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By Bob Ramsak
As he sets out on his quest for double Olympic gold this summer, Bernard Lagat will have plenty of supporters. Among them is the man whose achievement he’ll be hoping to emulate in Beijing: world record holder and reigning double Olympic champion Hicham El Guerrouj.
“Bernard proved in Osaka, thanks to determination and passion, that he can do it,” El Guerrouj, the finest middle distance runner of his generation, said of his long-time rival, last fall.
In August, the Kenyan-born American became the first man in history to win the 1500m/5000m double at the same World Championships. In Beijing, he’ll be aiming to follow El Guerrouj and the legendary Paavo Nurmi, who took the same double in 1924, into the history books.
“Before, his problem was that he didn’t believe it, but now he thinks he can,” El Guerrouj continued. “The door is open.”
Among a small handful of races prior to the U.S. Olympic Trials in late June will be an outing in the 1500m at the adidas Track Classic, in Carson, Calif., on May 18. Lagat already has Olympic bronze and silver over this distance in his collection from 2000 an 2004, respectively, on both occasions crossing the line behind El Guerrouj.
While their on-track rivalry ended on the track in Athens, and for good with El Guerrouj’s retirement in 2006, The Moroccan suggested that his departure from the scene doesn’t make things any easier for Lagat, history’s second fastest 1500m runner and the U.S. record holder.
“My retiring liberated him, but maybe also put extra pressure on him,” El Guerrouj said. “I don’t have any advice really, just to remain calm and stay strong mentally. The Olympics are so stressful that sometimes it can backfire, but Lagat has all the qualities to do it.”
Lagat is also expected to contest the 5000m at the Payton Jordan Cardinal Invitational at Stanford on May 4, prior to the trials, which begin on June 27 with the first round of the 5000m.
In 2006, Lagat won both the 1500m and 5000m at the U.S. Championships, a first. Last year he defended his 5000m title and was third in the 1500m.
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