Posted: July 14, 2004

Athletics: Wilson Kipketer - 'Thinking About The Small Things'

From David Monti

(c) 2004 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved RaceResultsWeekly.com

By Bob Ramsak

After a remarkable decade-long span at the top of his event, 800 meter world record holder Wilson Kipketer sent a strong signal that he’s not yet ready to concede the one trophy missing from his otherwise stellar resume --that of Olympic champion.

After a sub-par 2003 season, the three-time world champion was somewhat overlooked this year in the highly competitive and wildly unpredictable 800 meter scene. But that status changed 12 days ago at Rome's Golden Gala after his world-leading 1:43.88 win, his first victory since June 15, 2003.

Exuberant after the race, Kipketer acknowledged that his win, coming in his first race in nine months against the finest field assembled this year, gave his confidence a boost as his Olympic campaign began.

"It was important to get the confidence back," said the Kenyan-born Dane after his 6/100s of second win over South African Hezekiel Sepeng. "That’s the most important part: to get that feeling back, and to see how the race went. And it went just according to plan." The 33-year-old placed an acute emphasis on the term "feeling," lending it a meaning that only someone who has covered the distance in 1:42.61 or less an astounding 13 times --more often than anyone else-- can express.

Prior to his arrival in Rome, Kipketer said he wasn't concerning himself with posting a world-leading time. “I was just thinking about the small things," he said. "If you think too much about 1:43 or something like that, you forget about the small things. I wanted to concentrate on the small things, because after that the other things are taken care of."

In a textbook-perfect performance at the Stadio Olimpico, Kipketer blazed through heavy traffic down the homestretch, keenly aware of his surroundings while focusing solely on the finish line. "There was a little bit of weaving, so I went to the inside. I saw some runners on the outside, but I didn’t want to think about them. I just wanted to see the finish line, so I closed fast." With a wry smile, he added, "I was good."

Indeed, Kipketer's been "good" for a long time.

Since his emergence on the international stage in 1994, a year in which he posted three of the year's five fastest times, Kipketer has exhibited a remarkable penchant for overcoming obstacles and bouncing back from injury and illness. Kipketer has lived in Denmark since 1990 --he also owns in Monaco-- and was allowed to compete for his adopted country since 1995, but his entry to the 1996 Olympics, where he would have been an overwhelming favorite, was blocked by the Kenyan federation. Despite his absence from Atlanta, his season was nonetheless phenomenal, with five successive sub-1:43 performances and a season-capping 1:41.83, just shy of Sebastian Coe's 1:41.73 world record. 1997 would be even better. At the World Indoor Championships, he lowered the world record twice: first to 1:43.96 in his heat, and again to 1:42.67 in the final, taking more than two seconds from the previous standard. Outdoors, he tied Coe's world record in Stockholm, and after a successful outdoor world title defense, set a new outdoor mark of 1:41.24 in Zurich. Soon after, he ran 1:41.11 in Cologne, ending the season with a 27-race win streak.

In 1998, he was sidelined much of the year with malaria and liver ailments, but still managed a 1:43.18 best. He returned the following year with yet another undefeated season and a third world title, but an Olympic title would elude him in 2000. Losing a crucial month of training with a calf injury, he finished second in Sydney behind surprise winner Nils Schumann of Germany. 2001 was yet another season beset by injury, but in 2002, he won eight of his nine races, including the European title. Last year, he finished a disappointing fourth at the World Championships, and only managed one win in six outdoor races. His dominance appeared to be waning --until his outing earlier this month.

While his message in Rome was clear, he insisted that his performance was not meant to put other competitors on notice. It was much more personal.

“Oh no, the message is only for me,” he said. “The message is to see where I am now, at what kind of level I am, and to see what I need for the next level.”

Kipketer races next in Zurich's Weltklasse Golden League meet on Friday, August 6.