Number one again. Wilson Kipketer has every reason to be happy, having just won a very fast race at the Ivo Vandamme Memorial in Brussels.

Halfway through the nineties Kipketer had definitely lifted 80 0m running to a new level. But in 2000 and 2001 injuries and fierce competition from his rivals meant he could no longer take his position at the top for granted.

In 2002 though he proved his exceptional talents once more. He won all his races except one (he came second in Zürich) and captured the European Championship that had eluded him four years earlier. In Brussels he recorded the first sub-1:43 mark of the season, and he would go on to improve that time several days later winning the fastest race of the year in Rieti.