Racing in a shoebox

By LEN JOHNSON

You see plenty of shoeboxes around a track and field championships as shoe companies hand out sponsor product like confetti at a wedding.

You don't expect to see the men's 1500 raced in a shoebox, however, yet that's pretty much what happened in a compelling, if slightly bizarre, final tonight.

 

For almost all of a race which went out at the sort of pace you would associate more with a 1950s sub-four minute mile attempt than a 21st century championship, the field of 12 ran as if they were inside a box. A strange box it was, too, with many athletes who might have done something to set the race alight trapped inside by others with no intention of doing anything but wait for the finishing kick.

Gus Choge led initially, but without any noticeable ambition. Among those trapped on the inside were defending champion Bernard Lagat and pre-race favourite Asbel Kiprop. This tight formation held up even when world indoor champion Deresse Mekonnen of Ethiopia took the lead coming up to the bell. The third 400 was actually run in 57 seconds (after 59.5, 60.5), but all the quickening came on the first bend of the final lap.

From there, it was a desperate sprint. The imprisoned had no hope. Lagat almost got out with 200 to go, but was cut off by Belal Mansoor Ali and Mehdi Baala to his outside. Kiprop, deep in the field but not so deep as to be able to drop out and come around, literally had nowhere to go.

Such tight formation running is more typical of an 800, so it was hardly a surprise that an 800 man _ 1:42.79 runner Yusuf Saad Kamel _ came with one of the few clear runs of the race to claim Mekonnen in the shadows of the post and win in 3:35.93. Mekonnen, Lagat and Kiprop followed within 0.54 seconds.

Kamel's 800 pedigree is impeccable. His father is Billy Konchellah, who won successive world championships 800s in 1987 and 1991. He finished 5th in last year's Olympic final.

 

Lagat finally found some air to come through the middle of the pack and claim the bronze medal. Kiprop did not get out until it was too late, and came charging home to grab Choge on the line for fourth, but could not push his way into the medals. How he must have rued passing up a half-chance to drop out of the back of the box in the back-straight of the third lap.

Later, Lagat told of how he had been in his hotel room during the afternoon thinking just one thing _ "don't get boxed: stay out of trouble". So, what happened? He went out and found some trouble, a box with nowhere to go until it was too late.

Coincidentally, while this was proceeding so too was a men's discus competition that in its own way also stayed inside a box, Germany's Robert Harting and Piotr Malachowski of Poland marching lock-step in search of the gold medal.

The third outdoor meeting between these great rivals was supposed to be in the 1500 final at the 1976 Olympics. They raced twice indoors in the US in the interim, each time over a mile. Bayi won both narrowly, but we were deprived of the climactic Olympic meeting by the African boycott, ironically, in protest against New Zealand's rugby ties with South Africa. Walker won the gold medal, turning the race into a long, sustained sprint over the final 300 metres.

 

Malachowski opened with a 68.77 metres throw; Harting replied with 68.25. The Pole threw 68.05, his German opponent 67.04. Round three went 67.00 to 67.80 and both fouled in round four.

By now Harting was throwing before Malachowski and he again reached 67.80 in the fifth round. The Pole looked to have landed the knock-out blow with a 69.15. To a massive build-up for his last throw, Harting produced a stunning 69.45. The crowd erupted, but Malachowski had one more throw. Out it flew, again beyond 65 metres, but only as far as 67.33.

The previous night Steffi Nerius had won Germany's first gold medal when her first-round throw stood up throughout the women's javelin. Now Harting did it in the last round. The fans didn't care how he did it, only that he had.

 

Len Johnson was The Melbourne Age athletics writer for over 20 years, covering five Olympics, 10 world championships and five Commonwealth Games. He is the author of The Landy Era, From Nowhere to the Top of the World, and a former national class distance runner (2.19.32 marathon) who trained with Chris Wardlaw and Robert de Castella.