BEIJING (20-Aug) -- When Rashid Ramzi flirted with the Olympic 1500m record in the opening round last Friday, he was sending a clear signal to his rivals: I am the one to beat.
An indeed, he was. In a herky-jerky race, the Moroccan-born Bahraini was in fifth position at the bell, but his explosive 52.9 second final lap could not be matched by any others in the field. Getting closest was the willowy teenager from Kenya, Asbel Kiprop, who did his best to catch Ramzi in the final 100 meters, but fell 17/100ths of a second short, 3:33.11 to 3:32.94.
"I didn't believe in my wildest dreams that I'd be Olympic champion," Ramzi told reporters after becoming the first Bahraini 1500m champion in Olympic history. "But the dream didn't come from nothing. I had to work hard to achieve it."
Kiwi Nick Willis said that he trusted his coaches advice to move away from the rail, and was able to hold off Frenchman Mehdi Baala who was closing fast on the inside. Willis, the former University of Michigan star, clocked 3:34.16 to Baala's 3:34.21, winning New Zealand's first medal in this event since John Walker won the Olympic title in Montreal in 1976.
"With 60 metres to go I thought the medal was mine," Willis told TVNZ after the race. "Then with 20 meters to go I saw him on the big screen and dug deep. At the end the power came not from my legs, but from my soul."
Ramzi is scheduled to compete in the first round of the 5000m. Ramzi, who complained of a sore shin, told reporters that he needed to discuss the situation with coach Khalid Boulami before deciding if he would run again in the Bird's Nest tonight.
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