[Final report] [Semifinal reports] [Heat reports] [Preview]
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Borzakovskiy celebrates his Olympic victory Kipketer, Saïd-Guerni and Mulaudzi are beaten |
It's a well known axiom for middle distances that even pace running is the most efficient way to get from start to finish. It takes quite a bit of confidence though to drop back initially and allow your rivals to move way ahead in order to catch them just before the finish. In Athens a young Russian gave a textbook example of exactly how to do it.
The Olympic final was always going to be close. No athlete has been able to dominate the distance for the last few seasons. Bungei, Borzakovkiy and Kipketer were the obvious favorites. Mulaudzi hadn't shown much after becoming World Indoor Champion. Sepeng was the most experienced - his third Olympic final, and he has already been in four World Championship finals as well. Saïd-Guerni was the dangerous outsider - not at his best, but he became World Champion last year in similar circumstances. Ismail and Chehibi were the real outsiders.
The first phase of the race was explosive. Four runners were all trying to get in the lead. Eventually Bungei and Saïd-Guerni took the lead with Mulaudzi and Kipketer right behind them. Sepeng and Ismail allowed a small gap, Borzakovkiy and Chehibi were bringing up the rear as usual. They reached 200 in 24.3, a furious pace they were never going to sustain. Indeed they slowed down a bit, reaching the bell in a tight bunch in a much more modest 51.84. In sixth place Borzakovskiy crossed the finish line in 52.25.
The pace picked up after that, although the positions didn't change much. Close to 600 Bungei made his move, Kipketer reacted and behind him Mulaudzi followed as well. Borzakovskiy passed Ismail, who couldn't handle the pace anymore. Sepeng and Chehibi looked too far behind already as well. They went through 600 in 1:17.6, a pretty stiff pace for the third quarter of the race. Into the final bend Bungei was in the lead with Kipketer at his shoulder and Mulaudzi on the inside. Borzakovskiy was rapidly approaching Saïd-Guerni, who appeared to be struggling. Into the final straight it went. Bungei on the inside clearly had trouble to sustain the pace and both Kipketer and Mulaudzi went past him. Borzakovskiy went past Saïd-Guerni but with 50 meters to go he looked still too far behind to catch the leaders. Kipketer was in the lead and looked likely to finally fulfill his dream.
But the Russian had distributed his reserves to perfection. Where the leaders were weakening he was still at full speed. With a blistering last sprint he went past Bungei, who eased up when he saw he was going to finish outside of the medals. Only a few paces more brought him past the desperately lunging Kipketer and Mulaudzi as well. Just a few more strides were needed to take him to Olympic glory. Behind him Mulaudzi outleaned Kipketer for the silver, and Chehibi made a late run to finish a very respectable fourth. But it was Yuriy Borzakovskiy who fell to the ground in delight. A first lap in 52.25, a second lap in 52.20 - you just can't plan your race any better.
A few hours later it was a very emotional Yuriy who received the gold medal. Tears were flowing freely as he listened to his national anthem. Wilson Kipketer looked on with a rueful smile - he now knows that his Olympic dreams are over. After being denied to run in 1996 and rather unluckily coming second in 2000 this was his last chance. The Kipketer of five years ago would surely have converted his lead on the final straight into a gold medal, these days he just lacks those final few percent of strength. Whether his career will continue for much longer remains to be seen.
Meanwhile Yuriy Borzakovskiy looks ready to be the new king of the 800m for quite some time. He's only 23 years, so he'll be at the peak of his powers for the next few seasons. We may see quite a few more titles being won from behind soon.
Final result: 1. Yuriy Borzakovskiy RUS 1:44.45 2. Mbulaeni Mulaudzi RSA 1:44.61 3. Wilson Kipketer DEN 1:44.65 4. Mouhssin Chehibi MAR 1:45.16 5. Wilfred Bungei KEN 1:45.31 6. Hezekiél Sepeng RSA 1:45.53 7. Djabir Saïd-Guerni ALG 1:45.61 8. Ismail Ahmed Ismail SUD 1:52.49
There were three semifinals. Only the first two would qualify automatically for the final, two more places were available for fastest losers. So if anyone would be ready to set a decent pace it could well happen that four athletes from one heat might eventually qualify.
- Semifinal 1
This race featured Saïd-Guerni, Mulaudzi, Reina, Heshko, Laalou, Aissat, Alemu and Herms. It was Aissat who took the lead, with Alemu, Saïd-Guerni, and Laalou following. Herms got quickly detached and looked two classes below his performance of yesterday. The bell came at 52.74, not particularly quick. The Algerian world champion took the lead and looked quite strong. At 600 Laalou and Mulaudzi passed Alemu, who went backwards from there on. Aissat was weakening as well and could not go with the leaders either. Around the bend Saïd-Guerni was still in the lead, Laalou on his shoulder, Mulaudzi looked boxed in behind them, with Reina and Heshko still in hot pursuit. Into the final straight Saïd-Guerni's lead was never threatened. Mulaudzi found a gap to go into second place. Heshko could not find enough pace to threaten the top two, but Reina mounted a furious challenge, passed Laalou (who jogged to the finish from there on) and even went slightly ahead of Mulaudzi, who had to dig deep into his reserves to regain the advantage and finish second.
Immediately after the race Saïd-Guerni received treatment for a wound on his right shin - probably caused by a spike during the race. He didn't look in pain though, and it didn't look like it would affect his running in two days time.Result: 1. Djabir Saïd-Guerni ALG 1:45.76 Q 2. Mbulaeni Mulaudzi RSA 1:46.09 Q 3. Antonio Reina ESP 1:46.17 4. Ivan Heshko UKR 1:46.66 5. Nicolas Aissat FRA 1:47.14 6. Berhane Alemu ETH 1:47.40 7. Amine Laalou MAR 1:47.53 8. René Herms GER 1:47.68
- Semifinal 2
This looked the strongest semi, with Bungei, Borzakovskiy and Sepeng the most prominent runners. Som, Chehibi, Reed, Mwera and Milkevics all looked hard pressed to get to the final. Som grabbed the lead, obviously looking for a fast race. Bungei followed, with Borzakovskiy several meters beyond the bunch as usual, and Chehibi even further behind. At the bell Bungei took over, and the lap time of 51.35 indicated a pretty tough pace. At 500 it was Bungei ahead of Som, with Sepeng and Borzakovskiy having moved into contention behind them. It stayed like that for some time, but on the back straight Chehibi made up some ground and finally caught the bunch. Around the bend Som could no longer follow Bungei and was passed by Sepeng and Borzakovskiy. Chehibi quickly advanced to fifth place but still looked a long way away from the leaders. On the final straight Bungei eased up into the finish, Borzakovskiy accelerated and easily moved into second place, but Chehibi put in another amazing sprint finish, went past Som and even past Sepeng to finish third. His time (1:44.62) was a big PB by more than a second. Both Chehibi and Sepeng qualified as fastest losers. So the early pace by Som paid off, but the Dutchman himself could count himself quite unlucky as he ended up as the fastest non-qualifier.Result: 1. Wilfred Bungei KEN 1:44.28 Q 2. Yuriy Borzakovskiy RUS 1:44.29 Q 3. Mouhssin Chehibi MAR 1:44.62 q 4. Hezekiél Sepeng RSA 1:44.75 q 5. Bram Som NED 1:45.52 6. Dmitrijs Milkevics LAT 1:46.62 7. Gary Reed CAN 1:47.38 -. Samwel Mwera TAN 1:46.29 (DQ)
- Semifinal 3
Kipketer and Mutua were the biggest names in this last semifinal. The other six were Longo, Ismail, Johnson, dos Santos, Nduwimana and Soos. Right after the start we had the amazing sight of seven runners side by side, all fighting for the lead. The only one not interested was Soos, but it turned out he remained last for most of the race. Dos Santos eventually managed to go into the lead with Kipketer following smoothly. At the bell it was 50.83, probably a bit too quick. Kipketer and Johnson went into the lead as Dos Santos found out he had done too much too early. At 600 the American suffered a similar fate. Kipketer stayed ahead, with Ismail, Longo and Nduwimana following while Mutua started to come from behind. In the final straight Nduwimana and Longo could not find the strength to reach the leaders. Mutua passed both of them, but his late sprint finish came too late to catch the tall Ismail, who marched into second place with majestic long strides.Result: 1. Wilson Kipketer DEN 1:44.63 Q 2. Ismail Ahmed Ismail SUD 1:45.45 Q 3. Joseph Mutua KEN 1:45.54 4. Andrea Longo ITA 1:45.97 5. Jean-Patrick Nduwimana BUR 1:46.15 6. Ricky Soos GBR 1:46.74 7. Osmar dos Santos BRA 1:48.23 8. Jonathan Johnson USA 1:50.10
So there's only one Kenyan in the final, but Bungei still looks like one of the favourites. Old master Kipketer looked very impressive, but so did Borzakovskiy. Saïd-Guerni was running much better than yesterday. Sepeng and Mulaudzi had to work hard for qualification, but both got there. The surprise qualifiers are Chehibi and Ismail. These two are into their first major final.
No less than 72 competitors. So there were nine heats with eight athletes each. The first two of each heat qualified for the (three) semifinals, six more would qualify on a fast time.
- Heat 1
Three big names in this heat already: Mulaudzi, Rotich and Herms. It was Rotich who took the lead, Herms drew level with Mulaudzi behind them. They reached the bell in 52.39. Rotich and Herms ran side by side for the next 200, and Mulaudzi looked to be in trouble. Herms went past Rotich and took the lead, Mulaudzi was able to follow while Rotich was struggling. Into the final straight Herms and Mulaudzi were clear of the rest, but Rotich had given too much on the first lap and was even relegated to fifth place by Lee Jae Hoon (running a PB) and Hatungimana. A bad start for the Kenyans.Result: 1. Mbulaeni Mulaudzi 1:45.72 Q 2. René Herms 1:45.83 Q 3. Lee Jae Hoon 1:46.24 4. Arthémon Hatungimana 1:46.35 5. Michael Rotich 1:46.42
- Heat 2
Mutua and Saïd-Guerni were the favorites in this heat. The home crowd were all hoping for some magic by Stroubakos, but his challenge never materialized. Mutua took the lead, Saïd-Guerni followed, and for a long time everything looked under control. Into the finishing straight though English talent Ricky Soos showed amazing strength and sneaked inside and past the reigning World Champion. Mutua was just able to hold on, but Saïd-Guerni was run out of the automatic qualification and had to hope for a fast time. Excellent run from Soos who could even write down a PB.Result: 1. Joseph Mutua 1:45.65 Q 2. Ricky Soos 1:45.70 Q 3. Djabir Saïd-Guerni 1:45.94 q 4. Achraf Tadili 1:46.63 5. David Fiegen 1:46.97
- Heat 3
Wilson Kipketer was the most famous name in this heat, but this was also the heat of Osmar Dos Santos. Last year the Brazilian made it to the WC final by setting the pace during his qualification runs. Not intending to change a winning strategy Dos Santos indeed took the lead, and consequently they reached the bell in 50.93, a pace worthy of the final. American Jonathan Johnson wanted still more pace and took the lead, with Kipketer effortlessly following. When Johnson weakened Kipketer passed him and in his wonderfully smooth style floated to the finish, miles ahead of everyone. Behind him Johnson desperately fought off a late challenge by Nduwimana, both men exhausted from the fast pace. Johnson won, but the fast times by Nduwimana and Dos Santos meant they would qualify as well. Another success for the Brazilian's tactics!Result: 1. Wilson Kipketer 1:44.69 Q 2. Jonathan Johnson 1:45.31 Q 3. Jean Patrick Nduwimana 1:45.38 q 4. Osmar dos Santos 1:45.90 q 5. Jason Stewart 1:46.24 6. Joao Pires 1:46.71
- Heat 4
Bungei, fastest man of the season so far, would have to face the challenge of a number of dangerous outsiders, such as Som, Aissat, Mwera and Ismail. Mwera, running from lane 3, clearly ran several paces in lane 2 during the first 50 metres but was lucky enough not to be disqualified. The initial pace was modest, and the bell was reached in 52.98, the slowest heat so far. Bungei grabbed the lead at this point with all the others trying to hang on. The Kenyan went on in a brutal pace and easily ran out the winner with the others dropping off one by one. The clock stopped at 1:44.84, implying a negative split - hardly surprising no one was able to follow. Ismail was the one to finish second (in a PB), but the disappointment of the next three turned into relief half an hour later when it became clear their times were fast enough to qualify anyway.Result: 1. Wilfred Bungei 1:44.84 Q 2. Ismail Achmed Ismail 1:45.17 Q 3. Samwel Mwera 1:45.30 q 4. Nicolas Aissat 1:45.31 q 5. Bram Som 1:45.72 q
- Heat 5
This heat was always going to be dominated by Borzakovskiy. Most obvious contenders for second place were Jansen and Alemu. The modest pace was set by Haitian Moise Joseph, with Borzakovskiy in last place as usual. His progress started at 300 and he took the lead at 600. Around the bend Alemu and Jansen battled for second place as Joseph faded. Jansen had to give in but a late challenge from Quesada meant that Alemu was only just able to hang on to his qualification spot. Borzakovskiy did just enough to win and looked every bit a medal contender.Result: 1. Yuriy Borzakovskiy 1:46.20 Q 2. Berhanu Alemu 1:46.26 Q 3. Miguel Quesada 1:46.32 4. Joeri Jansen 1:46.66
- Heat 6
No real big names here, but Laalou, Robinson and Heshko were fastest on paper. Moradi from Iran took them out in 51.83, apparently looking for fast times. Heshko looked unable to follow the main bunch, possibly feeling the effects of last night's 1500 final where he finished a respectable fifth. Laalou took over when Moradi was spent, there was a brief challenge from Bogdanov, but around the final bend Laalou and Robinson looked the winners. Heshko suddenly found a new life though and on the final straight he passed Robinson and qualified for the semifinal. The American was unlucky enough to end up being the fastest non-qualifier.Result: 1. Amine Laalou 1:45.88 Q 2. Ivan Heshko 1:45.92 Q 3. Khadevis Robinson 1:46.14
- Heat 7
This heat looked definitely one of the easier ones. Reina and Lacasse should do it, and Lacasse firmly held the lead for most of the race. Reina challenged, Lacasse held on, but these two looked set to qualify when 50 meters from the finish the Frenchman suddenly ran out of gas. Reina went past, and from behind there was a late run from the surprising Latvian Milkevics who grabbed this opportunity without delay. Reina and a delighted Milkevics eventually finished in a dead heat, a bitterly disappointed Lacasse was eliminated.Result: 1. Dmitrijs Milkevics 1:46.66 Q 1. Antonio Reina 1:46.66 Q 3. Florent Lacasse 1:46.91
- Heat 8
Three big names: Longo, Sepeng and Bucher. Would the 2001 World Champion be able to qualify despite his recent string of poor results? He started promisingly by taking the lead, perhaps hoping for a fast time as well. Longo and Sepeng stayed close behind though, and the first lap was not really fast (52.41). Things slowed down after that, and at 600 the Spaniard Almeida went to the front. Both Sepeng and Longo swiftly reacted and accelerated as well with Bucher now in fourth place. Almeida quickly paid for his efforts and faded badly. Bucher tried very hard to reach the leaders, but Sepeng and Longo stayed well clear and qualified with ease. Bucher, only a few seasons ago virtually unbeatable, went out.Result: 1. Andrea Longo 1:46.75 Q 2. Hezekiél Sepeng 1:46.82 Q 3. André Bucher 1:47.34
- Heat 9
This looked a really tough heat, with Kamel, Peterson, Dube and Reed. The lead was taken by Dube, but at the bell it was Reed who took over. Kamel gradually worked his way forward, and at 500 he went alongside Reed. The two kept going side by side, with Kamel looking very impressive, displaying the majestic long strides that his father Billy Konchellah was famous for. The two looked unlikely to be challenged, but in the final 50 Moroccan Chehibi suddenly put in a furious dash. Reed was just able to stay ahead, but Kamel couldn't accelerate any further and to many people's surprise and disappointment his games were over.Result: 1. Gary Reed 1:46.74 Q 2. Mouhssin Chehibi 1:46.77 Q 3. Youssef Saad Kamel 1:46.94
Bungei, Kipketer and Borzakovskiy all looked excellent - it would be a major
surprise if they couldn't make the final. Sepeng, Mulaudzi, Longo, Mutua and Herms
are other obvious candidates. All of them qualified without problems. On the other
hand reigning world Champion Saïd-Guerni needed a Houdini act to survive. He
finished third in heat 2, and after heat 4 he was only the sixth fastest loser with
just six places available. With five heats still to go he looked certain to go home,
but none of the other runners in any of those heats tried hard enough to qualify
with a fast time and so the Algerian lived to fight another day.
Finally we had some serious casualties in this first round. The elimination
of Bucher is sad but not unexpected - his form was doubtful from the start. It's
more of a surprise that Michael Rotich could not make it - he looked quite good
so far this year. The shock of the round though has to be the elimination of
Youssef Saad Kamel. Second fastest this year, and he looked to have everything
under control in his heat but suddenly found himself out of the competition. At
only 21 years he is still young enough to have a few more Olympic battles.
The Athens 800m final promises to be yet another exciting race. There may be only a few real favorites, but there are lots of outsiders all waiting to see if this just might be their moment of glory. No-one can take a medal for granted.
Most of the runners that should be present have qualified, with just a few notable exceptions. Nils Schumann is probably the name most obviously missing. Injuries and operations have spoilt his chances to defend his title. Another absentee is William Yiampoy. In great form recently, but 'only' fourth at the Kenyan trials. The same happened to David Krummenacker, although his fourth place was obviously at the US trials.
But all the other relevant athletes are there. Here are the main medal contenders:
- Wilfred Bungei (KEN)
He was clearly the nr 1 from last year but missed the Kenyan trials because of illness. He holds this season's best time so far as well. His great win in Zürich should make him the favorite for gold. Based on his results during the last few seasons he truly deserves it. - Yuriy Borzakovskiy (RUS)
Yuriy has prepared himself with just a few races this year. But he did win convincingly at the Bislett Games. That near-miss at last year's World Championships means he is still waiting for his first major outdoor title. Will his tactics of even pace running come good this time? - Wilson Kipketer (DEN)
He wouldn't be there if he didn't think he could fill that one last gap on his vast list of merits. He only ran twice this season: a win in Rome, but only fourth in Zürich. He's one of the oldest competitors by now - will he be able to survive three rounds in the Greek heat? Common sense tells us it's going to be tough. - Youssef Saad Kamel (BRN)
Last year Djabir Saïd-Guerni went on to become World Champion after winning the Zürich B-race, a stat that did not go unnoticed on Youssef after his spectacular win in a new Asian record. A single race has suddenly promoted him to being a major contender. Experienced followers felt he ran "just like his father". That's just what you want to hear if your father happens to be former double World Champion Billy Konchellah. - Joseph Mutua (KEN)
A pretty consistent Kenyan runner, third in Zürich recently. Not too many big prizes yet, but that could be about to change.
As usual there are at least as many outsiders. In no particular order:
- Djabir Saïd-Guerni (ALG)
He doesn't appear to be at the peak of his powers - but he was rarely ever mentioned last year and still managed to become World Champion. So ignoring his chances is the last thing that any rival will have in mind. - Mbulaeni Mulaudzi (RSA)
When he won the World Indoor Championships earlier this year he looked bound to be a hot favorite in Athens. But since then his results have been poor. He had a fall in Paris and came last in Zürich. His confidence can't be too high after all that. - Hezekiél Sepeng (RSA)
Winner of quite a few prizes, the biggest one was a silver medal eight years ago in Atlanta. The talent is still there, but does he still have the stamina? - André Bucher (SUI)
The great 2001 World Champion doesn't look like he could still reach the final. His season has been patchy and he is ranked outside the top 30 so far. Even on his home soil in Zürich he couldn't avoid finishing next to last. He was quoted saying that the Olympics are totally different from a Grand Prix race. Those may be wise words, but it could turn out to be just wishful thinking. - Michael Rotich (KEN)
The 'unknown' Kenyan, but anyone surviving the Kenyan trials appears to have a decent chance to make the Olympic final as well. He also ran a PB this year and has been very consistent the past few seasons. - Antonio Reina (ESP)
He seemed out of touch for a season and a half, but has just run the second fastest race of his life. So he may have timed his season just right. - Amine Laalou (MAR)
A young talent, that looks just about ready to make a name for himself. Five marks below 1:45 this year are not too bad either.
The 800m always brings a surprise or two, so somehow an outsider will probably make the final anyway. Bram Som (NED) started off well this season, but injury problems make him an unlikely finalist. Of the three US runners Khadevis Robinson is most experienced, but neither he nor Jonathan Johnson or Derrick Peterson have ever reached a major international final. On the other hand Andrea Longo (ITA) did make the final in both Sydney and Paris, so he could well repeat that performance. Quite a few others from cooler areas look set to suffer in the heat. Among them Gary Reed (CAN) although he recently set a national record. Florent Lacasse (FRA) and Nicolas Aïssat (FRA) and Joeri Jansen (BEL) also appear to have only a slim chance to reach the final. The exception to this rule might come from Rene Herms (GER), who ran a strong new PB just a week before the Olympics.
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Prediction before the start of the championships:
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