finished outside the top three in the 1500m trial, but returned to form later in the season, with a 3.31.01 – the second-fastest time of the year globally – in Koblenz. He was not able to compete in Seoul, where the World Championship medallist may well have won a medal at the Games.

The great Carl Lewis was selected for both the 4 x 100m relay team and the long jump at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992, but he was left out of the team for the 100m, where he was World Champion. He had won the World title in spectacular fashion the previous year and would have gone into the race as a favourite. The Olympic 100m was won by Brit Linford Christie and Lewis’ compatriot Dennis Mitchell won a bronze, though big favourite Leroy Burrell (USA) was out of the medals. Lewis felt he should be there and that he would have won. There was some consolation for Lewis, as he won the long jump from rival Mike Powell, reversing their 1-2 placings from the Tokyo World Championships the previous year (where Powell broke Bob Beamon’s long-standing record) and also anchored the USA to a world record win in the 4 x 100m.

There was another dispute involving Lewis’ non-selection for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics’ sprint events, though he triumphed with a fourth consecutive long jump title, Lewis was outside the top 4 in the 100m, which meant he would not be selected for the 4 x 100m relay either. Lewis’s lobbying for himself to be included in the relay team in his final Games grated with many in the team and  with the athletics press, who felt that he should perhaps show a little more dignity and some respect for his teammates.

In Britain in the 1980s, the two-time Olympic Champion and multi world record-breaker Sebastian Coe (now World Athletics President) experienced selection wrangles of his own. In 1984, Coe was returning to form very slowly, as he had taken some time to recover from toxoplasmosis, which sidelined him for the tail end of the 1983 season. He was selected for the 800m for the LA Games with reigning Olympic champion Steve Ovett and also Coe’s fellow Yorkshireman, Peter Elliott, but the 1500m was a different story.

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Britain, was at the time, in the middle of a golden era for middle distance running. In the 1500m, they had the reigning Olympic Champion, the World Champion and the world record-holder. All three were different men – Coe, Steve Cram and Ovett respectively. In addition to the ‘big three’, there were other British athletes who would, at the very least, be likely finalists, if not potential medallists.

At the time, future Commonwealth Champion, Olympic medallist and World Indoor record-breaker Elliott was a rapidly developing 21 year-old 800m specialist. Having finished 4th in the World Championships 800m in 1983, Elliott was also improving in the 1500m. Elliott narrowly beat Coe at the AAA Championships a few months before the Games and was considered for the third 1500m spot. Because Coe had struggled to perform well over a mile or 1500m, he was very close to not being selected. He was ultimately given the nod by selectors for the 1500m, though his selection was criticised in the tabloid press in the UK, where many had written Coe off as being past his best, despite being only 27.

Coe’s selection was vindicated, when he won a silver behind 21 year-old Brazilian Joaquim Cruz in the 800m and Coe dominated the 1500m final, to capture his second consecutive Olympic title at the distance. He had overcome serious illness to return to his sublime best and his second Olympic gold was arguably his greatest performance. After outsprinting World Champ Cram down the home straight, a triumphant Coe celebrated then turned and angrily gestured to the Press Area by the track, pointing to several British journalists covering the Games.

Four years later, Coe was again embroiled in controversy, when he was left off the British team for the 1988 Seoul Olympics.  Coe had missed the 1987 season and had struggled to get back to his best. He was ill at the British Olympic trials and failed to advance to the final of the 1500m. He felt that he had a shot at a third consecutive Olympic 1500m title, as well as a good chance of success in the 800m and, by Coe’s account,  he was assured by the chairman of selectors that he would go to the Games.

However,  the selectors decided to adhere to their guidelines, where two athletes were selected from the trials, with one athlete preselected in each event. Cram and Tom McKean went 1-2 in the 800m trial and World Championship silver medallist Elliott was preselected for the 800m. Elliott and Steve Crabb were 1-2 in the 1500m trial, with Cram, the fastest 1500m runner in the world, the preselected runner.

Coe, robbed of his dream to run at a third Games, was devastated. He had returned to good form a month before the Games and his 1.43.98 800m in Koblenz was the second fastest for a Brit that year, behind Cram. The tabloid press (the Sun, News of the World) launched a vicious campaign against Elliott, with one paper featuring a cartoon where Coe was a thoroughbred, and Elliott was a carthorse. Elliott was bombarded with hate mail, featuring abuse and demands that he give his position to Coe. The affable Rotherham joiner endured some stressful weeks before the Games, but overcame this and a severe groin strain to run 4th in the 800m and he won a hard-earned silver in the 1500m (Cram was 4th).

With the dominance of East African athletes in the distance events, there are several examples of athletes who miss out at national trials, only to gain form later in the season and perform better than their compatriots, such is the competitive level that Kenyans and Ethiopians (and more recently, Ugandans and Eritreans) are operating at, even at a national level.

Perhaps the best example of this is Kenyan steeplechase legend, Moses Kiptanui, one of the greatest all-round track distance runners in history. In 1992, an out-of-form Kiptanui finished fourth in his national steeplechase trial for the Games, and was left out of the team. Kiptanui later went on a tear in several post-Olympic events throughout Europe. He beat reigning Olympic Champion Matthew Birir in Monaco, then set a world 3000m record (7.28.96) in Cologne. He then broke the world steeplechase record in Zurich (8.02.08).

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Kenyan-born Dane Wilson Kipketer was the outstanding 800m runner of the mid to late 1990s and he is arguably the greatest 800m runner to never win Olympic gold. In 1996, Kipketer was the reigning World Champion. He had switched his national allegiance to Denmark,  having lived there for several years.

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He had won World Championship gold in a Danish uniform,  but the IOC’s rules on nationality were more stringent than the IAAF’s and Kipketer, not a citizen of Denmark at the time,  was unable to compete without the ok from Kenya.  He was given  the option of running for Kenya,  but didn’t want to. He reached out to the Kenyan Federation to help him out, but they would not grant Kipketer permission to run for another country. He was denied the opportunity to compete in Atlanta,  but went undefeated all year and went within 0.1 of Seb Coe’s 15 year old record (1.41.83) in Rieti.

The next year,  Kipketer went on to win a  World Indoor title, smash world records indoors (1.42.67) and outdoors (1.41.24 & 1.41.11) and win another World Championship gold in Athens 1997 and he picked up another world title in Seville two years later. He ran a poor tactical race in the  Sydney 2000 800m final and won the bronze. He was run down by Yuri Borzakovsky in the home straight in Athens in 2004, winning silver. He retired soon after the Games.

So, with Sinead Diver, Gen Gregson and Jess Stenson to toe the starting line in Paris, we should spare a thought for Lisa Weightman, Izzy Batt-Doyle & Eloise Wellings, who would be going to the Games in any other year. Never before have we had such depth in a major marathon.

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The selection of athletes is complicated in an event like the marathon, where several factors need to be considered. It is a race that takes place in all weather conditions and many different courses, some hilly, some dead flat. This can often mean that times can vary by several minutes.

Of course, experience plays a part, as well as how athletes perform at major championship level, where, due to the fact that the race is almost always run in hot and humid conditions is a very crucial factor to consider and athletes who have a record of  performing well should be considered. That is certainly a mark in Diver’s favour, despite her age (47). Stenson’s Commonwealth title needs to be taken into account. Gen Gregson,  a novice at the event, has vast international experience across different events and looks like she has potential to improve in the marathon. The three Aussie Mums are all incredible athletes and hopefully receive plenty of support from the Australian public.

With the likes of former stars Sally Pearson, Lee Troop and Dave Culbert giving us their views on social media, this situation has turned very ugly. Weightman is perhaps right to feel hard done by, but one hopes she can ultimately accept the decision with grace. We look forward to a fantastic Games marathon.

The author wishes to thank The Sydney Morning Herald, The Guardian Online, WorldAthletics.org, and the BBC & Athletics Weekly archives.

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There was a great battle in the women’s 800m, with stars Abbie Caldwell and Catriona Bisset fighting it out down the home straight, with only a couple of metres separating the two women (1.59.71 to 2.00.29). The men’s 800m was equally captivating, with Luke Boyes just edging out Peyton Craig (1.45.86 to 1.45.87). We also saw Olympic semi finalist Rowan Browning stamp his class on the field with a relatively easy 10.29 win in the 100m.

There is a rich history of athletics at ES Marks, spanning about 65 years. It was originally a cinders track, on the edge of the Moore Park Golf Course, around 4 to 5km from Sydney’s CBD, just across the road from Centennial Park and was Sydney’s premier athletics venue of the 1960s. It was the home of Sydney Interclub, with some other events – schools championships etc. – using the old Sydney Sports Ground and, on occasion, the hallowed turf of the SCG.

In the ’70s, most of Sydney’s Interclub athletics and NSW Championships moved to Hensley Field at Pagewood, with Narrabeen’s synthetic track (now Sydney Academy of Sport and Rec.) catering to Little Athletics and some other events. These were, at the time, Sydney’s only viable venues able to cater to larger athletic events and the only synthetic surfaces up to scratch.

The first big test of the new track came in early 1980, when the 1979-80 National Championships were held at ES Marks for the first time in 7 years. It was a memorable event. The late great Rick Mitchell ran a national record (45.35) in the 400m, winning by a second-and-a-half. Ken Lorroway came out on top in his duel with Ian Campbell in the triple jump (17.29w) and Steve Austin won the 5000m/10,000m double. Denise Boyd destroyed a star-studded field in the women’s 200m, which included a resurgent Raelene Boyle, running what was a  top-tier world-class performance and long-standing national record of 22.35.

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The Men’s 5000m of 2003 in Paris was one of the most closely-fought distance battles in the history of the World Championships and it featured three men in particular who have become icons of distance running.

Hicham El Guerrouj (MAR) is one of the most renowned middle distance runners in history. He held – and still holds – the world records for the 1500m, the mile and the 2000m. He had just won his fourth consecutive 1500m title at the Paris Championships and had maintained his world-class form consistently over the previous eight seasons and had amassed a collection of major titles and records almost unparalleled in the sport.

The only thing missing from his heavily-stacked trophy cabinet was an Olympic gold medal. He had sensationally been outkicked by Noah Ngeny in the Sydney Olympic 1500m Final and was relegated to the silver-winning position on the podium. This had, by all accounts, absolutely devastated El Guerrouj and he was determined to go to Athens in 2004 and to not only capture the 1500m crown, but he would attempt the 1500m/5000m double. With that as his ultimate goal, he would attempt the double here in Paris as a test, a ‘dry run’, as it were.

He had increased his mileage and tailored his training to accommodate the demands of  both events. He had run 12.50.24 in Ostrava two months prior to the World Championships and this was a huge confidence-booster for the 28 year-old.  El Guerrouj had proved that he – a novice at the event – was already among the world’s elite, having run a time which put him amongst the top half dozen or so 5000m runners of all time. Add to that his vastly superior 1500m speed and El Guerrouj had every reason to believe he could match it with the very best.

Kenenisa Bekele (ETH) had, at just 21, already emerged as one of the superstars of the sport. He was an immensely talented junior who broke the world 3000m record and won the World Cross Country Championships. Moving to senior competition, he was an instant success. He won the short course/long course double at the World Cross in 2002 and 2003 and had maintained his form and focus over the summer.

At the Championships, a week before the 5000m, Bekele and his countryman and idol, the legendary Haile Gebrselaisse, had staged one of the most absorbing track distance battles ever seen during the 10,000m final. It yielded a phenomenal new Championship record, with Bekele outkicking Gebrselassie in the straight to win in 26.49.57, to Gebrselaisse’s 26.50.77. As compelling a race as it was and as fast as it was, what was most remarkable about this race was that the second half was run in 12.57, which was actually faster than the Championship record for the 5000m. Bekele was clearly in red-hot form.

Eliud Kipchoge was yet another outstanding young talent from Kenya’s Rift Valley, an area which has been dubbed the world’s cradle of distance running. In 2003, the 18 year-old had won the World Junior Cross Country and had stunned the athletics world with his World Junior Record in the 5000m (12.52.61) a month or so earlier. Though he was certainly a phenomenal talent, he was, given his age and lack of experience, not considered likely to beat either Bekele or El Guerrouj.

The heats produced no real surprises, but there were a few others on the starting line of this final that were capable of some very fast times. There were three other Kenyans in the race. Richard Limo was given automatic entry as reigning champion and there was also John Kibowen and Abe Chebii, both very good cross country runners (Kibowen was a two-time short course World Champion).

Abiyote Abate and Gebregziabher Gebremariam were the two other Ethiopians. Both were superb cross country runners, who had placed highly at World Cross Country Championships and both had great track pedigree, despite their youth – Gebremariam was still only 18.

Another future legend of the sport in the race was the Eritrean Zersenay Tadese. He was just 21, but already developing into a very good athlete. Juan Carlos de la Ossa (ESP), Abderrahim Goumri (MAR), Christian Belz (SUI), Moukheld Al-Qutaibi (KSA) and Jorge Torres (USA) made up the rest of this very strong 15 man field.

The Race:

On the 31st of August, the athletes took their place on the starting line of this eagerly awaited distance classic. From the gun, Bekele took it out at a very solid clip (61 second laps), with this class field already stretched out in single file. Bekele went through 2000m in 5.07.27 (around 12.48 pace), but then took his foot off the gas a little, with subsequent laps of around 62 – 64 seconds.

At 3000m (7.45.44), Kipchoge took over, but kept the pace going at a relatively sedate 64 second clip, with the breakaway group of about eight beginning to bunch up a little. All this time, El Guerrouj had followed the pace, sitting just a few metres off the lead, looking very comfortable.

Coming down the home straight with 2 laps to go, El Guerrouj made a move. He took the lead and began to lift the pace, with Bekele and Kipchoge responding and tracking the Moroccan closely.

At the bell (11.59.27), Kipchoge moved up on El Guerrouj and applied some pressure. With 300m to go, El Guerrouj was really moving. He had a gap of about 2 metres on Kipchoge, with Bekele right with the young Kenyan. Kibowen was just hanging on by a thread.

At the top  of the final bend with about 150m to go, El Guerrouj still had a 2 metre lead, but Kipchoge and Bekele were closing fast.

Into the straight, Kipchoge loomed up on the Moroccan, with Bekele moving wide and making ground on Kipchoge and El Guerrouj. Kipchoge, at full tilt, was slightly edging ahead, with Bekele flat out, but losing touch. El Guerrouj made one last desperate lunge at Kipchoge, but to no avail. Eliud Kipchoge had won his first major senior global title by just 0.04 of a second (12.52.79 to 12.52.83). Bekele, who had made most of the running, was just a couple of metres behind in third (12.53.12). Kibowen had run well for fourth (12.54.07). Kipchoge covered the last lap in a little over 53 seconds, with the final 800m run in about 1.53.

This was one of the greatest distance running championship races ever seen. The three medallists would go on to further honours, with many world records and championship wins, and establish themselves as all-time icons of the sport.

As mentioned, El Guerrouj would win an historic 1500m/5000m at the 2004 Athens Olympics, emulating the legendary Finn, Paavo Nurmi. Hampered by ongoing injury problems, he retired in 2006 after a glorious career. He finished his career with four World Championship gold medals, two Olympic gold medals, two World Championship silvers and an Olympic silver medal. He also still holds three world records. He retired in 2006 after a difficult year and a half battling recurring injuries. He has been involved with the Moroccan Olympic Committee as well as a few charities, and he is a UNICEF ambassador.

Eliud Kipchoge won the bronze in the 5000m in Athens the following year. He became a consistently high-level performer on the track,  focusing mostly at the 5000m. He won the 5000m silver in Beijing in 2008, and picked up another silver in the 5000m at the Osaka World Championships in 2007. There was also a Commonwealth 5000m silver in Delhi, as well as a World Indoor bronze over 3000m in Moscow in 2006.

Kipchoge also posted incredible times on the track and road. He ran a 3.50.40 mile, a 7.27.66 3000m, a 12.46.53 5000m and a 26.49.02 10,000m. He slowly began to shift his focus to the roads in the early 2010s. He posted a road 5km of 13.11 – one of the fastest ever – on the famous Carlsbad 5km. He ran the second-fastest half marathon debut of 59.25 in Lille in 2012.

He made his marathon debut in 2013 and soon became the greatest marathon runner of all time. His debut was a win in Hamburg in 2.05.30 and he finished 2 minutes ahead of the rest of the field. He was second in Berlin that year and was second in 2.04.05.

He won London and Berlin in 2015 and in 2016, he won London in the second fastest of all time (2.03.05) and dominated the Rio Olympic Marathon, beating Feyisa Lilesa (ETH) and Galen Rupp (USA) and his margin of victory (1 minute 10 seconds) was the largest since 1972.

In 2017, he attempted the first sub 2 hour marathon, in the Nike Breaking2 Project , but fell short (finishing in 2.00.25). He achieved this historic goal of a sub-2 hour marathon in the INEOS Challenge in Vienna in 2019, when a rotating group of pacers led the great man through to a spectacular 1.59.42 finishing time – an average pace of just over 2.50 per kilometre – a mind-blowing achievement. The time, though, is not ratified as an official world record, as it violated World Athletics rules regarding pacing.

In addition to his two Olympic golds in the marathon (he won again in Tokyo 2021), he has won 10 World Marathon Majors (four wins in Berlin) and his world record at Berlin last year (2.01.09), at the age of 37, may have been his greatest achievement yet. At 38, he is still not done. Though he has suffered a drop off in form in recent races, and he faces several emerging young challengers – Kelvin Kiptum chief among them –  one can never write off the champion.We await Berlin next month and the Paris Olympic Games next year next year to see what the greatest marathon runner of all time has in store for us.
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Of the three superstars who won medals in the 2003 World Championship 5000m Final, Kenenisa Bekele is probably the greatest. In fact, Bekele could legitimately lay claim to being the greatest male distance runner of all time.

In subsequent years Bekele dominated races on the track, over cross country and he eventually moved to the roads, where he was equally brilliant. Between 2002 and 2006, Bekele won five consecutive World Cross Country long course and short course doubles. He also won another championship in the long course in 2008, establishing him as unequivocally the greatest cross country runner in history. The only athletes to come close to Bekele’s record are Kenyans John Ngugi and Paul Tergat, who have five World Cross titles each.

On the track, he established long-standing world records over the 5000m (12.37.35 in 2004) and 10,000m (26.17.53 in 2005, having run 26.20.31 in 2004) as well as 2000m, 2 mile and 5000m records indoors. At the Olympics he won gold in the 10,000m (27.05.10) and silver in the 5000m (13.14.59) in Athens in 2004. At Beijing, he produced probably the finest 5000m/10,000m double in Olympic history, where he emulated his countryman Miruts Yifter. He ran Olympic records in both races and was dominant in both. His spectacular finishing kick left his opponents in the dust, and he jogged the last 20m, but still covered the last lap in 53.42. His 5000m  was even better. After a slow opening 3000m, Bekele took control and put together a series of laps of 60-61 seconds, stretching the field and with a last lap of 53.87 and final 2000m of 4.56.97, he destroyed athletes the calibre of Kipchoge and Bernard Lagat (USA), winning by 30m from Kipchoge

He ran another double at Berlin in 2009 at the World Championships, but was unable to match Mo Farah on his home track in London 2012 and finished 4th in the 10,000m.

Bekele then turned his attention to the marathon and within a couple of years of his debut, began to produce some of the greatest performances of all time. In his debut in Paris in 2014, he won in 2.05.04 and he was close to the world record (2.03.03) when he won in Berlin a couple of years later. He produced one of his great career performances – one of the greatest distance running performances of all time – when he returned to Berlin in 2019 and came within 2 seconds of Kipchoge’s world record, running 2.01.41 at the age of 37. He is the third fastest man of all time, behind Kipchoge and Kiptum. He has continued in the sport and has run a world M40 Masters record marathon with his 2.05.53 in London last year.

The 2003 World Championship 5000m Final was one of the most significant in the sport. Not only was it a classic race, but it had one legend of the sport stepping out of his comfort zone and taking on another challenge and it showcased the talents of two young men who would go on to become megastars, role models to a generation of young athletes and would achieve more than any other athletes in the history of the sport.

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With the World Championships coming to Budapest almost upon us, we are taking a look back at some of the very special events of the World Championships over the forty year history of the World Championships. To experience, exceptional performance in running, choose the best footwear for your runs like Tarkine Trail Devil shoes.

The men’s 1500m race at the 1999 World Championships was one of the greatest championship middle distance races in history. It featured a championship record from Moroccan megastar Hicham El Guerrouj and it was one of the best races in terms of depth we have ever seen at a global 1500m championship. The Championship record still stands, 24 years since this epic race took place.

Hicham El Guerrouj maintained an extraordinarily consistent record of high-level elite performances for several years. Between 1995 and 2004, he won two Olympic gold medals (he won double gold in Athens 2004 in the 1500m and 5000m), one Olympic silver and he won 4 consecutive World Championship gold medals in the 1500m – plus a 1500m silver in 1995 and a silver in the 5000m in 2003. He won consecutive World Indoor 1500m Indoor titles in 1995 and 1997 and broke indoor and outdoor world records in the 1500m and mile he also broke the outdoor 2000m record.

In 1994, 19 year-old El Guerrouj (or ‘El G’, as he became known) first came to prominence as part of Morocco’s gold medal-winning World Road Relay team.In the wake of Said Aouita’s success during the 1980s, Morocco had invested heavily in a national program for elite athletes. El Guerrouj had been spotted by talent scouts and became part of the program. The training schedules were drawn largely from the work of Dr David Martin and Peter Coe and the project had yielded extraordinary results, with the likes of Brahim Boutayeb, Salah Hissou and Khalid Skah winning several major titles and running remarkably fast times on the track, road and over cross country.

In 1995, El G took his running to another level, with a World Indoor gold and a silver behind a dominant Noureddine Morceli (ALG) at the World Championships and he emerged as a big threat to favourite Morceli for the 1996 Olympics, when the 21 year-old broke 3.30 for the first time (3.29.05) and he was set to challenge Morceli for gold in Atlanta.

In the Atlanta 1500m final, El G loomed up on Morceli a little too closely at the bell and clipped his heel. He tumbled onto the track and almost brought Morceli with him. Morceli stumbled, but recovered well to run out a convincing winner from reigning champion Fermin Cacho (ESP), who had to leap over El G as he lay on the track.

El Guerrouj won the 1996 Grand Prix final over Morceli and in 1997, he was a clear winner of the World Championship 1500m Final. He also ran the year’s fastest 1500m (3.28.91), with a narrow victory over Cacho in Zurich. It was the following year when he produced his astonishing world record, in Rome, when he ran 3.26.00.

In 1999, El Guerrouj was in the form of his career. He went back to Rome in early July and shattered Morceli’s mile world record by over a second, running 3.43.13. Going into this race, he was the clear favourite.

The main rival for El G was a 20 year-old Kenyan named Noah Ngeny (pronounced ‘ni-yen’). Ngeny did not start running until he was 17, but developed rapidly and ran world junior records for the1500m and mile in 1997 (3.32.91 and 3.50.41). He was coached by the late Kim McDonald, who took the young Kenyan under his wing and Ngeny was part of McDonald’s big stable of Kenyan athletes who based themselves in Teddington in South-East London in the late ’90s. McDonald was a successful coach/manager to numerous elite runners since the ’80s.

It was here that young Ngeny felt at home and his rapid rise to the top continued over 1998, when he ran 3.30.41 at just 19 and he paced El G to his world 1500m record that year. Ngeny returned to Rome in 1999 and took part in El G’s attempt to break Morceli’s mile world record. Ngeny stuck like glue to the Moroccan superstar and was still in the race with 100m left. He was within 2 metres of El G at the finish and had almost pulled off a major upset. His 3.43.40 was almost a second inside Morceli’s old record and it is still the Kenyan record.

The number two Kenyan, Laban Rotich, was another major talent. He had finished second to El G at Zurich in ’98 and had shown consistent form over the previous two seasons. He was another athlete in the McDonald stable. His PB was 3.29.91 and also possessed 1.43 800m speed. He was World Cup Champion and had won silver in the World Indoors. He could pose a threat to the favourites, particularly if the pace was slow.

The three Spanish runners in the race were very capable internationals and, of course, they were on home soil, so were extra determined to throw everything at El G and Ngeny and put on a show for the local crowd.

Fermin Cacho, the 1992 Olympic champion, had been a consistent performer throughout the ’90s. He also won silver behind Morceli in Atlanta ’96 and World Championship silver in ’97. He ran a European record (3.28.95) in 1997, but his form had been patchy since. His 7.37.02 3000m PB earlier in the year, plus other solid runs, indicated that the 30 year-old was in the right sort of shape to challenge for the medals.

The European champion, 23 year-old Reyes Estevez, was establishing himself as a top international athlete . He won a bronze medal at 21 in the 1997 World Championships and had run 3.30.87 the previous year. He had shown maturity, composure and confidence in his win over Cacho inthe European title the previous year and he was looking to take it to El Guerrouj and Ngeny.

The third Spaniard was 30 year-old Andres Diaz, He had only really arrived as a world class athlete in his late 20s. He had been an 800m runner, but a move to the 1500m saw him gradually improve and his 5th in Athens in the 1997 Worlds was a breakthrough run. He was a surprise 1500m bronze medallist at the 1999 World Indoors and he had also beaten Peter Elliott’s European indoor record and had maintained his form throughout the summer.

Noureddine Morceli was the dominant middle distance runner of the early to mid-’90s. He was a three time world 1500m champion and was the reigning Olympic 1500m champion. He had also broken 5 world records and had posted world-class times from 800m to 5000m. Now 29, he was on the downhill slope of a magnificent career, though he had managed to maintain a consistent world class level of performance. He had run well against Ngeny in Paris, posting a time of 3.30.92, demonstrating that he was still capable of holding his own in elite competition. Here in Seville he was still among the major players in the 1500m.

There was incredible depth in this field. The third Kenyan was journeyman David Lelei, who had run some fast times in recent years, but was not a great competitor in the major championships.

American Steve Holman was there as well. He had been a was a talented high school athlete and had run the European circuit for several years.

The 20 year-old Adil Kaouch (MAR) was a surprise addition to this 12 man field. He would play a crucial role in the final.

Such was the depth of this field and competitiveness of the opening rounds, there were a number of accomplished athletes who missed the final. John Mayock (GBR) was the European Indoor Champion over 3000m ran poorly and dropped out of the second Semi-final. Olympic 5000m champion Venuste Niyongabo (BDI) was out of form and was run out and finished 9th. If there is a single word for an absolute low point, then it would be an apt description of the performance of Nadir Bosch. The Frenchman was in his career-best form, but ran a tactically abysmal heat and was eliminated.

On the 24th of August 1999, on a very warm yet calm evening, the world’s finest middle distance runners took their place on the starting line for the men’s 1500m final. Virtually all the decade’s major milers were there. Future Olympic champion Ngeny joined the previous two Olympic champions – Cacho (1992) and Morceli (1996) – as well as the reigning World Champion (El Guerrouj) and the European champion (Estevez). This magnificent stadium in southern Spain was alive. Fans were well aware that something special was about to take place. El Guerrouj was in stunning form, but would be challenged. What took place that evening has been described as perhaps the greatest 1500m race of all time.

The Race:

At the gun, El G made his intentions clear. He went out hard and led through the first 200m. Down the home straight, Kaouch moved past his countryman El Guerrouj and into the lead. As they passed 400m in 54.31 – under world record pace – it was obvious that Kaouch was there as a pacemaker, much to the chagrin of some observers, who expressed disappointment in the Moroccans’ tactics, suggesting this was not quite in the spirit of championship racing. As Kaouch ploughed on through 600m, the field was already stretched out, with Ngeny and Cacho behind El Guerrouj, with Morceli and Estevez a couple of metres back.

Kaouch passed 800m in 1.52.15; the pace was still hot, though perhaps a little slow for a world record. It was at this point that El G took charge and began to apply pressure. Behind El Guerrouj, Ngeny looked smooth, though Cacho and Morceli were clearly struggling.

Down the home straight for the penultimate time, Estevez made a bold move. He ran past Cacho and Ngeny and was right on El G’s shoulder at the bell (2.33.78). Morceli, off the pace and clearly out of sorts, pulled off the track just after 1100m.

Estevez forced El G to accelerate in order to stay in front. At 1200m (2.46.79), El G began to move away from the Spaniard, who clearly began to feel the effects of El G’s relentless pace. With 200m to go, El G led by 5 metres, as Ngeny moved past a fading Estevez. El Guerrouj looked smooth and in control as he moved into the home straight with a lead of about 7 metres. Ngeny was a clear second, with Cacho and now Diaz gaining ground on their countryman Estevez.

El Guerrouj cruised to victory in 3.27.65, smashing Morceli’s Championship record by 5 seconds. El Guerrouj’s performance is still the fastest championship 1500m in history. He covered the final lap in 53.87 and, as quick as it was, he looked like could have finished even faster.

Behind El G, Ngeny ran second in 3.28.73, one of the fastest times in his entire career. Estevez was rewarded for his aggressive running with a bronze medal in a PB of 3.30.57. Cacho ran fourth, in a welcome return for the former champion, who ran a season’s best of 3.31.34. Diaz was 5th with a PB of 3.31.83.

The depth, as mentioned, was incredible for a major championship. Rotich ran 3.33.32 for 6th, Lelei was 7th (3.33.82), Maazouzi was 8th (3.34.02), Holman 9th (3.34.32), Hood was 10th in 3.35.35 and Kaouch jogged home 11th (3.47.05). Never before had nine men run under 3.35 in a championship race.

El Guerrouj ran a victory lap with Kaouch, who had played a crucial part in El G’s sublime performance. Onlookers were stunned. Some of the all-time greats who were watching in the stands were effusive in their praise. Former World Champion Steve Cram, calling the race for the BBC, called El G’s run ‘phenomenal’ and two-time Olympic champion Sebastian Coe, who had joined Australia’s Channel Seven team, said it was: ” …the greatest 1500m race I have ever seen.”

El Guerrouj had what was close to the perfect year in 1999. He rounded out the season with two of the most spectacular performances of all time. A week after Seville, he went to Brussels and attacked Daniel Komen’s now fabled 3000m record of 7.20.67, coming as close as anyone has. He went through 2000m in about 4.53, but faded a little on the last lap and ran 7.23.09, about a second and a half shy of the Kenyan’s time.

A few days later in Berlin, he raced over 2000m, where he targeted Morceli’s 4 year-old record of 4.47.88. With the help of some stellar pacemaking from the veteran Kenyan William Tanui, El Guerrouj smashed Morceli’s record by more than 3 seconds, with an absolutely breathtaking 4.44.79, after running 1500m and mile splits of about 3.35.1 and 3.51.2 respectively. It was an absolute masterclass in middle distance running and there is nobody, apart from perhaps Jakob Ingebrigtsen, who looks like they could even get near El Guerrouj’s 2000m record anytime soon.

The Moroccan went on to continue his dominance of the 1500m. He won two more world titles in 2001 and 2003 1500m, but he suffered a major setback when Ngeny caused arguably the biggest upset of the Olympic Games of 2000, when he kicked past El G in the last 50m to win gold. He also ran brilliantly upon moving up to 5000m. He was involved in the epic home straight battle alongside two young superstars, Eliud Kipchoge (KEN) and Kenenisa Bekele (ETH) in the 2003 World Championships 5000m in Paris. He lost narrowly to the 18 year-old Kipchoge, but won the silver in front of Bekele.

El G’s career culminated in a magnificent double triumph at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, when he won both the 1500m and 5000m. He outkicked Bekele in a relatively slow 5000m (13.14.39) and he ran a brilliant tactical race in the 1500m, pushing the pace from 700m to the finish, gradually upping the tempo over each consecutive 200m of the last two laps to hold off Kenyan star Bernard Lagat, who attacked El Guerrouj in the home straight. El Guerrouj covered the final 800m in 1.46.8, holding on to win in 3.34.18.

El Guerrouj finally retired in 2006, after failing to recover from a back injury in 2005 and remains a universally respected and admired figure in Morocco. He soon joined the Moroccan Olympic Committee upon retirement and he is a UNICEF ambassador, as well as being involved in several charitable organisations.

Noah Ngeny finished the season by beating Sebastian Coe’s 18 year-old record in the 1000m and his record of 2.11.96 still stands. In his upset win in Sydney 2000, Ngeny displayed self-assuredness and class beyond his years. He pounced on a tiring El Guerrouj in the straight with 50m to go to capture the gold medal and dip under Coe’s Olympic record, running 3.32.07.

He struggled in subsequent years and was left out of the 2001 World Championship team after a dispute with the Kenyan team officials over his insistence in basing himself in London to be around Mc Donald and his teammates. Ngeny sustained injuries to his back and pelvis in late 2001 in a car accident and though he recovered eventually, he failed to qualify for the 2003 World Championships. He got back to running well and posted a 3.33.38 for 1500m, yet failed to qualify for the 2004 Olympics.

Ngeny retired in 2006 and he has been a coach for the Kenyan Army and eventually became an athletes’ representative in Kenya. He quit in 2016 over Athletics Kenya’s lack of response over myriad doping scandals that have plagued the sport in Kenya in recent years.

Reyes Estevez continued to be a consistent performer in international competition, winning several minor medals in European Championships (silver in the 1500m in 2002 and two bronze medals in the 2005 European Indoor event), as well as a silver in the World Indoor 1500m in 2001.

He was detained in 2010 by Spain’s Guardia Civil over his alleged involvement in a doping ring with fellow athletes Nuria Fernandez and Marta Dominguez.Though the investigators could not provide sufficient evidence to support their claims, this incident has perhaps soiled his legacy in the sport. He has since married and moved on with his life.

Fermin Cacho planned to go on to the Olympics in Sydney, but suffered an achilles injury in 2000 and he was forced out and he made the decision to retire. He had one of Spain’s most outstanding running careers. He held the European record in the 1500m for 16 years and his win at home in Barcelona was, of course, one of the highlights of the 1992 Olympic Games for Spanish fans. The video of Cacho’s glorious gold medal-winning run is viewed quite often in the Cacho home, as Cacho’s 10 year-old daughter Daniella loves to watch her Dad’s special moment. He lives the quiet life in Andujar with his wife and four daughters.

Andres Diaz made the final of the Sydney Olympic 1500m, finishing seventh and ran another PB in Monaco that year, with a 3.31.48 in Monaco. He missed the final in the World Championships in Edmonton in 2001 and retired in 2003.

Laban Rotich won a World Indoor bronze in Hungary in 2004, though his form tended to be erratic. He could not recapture his form of the late ’90s and he retired in 2005.

David Lelei carried on for a few more years. He ran an Australian all-comers record of 1.43.97 in Melbourne the following year and carried on for a few more years with mixed results. He became an administrator in athletics and launched a political career which proved to be unsuccessful. One night in 2010, driving on the Nairobi-Nakuru highway with former World Champion Moses Tanui, Lelei and Tanui were involved in an horrific accident. Tanui survived, but Lelei succumbed to his injuries and passed away at the age of just 38.

Driss Maazouzi continued to improve. He won a bronze at the 2001 World Championships and won the 2003 World Indoors over the 1500m. The rising star Mehdi Baala eventually usurped Maazouzi’s position as the number one French miler and Maazouzi retired from competition at the end of the 2003 season.

Steve Holman retired from the track not long after the World Championships, though he continued to run and eventually ran a 2.30 marathon. He completed an MBA at Wharton University – the alma mater of former President Trump, incidentally – and Holman has enjoyed a very successful career at the Vanguard Group, helping small businesses with important business decisions.

Graham Hood became a triathlete after his athletics career and he has completed the Hawaiian Ironman. He has a happy home life in Canada with his wife and two kids.

Adil Kaouch failed to advance to the final in Sydney 2000, though he finished 9th in Athens four years later. He won a surprise silver at the 2005 World Championships and won silver in the short course event at the 2006 World Cross Country Championships.He was suspended in 2007 for doping violations.

Noureddine Morceli had a disappointing end to his career, though he enjoyed one of the greatest careers in men’s middle distance running history and attained a collection of major titles and records surpassed only by El Guerrouj among 1500m specialists. He is still very high on the all time lists for the 1500m (5th), mile (3rd), 2000m (3rd) and 3000m (6th). He carried on to Sydney 2000, but faded to last in his semi final. He is now Algerian Secretary of State for Elite Sport and is an ambassador for the IOC. He also works extensively with young athletes at home in Algeria.

Hicham El Guerrouj is regarded by many of his peers, as well as fans and athletics journalists around the globe as the greatest male miler of all time. In addition to his unparalleled championship record, his three outdoor world records have survived the best part of a quarter century and his awe-inspiring World Championship-winning performance in Seville in 1999 might just be his greatest race ever.

World Athletics Championships of 1999, Seville Spain

Men’s 1500m Final:

1. Hicham El Guerrouj (MAR) 3.27.65
2. Noah Ngeny (KEN) 3.28.73
3. Reyes Estevez (ESP) 3.30.57
4. Fermin Cacho (ESP) 3.31.34
5. Andres Manuel Diaz (ESP) 3.31.83
6. Laban Rotich (KEN) 3.33.32
7. David Lelei (KEN) 3.33.82
8. Driss Maazouzi (FRA) 3.34.02
9. Steve Holman (USA) 3.34.32
10 Graham Hood (CAN) 3.35.35
11. Adil Kaouch (MAR) 3.47.05
12. Noureddine Morceli (ALG) DNF

The author would like to thank World Athletics.org, the BBC, Channel Seven (Australia), Le Monde, El Pais, Diario de Madrid and Athletics Weekly.

The post World Championships Magic Moments – Men’s 1500m Final, Seville 1999 appeared first on Runner's Tribe.

With his recent world 2-mile record (7.54.10) in Paris, Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen proved beyond all doubt that, at just 22, he is already in a select group of the greatest middle-distance runners in history. To experience, exceptional performance in running, choose the best footwear for your runs like Tarkine Trail Devil shoes.

 

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In Paris, the Olympic and world champion sliced four and a half seconds from Kenyan Daniel Komen’s world record (7.58.61), which had survived for over two and a half decades. What was striking was not just what he did, but how he did it. The smooth, confident way he ran and the mind-blowing second-half split of 3.55.18 was awe-inspiring. His 3000m split (7.24.07) is the third fastest of all time. This and his 1500m races in Oslo and Lausanne (wins in 3.27.95 and 2.28.72) obviously augur well for his season ahead.

With his 1500m PB (3.27.95) and his 5000m PB (12.48.35), Ingebrigtsen has both an extraordinary ability to maintain speed and tremendous endurance. As they are in between the 1500m and the 5000m, the 3000m/2 mile (3,218m) are most likely his best distances. This is the case for many athletes who are not quite milers and lack the 800m speed required at the elite level, yet also struggle running 5000m, but thrive over 3000m. For many like this, the 3000m is their ‘sweet spot’, their ideal distance.

The only global championship over 3000m (apart from the steeplechase) is held at the World Indoor Championships. The flat 3000m for men at the Olympics was discontinued after 1924 and a women’s 3000m was added to the program of the LA Games in 1984, but discontinued after 1992. This may change, but it is not likely to see a major championship 3000m in the foreseeable future.

This is a shame for many, as there have been many great athletes competing in recent decades who may have benefited from a major 3000m championship.

Frenchman Michel Jazy, who broke seven individual world records in the 1960s, was a 1500m runner beaten by the sustained fast finish of Herb Elliott in the Rome Olympics of 1960 and he finished a distant second. He broke the mile world record a few years later, but in the 1964 Olympics, perhaps daunted by Peter Snell’s superior speed, he decided to move up to the 5000m. He finished a disappointing 4^th and never looked like winning. It was in the distances in between that Jazy shone. He ran a world 2000m record that lasted for 10 years and he ran two world records at 3000m and two at 2 miles.

British world record-breaker Dave Moorcroft was a Commonwealth gold medallist at a 1500m in 1978, but with the rapid rise to world class of two younger countrymen – Sebastian Coe and Steve Ovett – Moorcroft perhaps saw the writing on the wall. After being blown away by Ovett’s kick at the 1978 European Championships 1500m final, he began to focus more on the 5000m. In 1982, Moorcroft smashed the 5000m world record by almost 6 seconds, coming within 0.41 of the 13-minute barrier for the event. He suffered injuries and illness and was consequently below his best at the 1980 and 1984 Olympic 5000m events and he ran a poor tactical race in the 1982 European Championships and ran third, but managed another Commonwealth title over 5000m in 1982. Though he became a 5000m specialist, he was still running well over the mile. He was Britain’s fastest miler in 1982. His near world record (7.32.79) to win a star-studded 3000m in London a week or so after his 5000m record, suggests that the 3000m was his perfect distance.

The same could be said for one of Moorcroft’s contemporaries. Irishman Eamonn Coghlan was a renowned indoor mile champion, who was often outkicked by Ovett and Coe at the 1500m/Mile. He moved to the 5000m and won the world title in 1983. He held the Irish 3000m record (7.37.60) for almost 20 years and was always difficult to beat during indoor 2-mile races on the US indoor circuit in the ‘70s and ‘80s.

Thomas Wessinghage (GER) was a superb international 1500m in the late ‘70s/early ‘80s. He won the World Cup in 1979 and ran history’s second fastest 1500m behind Ovett in 1980. He was invariably found wanting for pace in the closing stages of 1500m races against faster 800m runners like Ovett, so moved to the 5000m and won a European title in 1982. He was within a second of John Walker’s 2000m world record and ran some very fast times over 3000m.

Moorcroft, Coghlan and Wessinghage were among the all-time fastest 3000m runners in the early ‘80s. A championship 3000m with these three, plus the likes of Ovett (who held the world 2-mile record for almost a decade), John Walker (NZL), Henry Rono (KEN) and Americans Sydney Maree and Steve Scott, would have been a mouth-watering prospect for distance fans.

The women’s Olympic 3000m was replaced by the 5000m in 1996 and the event was discontinued after 1993 at World Championships (also replaced by the 5000m). Gabriela Szabo (ROM) and Sonia O’Sullivan (IRE) were two stars of the 90s and their battle for gold in the Sydney 2000 5000m was one of the great distance battles of the era. These two women were both at their best over 3000m. They are still 13^th and 15^th respectively on the all-time list two decades after they retired – much closer to the top than they are at 5000m.

Mary Decker (USA), who won the double (1500m & 3000m) at the World Championships in 1983. Her 8.25.83 in 1985, was the second-fastest in history at the time and she was much closer to the world record over 3000m than 1500m. She was looking a likely Olympic 3000m champion in the famous 1984 3000m race, before she clipped the heel of Zola Budd and tumbled to the track and out of the race. Injuries and childbirth Kept her away from the track in the late 80s, when she likely would have dominated the 3000m.

The phenomenal Faith Kipyegon (KEN) has smashed both the 1500m and 5000m world records this season. With the right pacing, the current 3000m record is within her capabilities and with her finishing speed, she would be tough to beat with a title on the line. Her PB is 8.23.55.

Among Australians, Ron Clarke was not a miler, but from 3000m up, he excelled. He ran two 2 mile records in the 60s. Alby Thomas also ran a world record in 1958 (8.32.0), and he was another athlete who was a good miler, but was always beaten for speed by Herb Elliott. Craig ‘Buster’ Mottram was perhaps the best example of an athlete whose best distance was 3000m/2mile. Mottram won two 3000m World Cup events, in 2002 and, most memorably, in 2006, when he produced a career highlight, defeating superstar Kenenisa Bekele in a national record of 7.32.19. Perhaps his finest performance came in the 2007 Pre Classic, when he won the 2 mile race in an Oceanian record of 8.03.50. Mottram is still the fourth fastest man ever over 2 miles.

Looking at today’s crop of elite-level Australians, we have two athletes in particular that would perhaps fall into the same category. Jess Hull completely dominated the Australian Championships earlier this year, winning the 1500m, 3000m & the5000m. She recently broke her own national 1500m record in Florence behind Kipyegon’s world record. As she is a more endurance-based 1500m runner (14.43 5000m PB), as opposed to an 800m/1500m type, she would no doubt be a legitimate medal threat in a major 3000m were she to focus on the 3000m. With her PB of 3.57.29 for 1500m, she could run much faster than her current 3000m PB of 8.31.81. Her 1500m pace is a little over 63 seconds per lap.

Predicting a 3000m, you generally add 4 seconds per lap and 67 second laps would convert to 8.22.5 – a time which is at the top-tier global elite level.

Stewart McSweyn is a superb 1500m runner and one of only 42 men who have broken 3.30 for 1500m. The blonde distance running sensation is currently equal 32^nd on the all time list. He is higher on the all- time list for 3000m (22^nd). The Tasmanian star has broken the 7.30 barrier on a couple of occasions and has a best of 7.28.02. McSweyn was 7^th in a very competitive 1500m final and in this and other races, he has been outkicked by athletes with a better speed background. Athletes like Tim Cheruiyot (KEN) and Jake Wightman (GBR) are 800m/1500m types and McSweyn is obviously and endurance-based athlete and a 3000m race would suit McSweyn’s strengths. He does not possess an explosive kick and does better with a sustained hard pace, or with a long wind up over the last lap. McSweyn’s best event is undoubtably the 3000m.

 

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Could a concerted campaign bring about a change to usher in a 3000m at major titles, even as an experiment, perhaps as a one-off? There are obvious logistical problems holding another distance event at a championship, as programming track and field events is already an organisational nightmare. Timing would be very difficult and it would be tricky to schedule heats. Could there be athletes doubling in either 1500m/3000m or 3000m/5000m? Which events would be scheduled first?

Perhaps the 3000m could be held at alternate Olympics/World Championships, instead of or in addition to a 5000m. Whatever could be managed, it is certain that distance running fans would love to see the 3000m – one of the most underrated track events – on the biggest stage.

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With the World Championships in Budapest less than three months away, it is timely to revisit some of the classic events we have seen over 40 years of the World Championships, events that have captivated fans of the sport and stand out in the memory, years later. For award-winning footwear, choose Tarkine running shoes.

The Men’s 100m Final at the 1991 World Championships was one of the greatest sprint races of all time. It featured one of the all-time greats, Carl Lewis, at his sublime best against the crème de la crème of sprinting. Lewis won and smashed fellow American Leroy Burrell’s world record and it was also one of the greatest major championship sprint races in terms of depth that the sport has seen.

Dubbed ‘The King’ by Australian commentator Bruce McAvaney, Lewis certainly lived up to his regal moniker at these Championships. It was a stunning return to form for Lewis, who had struggled during 1989 and 1990. He had dropped to second and third in the long jump and 100m rankings and his renowned late-race burst seemed to have deserted him.

At the Seoul Olympics in 1988, he was second in the infamous 100m Final to Canada’s Ben Johnson (9.79 to 9.92), he won a silver in the 200m and he regained his long jump title. He was later awarded gold in the 100m, along with being credited with the world record, as Johnson had been stripped of the Olympic title after testing positive for the steroid Stanozolol in Seoul and, during a subsequent inquiry – The Dubin Inquiry – into doping in Canadian athletics, Johnson had testified to years of drug use. He was then stripped of all his major titles and records. Lewis was a major beneficiary of this, as he was also credited with the World Championship 100m gold medal from 1987, as well as the Championship record.

By early 1991, he had stripped 2-3 kilos from his 188cm frame, altering his diet – he became vegan – and stepping up his training intensity. At home in Texas, working with coach Tom Tellez and elite Santa Monica Track Club colleagues – Leroy Burrell, Mike Marsh & Mark Witherspoon – Lewis focused on conditioning and refining his sprinting technique. He had also worked hard on his long jump technique and he was jumping as well as ever.

The US World Championship trials saw some outstanding performances from Lewis. He narrowly beat great rival Mike Powell in the long jump, though Burrell had his measure in the 100m. Burrell broke Lewis’s world record, winning in 9.90, though Lewis finished superbly, winning selection and running 9.93. Burrell had immediately established favouritism for the World Championships.

Burrell grew up in Philadelphia, where, due to an eye injury as a child, he struggled to shine in many sports. The stocky teenager soon discovered a talent for athletics and he was 17 when he saw his idol Carl Lewis win 4 gold medals at the LA Olympics in 1984. Burrell became absolutely fixated on being the world’s best sprinter. He also excelled at the long jump and eventually reached 8.37 – a world-class effort – but he eventually dropped the event. He did exceptionally well in the NCAA competition nationally and by the early ‘90s, he was a big name internationally.

Dennis Mitchell was the third of USA’s men’s 100m team. Growing up in North Carolina, he had developed rapidly through the high school and college system. He was successful during his time at the University of Florida and he had run the 100m Final in Seoul, where he finished 5th (moved to 4th after Johnson’s disqualification) and had been consistently good in ‘89-’90. The 25-year-old was now a serious medal contender.

Another major player in the Tokyo 100m was Linford Christie. The big (190cm), powerfully-built Brit was the Seoul silver medallist. It could be said that he dodged a bullet in Seoul. A banned stimulant had been discovered in his test sample, though this was linked to his use of a ginseng tea and it was considered accidental and he was cleared. He had grown in confidence after winning a string of titles (European, Commonwealth and World Cup) in recent years and the 31-year-old Christie felt he could match Lewis and Burrell.

There was a simmering rivalry between the Jamaican-born Englishman and the Americans and Christie had clashed with Burrell in a tense verbal exchange during an indoor meeting in England earlier in the year. Though the British team captain was popular with fans and teammates, he could be a divisive figure. The long-standing enmity between Christie and former teammate (now World Athletics President) Sebastian Coe is well-known and world champion hurdler Colin Jackson – with whom Christie fell out some years later over a business partnership – once said of Christie: “Linford is a perfectly balanced athlete – he has a giant chip on both shoulders”.

The four other finalists included two up and coming stars and a couple of experienced world-class sprinters. Namibian Frankie Fredericks is very different to Christie in terms of demeanour, though the two are close friends. Easy-going and friendly, Fredericks was one of the most popular sprinters on the international circuit in the ‘90s.

Fredericks grew up in Windhoek in what was – until Namibia attained independence from South Africa in 1990 – South West Africa. He was a talented soccer player and sprinter and through a job he had with Rossing Uranium, he obtained an athletics scholarship to Brigham Young University. Under coach Willard Hirschi, he rapidly improved his fitness, gained strength and developed near textbook sprinting form. He won NCAA events and by 1990, he was a bona fide world class sprinter. More a 200m runner, he was still one to watch in the biggest race of the Championships.

Ray Stewart of Jamaica was 26 and was already a seasoned professional, with seven years in international athletics. He had run 6th in the LA Olympic 100m behind Lewis as a 19-year-old and he had run third (later elevated to second, after Ben Johnson’s gold was stripped) in the 1987 World Championships and he ran the Seoul Olympic 100m Final, straining a hamstring and limping home in 8th (later elevated to 7th). An explosive starter, he often led races in the first 50m, though he would sometime fade over the final 30m. In 1991, he was running very well. With a 9.97 PB, he was another serious threat to Lewis and Burrell.

Robson da Silva from Brazil was a 200m specialist who had won bronze behind Joe de Loach (USA) and Lewis in Seoul and was World Cup 200m Champion. He was the world’s fastest in 1989 (19.96) and he was a consistent performer over 100m. Though he had a PB of 10.00, he was not expected to medal here.

Haitian-born Canadian Bruny Surin was 24 and the former long jumper was emerging as the heir apparent to his disgraced countryman Ben Johnson. He was a raw, powerful athlete, in the mold of Christie. Already good – he won a bronze behind Christie at the Auckland Commonwealth Games in 1990 – he was not yet a star. Things would eventually come together for Surin.

The preliminary rounds (24/8/91) provided plenty of action. Lewis shocked everyone with a wind- assisted 9.80 (+4.3) in the second round, finishing a metre up on Christie (9.90). Fredericks was flying also, winning his second-round heat in 9.89w. Burrell, Mitchell, da Silva, Surin and Stewart all qualified comfortably for the semis the following evening, though some favoured athletes, such as Daniel Sangouma (FRA) and Olapade Adeniken (NGR) looked out of form.

The semi-finals saw some fireworks. Lewis was brilliant, equalling his Championship record (9.93) in winning the first semi. He looked like he had plenty up his sleeve. He was over a metre in front of Fredericks (10.02). Surin (10.07) was third and da Silva (10.13) clinched the last position from semi-final

1. The second semi was almost as fast. Burrell ran 9.94 in front of Mitchell and Christie (both on 9.99). Stewart (10.03) qualified as the 6th fastest for the final in 4th.

The stage was set for something very special that evening. At the start, Lewis looked a little anxious behind the blocks. He had won 12 World Championship and Olympic gold medals, but he was under pressure from his close friend Burrell, as well as a few other competitors in this star-studded lineup. From lane 1, it was Surin, Stewart, Burrell, Christie, Lewis, Mitchell, Fredericks and da Silva in 8.

Conditions near perfect. It was warm, though not uncomfortable and the tailwind was just +1.2 m/s, well under the allowable +2.0 m/s. As the athletes stepped into their blocks at the starter’s command, a hush settled over the stadium. In fact, there was a kind of hush all over the world, as a huge global television audience of millions sat with bated breath, waiting for the race of the century.

As the gun was fired, Mitchell looked like he got a flyer. In fact, his recorded reaction time off the blocks was 0.090, inside the IAAF’s minimum mandated 0.10 reaction time limit, though no signal was sent to officials to call them back. Burrell and Stewart also started the race very quickly and both were up on Mitchell before halfway. At 60m, Burrell and Stewart shared the lead (a 6.41 split), with Mitchell 0.01 behind. Christie (6.44) and Lewis (6.46) were 30-50cm behind Burrell and Stewart, and Lewis looked out of the race.

It was here that Lewis’s famous late-race surge began, and the long-striding Texan began to rapidly close in on his rivals. Burrell had his nose in front, but Lewis was at full-tilt and inching closer with every one of his huge strides. Lewis’s splits indicated that he reached his top speed between 70m and 80m. He drew level with Burrell at 90m and, looking across at Burrell, realised he had it won. He crossed the line, arms aloft, a winner by 0.02. He shattered Burrell’s world record by 0.04, running 9.86 and it was the biggest margin by which the world 100m record had been beaten since countryman Jim Hines’s Olympic Final win in 1968.

Burrell ran 9.88 for silver and improved his best by 0.02. Dennis Mitchell ran a lifetime best of 9.91 to snatch the bronze. Christie, perhaps a little disappointed to miss a medal, had run very well, finishing 4th in 9.92, breaking his UK national, European and Commonwealth record by 0.05. Fredericks set a new African record in 5th with his 9.95 and Ray Stewart (6th) broke the Jamaican and Caribbean record with 9.96. Da Silva and Surin were clearly outclassed, but not disgraced, finishing 7th and 8th respectively, da Silva in 10.12 and Surin 10.14.

For the first time ever, six men had broken 10 seconds in a 100m race, something that is usually only seen at major championships, some 30-odd years later, despite super spikes and faster tracks. This was a major highlight of the Championships – a moment in history.

It was not quite the highlight though, as Lewis’s battle with compatriot Mike Powell in the long jump was clearly the outstanding event of these third World Championships.

In one of the most gripping contests in the sport’s history, Lewis produced 4 leaps (2 legal) over 8.80m. He jumped 8.83w, 8.87, 8.84 and a wind-aided 8.91, which beat Bob Beamon’s fabled 8.90 from Mexico City in 1968 and put him in a commanding lead though the +2.3 wind meant it wasn’t a world record.

Under pressure, Powell produced an incredible 8.95 in round 5 to break Beamon’s 23-year-old record and hand Lewis his first defeat in a decade.

Dave Culbert, the athletics administrator, commentator and multiple board member – basically, the Eddie McGuire of athletics in Australia – was a finalist in the long jump and, while trying to focus on his own jumping, was awestruck in seeing Lewis and Powell go at it and he recalled the electric atmosphere in the stadium that night. Culbert was 6th (8.02).

Lewis finished his Championships with a win in the 4 x 100m relay. He joined Mitchell, Burrell and Andre Cason to win gold in a new world record of 37.50. He ran a brilliant anchor leg, to win his 7th World Championship gold medal. It was another very successful event for the King.

Burrell went to the Olympics the following year, but was outclassed by Christie. He ran a disappointing 5th in the 100m final, though he was consoled with another relay gold and world record (37.40) with Lewis, Mitchell and Marsh.

It was a tough next few years for Burrell. He struggled with niggling injuries and his form was up and down. He was part of another World Championship relay win at Stuttgart in 1993, after a great battle with the British and Canadians. In 1994, he was running very well and broke Lewis’s world record in Lausanne, running 9.85.

He was unable to maintain this great form however. He missed the 1995 World Championships and the 1996 Olympics and by 30, he was done and made a decision to retire. He turned to coaching with great success, helping many fine athletes at his alma mater, Houston. He has since moved to Auburn University.

Dennis Mitchell won the bronze at the Olympics in Barcelona and was a consistently high-level performer over the ‘90s, winning races in the US and Europe. He ran 4th in Atlanta in ‘96 and won in Milan (9.91) later that season, equalling his PB. In 1998, he tested positive for elevated levels of testosterone, and offered the absurdly implausible excuse that it was due to a combination of 5 beers and an extended amorous liaison with his fiancee.

Mitchell transitioned to coaching and was also linked to drug takers in his new career. He apparently introduced Marion Jones to Trevor Graham, known for his involvement with PEDs for years and Mitchell has also coached notorious drug cheat, Olympic and world champion Justin Gatlin. Mitchell has, despite these shady associations, remained in coaching with varying degrees of success.

Between 1992 and 1994, Linford Christie became the world’s premier 100m runner. He dominated the Barcelona Olympic Final in ‘92. He ran brilliantly, but also won the mental battle. As the camera panned across the finalists before the start, you see an anxious Frankie Fredericks, a jittery, nervous-looking Dennis Mitchell and Leroy Burrell with a deer-in-the-headlights expression, looking overawed by the occasion. This contrasted markedly with the ultra-cool exhibited by Christie, as he stood still, eyes ahead, unblinking, totally focused on the job at hand. It seemed that there were a few in the race who thought they might be able to win, and one man who knew he was going to win. Christie captured the crown coveted by every sprinter in the world, winning easily, more than half a metre up on Fredericks (9.96 to 10.02)

He was similarly dominant in Stuttgart in 1993 (World Championship gold, European record, 9.87). He retained his Commonwealth (GR 9.91) and European (10.15) titles in 1994, to complete a ‘Grand Slam’ of major 100m titles.

From mid-1995 onwards, he struggled. At almost 35, he ran 20.25 to break the world indoor 200m record in early ‘95, but was 6th in the World Championship 100m final, as a new champion – Canada’s Donovan Bailey – arrived to claim Christie’s title. While Bailey celebrated, Christie lay prostrate on the track, having injured his hamstring.

In 1996, Christie defended his Olympic title. He was below his best, but gave a good showing in the quarters and semis. In the Atlanta final – which included Bailey, Fredericks, Mitchell and a rising star, Ato Boldon (TRI) – Christie was charged with two false starts and was disqualified. Sensationally, the reigning champion was out. What followed was a display of unbridled petulance from Christie, which drew heavy criticism from the press.

Christie stood his ground, claiming he didn’t move before the gun and he refused to leave the track. Boos began and eventually, Christie moved away from the start after several tense minutes.

The final was, despite the disruption, an absolute cracker. Bailey produced a phenomenal late-race surge, to blow by favourite Fredericks and add an Olympic gold to his world title. Bailey’s 9.84 was a world record and he beat Fredericks by 0.05. Boldon was third in 9.90.

Christie jogged down the home straight after the race, waving to the crowd and went back to the mixed zone, where he was confronted by a livid Boldon, who accused Christie of ruining his focus. Fredericks tried to get between the two and he was joined by American sprinter Jon Drummond, who was shocked at Christie’s behaviour and was the level-headed voice of reason and helped calm Christie and Boldon.

Linford Christie retired the following year and became a coach. In early 1999, Christie was still training with his athletes and decided to take on a challenge from one of his athletes. Could he still run 6.70 for 60m? He entered an indoor race in Dortmund and ran 6.57 at almost 39. After being called to doping control, he subsequently tested positive for nandrolone.

Though he protested his innocence and took extensive legal action, this positive test ended his comeback and cost him millions, as his sponsors – Puma being chief among them – parted ways with Christie. The positive drug test left an indelible stain on Christie’s legacy. He continued to coach, guiding stars like Darren Campbell and Katharine Merry to some outstanding results. He failed to gain accreditation for London 2012 and was prevented from running the torch relay in his home city Olympics. He still resents the way he was so publicly shunned.

Christie continues his involvement in the sport, and is still respected by many. He is, however, still persona non grata in the upper echelons of athletics. His doping and his perceived egotism and occasional boorishness have cost him many opportunities.

Frankie Fredericks became a major star after Tokyo. He won silver in Tokyo behind Michael Johnson (USA) and won silvers in the 100m and 200m in Barcelona. He again took home two silvers in Atlanta. He was second to Bailey, as mentioned, and he ran an incredible 19.68 in the 200m, yet was beaten by almost 4 metres. Johnson’s epic 19.32 world record was probably the highlight of the Games and was Johnson’s finest career performance.

Fredericks was 1993 World 200m Champion and he won silver in the 200m in the 1995 and 1997 World Championships. He won 2 Commonwealth golds and the World Indoor 200 in 1999. His 19.92 world indoor 200m record run in 1996 still stands and Fredericks was still running sub-20 seconds into his mid- 30s.

He was unlucky to run in the Lewis/Christie/Johnson/Burrell/ Bailey era and had the misfortune to be injured in 2000, as he most likely would have won the Sydney Olympic 200m if healthy. He also strained a hamstring before the 1999 World Championship 200m Final, another race he was likely to win.

Fredericks went on to a career in business and has been a public speaker and consultant. He also set up a non-profit to aid young athletes.

A man known for his unimpeachable integrity, Fredericks was nonetheless embroiled in a bribery scandal in 2017. He had taken almost $300,000 from Papa Massata Diack, son of disgraced former IAAF chief Lamine Diack and he was implicated in a corruption inquiry for the bidding for the 2016 Olympic Games.

He had been on a couple of IOC committees – the 2024 Olympic bid evaluation committee and the taskforce looking into doping in the Russian Federation – from which he was forced to step down.

He continues in his other businesses and claims complete innocence in the scandal. “All I want is for my name to be cleared”, said Fredericks. Despite his issues, he is still well-regarded throughout the athletics world.

Ray Stewart never reproduced his form from Tokyo, though he made the finals of the 100m at the 1992 Olympics and the 1993 and 1995 World Championships. He was also a successful relay runner, winning minor medals at the Olympics, World Championships and Commonwealth Games. Stewart also won some big NCAA races during his college career.

He went on into coaching and though successful with college and professional athletes, his reputation was tarnished by his association with dopers like Jerome Young, a World Championship relay medallist. He was banned permanently in 2010 after being found guilty of obtaining PEDs for his athletes.

Robson da Silva was 4th in the Barcelona 200m final in 1992 and he retained his World Cup title. He had further success in the South American Championships, though never regained his form from the late ‘80s. He soon retired after a distinguished career. He was among a group of top Brazilian athletes of the ‘80s and ‘90s (Ronaldo da Costa, Joaquim Cruz, Jose Barbosa et al) who helped popularise the sport in Brazil.

Da Silva is a big media figure at home and works for SporTV, as well as being a fitness guru to many, and he has been advising athletes and amateur fitness enthusiasts for decades.

Bruny Surin, as mentioned, went on to run fourth in the Olympic 100m 1992, then was fifth in Stuttgart 1993, where his Canadian team won a World Championship bronze in the 4 x 100m relay. Surin won a silver behind compatriot Donovan Bailey in the 1995 World Championship 100m final. Bailey and Surin then joined Glenroy Gilbert and Rob Esmie to beat the Australian team (Paul Henderson, Tim ‘Jet’ Jackson, Steve Brimacombe and Damien Marsh) in the 4 x 100m.

The Canadian quartet pulled off another great win in Atlanta 1996. They beat the USA team by almost half a second and they won the World Championships sprint relay again at Athens 1997.

Surin produced his finest career performance two years later at the Seville World Championships, when he pushed champion Maurice Greene to within 0.01 of his world record to win silver in 9.84, which was one of the fastest of all time and equalled the national record of Donovan Bailey.

In Sydney 2000 and at home in Edmonton for the World Championships in 2001, he suffered injuries and he limped off the track in pain and the constant injuries forced his retirement. He came back to break the Canadian Masters (40-44yrs) 50m record. He is an author and administrator and has been selected as Canada’s Chef de Mission for the Paris Olympics.

Carl Lewis went on to win three more Olympic gold medals in the long jump and relay, as well as winning bronze in the 200m and a gold in the 4 x 100m relay in Stuttgart 1993. His final Olympic gold was in the long jump, where he produced a clutch 8.50m jump to win on home soil in Atlanta and he ran for one more season. In 1997, he ran some exhibition races in the US, Europe and Australia, which gave Lewis a chance to say goodbye to his legion of fans.

There were controversies throughout Lewis’s illustrious career, however. His four gold medals in LA in ‘84 was a magnificent achievement, though Lewis’s aloof manner and perceived arrogance rubbed some the wrong way. He was criticised after winning the long jump final. After posting 8.54m in the opening round, 30cm ahead of Gary Honey (AUS), he had a second-round foul and passed on his final four jumps. Lewis reasoned that there was a scheduling clash with the 200m heats and he wanted to conserve energy. It was an act which rankled his rivals, particularly the silver medallist Honey, who regarded it as openly contemptuous of his fellow competitors.

Lewis was often mocked for his questionable fashion sense, his ridiculous hairstyles and his effete manner. Daley Thompson (GBR), the world and Olympic champion decathlete, was seen at the LA Games with a t-shirt which posed the question: “IS THE WORLD’S SECOND-BEST ATHLETE GAY?” – clearly a thinly-veiled reference to Lewis.

He was seen as a poor loser on occasion. This had an impact on his marketability to major sponsors and probably cost him some lucrative deals. He was also accused of undermining his teammates during the 1996 Olympic Games, where he lobbied for himself to be included in the 4 x 100m relay team, even though he failed to qualify for the team in the trials. There was controversy over a positive test for pseudoephedrine during the 1988 Olympic Trials, though he was cleared, because the US Olympic committee deemed that the use was inadvertent.

After retirement, Lewis has done some singing and acting, with not much success. He has been seen in some abysmal TV movies and his vocal stylings are not likely to win him a Grammy any time soon. He has made forays into politics, with little success. He’s also raised a son, Bakim, who has become a singer-songwriter and lives in Houston. Carl Lewis has maintained his association with athletics as an assistant coach at Houston and thoroughly enjoys helping young athletes fulfil their dreams.

With his record of 10 Olympic medals (9 gold), 10 World Championship medals (8 gold) and his numerous other big wins, plus his world records, Lewis is one of the sport’s most decorated athletes.

It was in that 100m race on a warm August night in Tokyo 32 years ago that we saw a legend at his very best and the memory of that amazing race lives on.

World Championships 1991 – Men’s 100m Final:

Wind: +1.2m/s

1. Frederick Carlton ‘Carl’ Lewis (USA) 9.86 WR
2. Leroy Burrell (USA) 9.88 PB
3. Dennis Mitchell (USA) 9.91 PB
4. Linford Christie (GBR) 9.92 AR
5. Frankie Fredericks (NAM) 9.95 AR
6. Raymond Stewart (JAM) 9.96 NR
7. Robson Caetano da Silva 12
8. Bruny Surin (CAN) 14

The author would like to thank Athletics Weekly, the BBC, World Athletics.org, O Globo – Noticias Internacionais e Brasilierais, The Guardian Online, Track and Field News, The Cape Times, Duncan McKay, The late Mel Watman and the late John Rodda

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