Hicham El Guerrouj crosses the finish line of the men's 1500m (© Getty Images)
Quadruple World 1500m champion Hicham El Guerrouj of Morocco will make his season's indoor debut at the 10th edition of the Gaz de France Indoor Meeting in Lievin, France tomorrow, Saturday 28 February.
The 29 year-old Moroccan who, despite seldom running indoors nowadays, still holds the World records for the indoor 1500m (3:31.18, 1997) and the Mile (3:48.45, 1997), last ran indoors last year at this same meeting, winning the Two Miles in a national record of 8:06.61 (23 Feb 2003).
Tomorrow, El Guerrouj will race the 3000m, aiming at Haile Gebrselassie's world season’s lead of 7:29.34. The Moroccan's indoor national record best over the distance is 7:33.73 which was an intermediate clocking set during his Two Miles race last year. His best outdoor clocking is ten seconds quicker – 7:23.09 – which he ran in Brussels in 1999.
The pace will be set by Kenyan Martin Keino who also acted the rabbit last week (20 Feb) for Ethiopian Kenenisa Bekele’s successful 5000m record bid in Birmingham. Fellow Ethiopian, Markos Geneti who vanquished an injured Gebrselassie over Two Miles at the same meeting, and is the best of the Ethiopian 3000m squad for next week’s World Indoor Championships in Budapest, will be the Moroccan’s closest rival.
El Guerrouj is not contesting those World Indoors having last won gold at those championships in 2001 (3000m) and having twice (1995 & 1997) taken the 1500m World Indoor title in his career. Rather the concentration of the World outdoor 1500m and Mile record holder is focused on this summer’s Athens Games and his bid to win his first Olympic title.
Quality 200m
The 200m boosts three men from the top-5 of this season’s world list, Cameroon’s Joseph Batangon (20.75), Allyn Condon of Britain (20.64) and Sweden’s Johan Wissman (20.66) are currently 1-3-5 on the yearly list. Throw in France’s Leslie Djhone and Namabia’s Frankie Fredericks, who remains the World indoor record holder at the distance, and you have a field to savour.
France’s Mehdi Baala who finished second behind El Guerrouj in the World 1500m final in Paris last summer goes in the 1000m, while at 1500m the reigning World Indoor champion Driss Maazouzi will make only his second start of the year before his attempt to defend his world indoor crown in Budapest next weekend. Rui Silva of Portugal, the 2001 World Indoor champion and the season's second fastest in the event, is also in the field.
Xiang Lui goes over the Hurdles
Most interestingly considering the formulation of the American 60m Hurdles squad which is taking place at the USATF nationals this weekend in Boston, is the appearance in Lievin of China’s Xiang Lui (7.51 - Shanghai 14 Feb) who is the second fastest in the world this year, and is set to be the stiffest of challengers for defending World Indoor champion Allen Johnson (USA) next weekend in Budapest.
The men’s High Jump features world season’s number two, Czech Jaroslav Baba (2.34) who takes on, among others, Russia’s Olympic champion Sergey Klyugin.
Golden Girls on show
Three of France’s 2003 World sprint relay “Golden Girls” go in the women’s 60m led by Christine Arron (7.08 last weekend), with Muriel Hurtis and Sylviane Felix in attendance.
Canada’s World 100m Hurdles champion Perdita Felicien is the star attraction of the women’s 60m Hurdles, while Britain’s Hayley Tullett the World outdoor 1500m bronze medallist goes in the 1500m. The Briton will contest the 3000m in Budapest.
Feofanova and Barber to star infield
Svetlana Feofanova who set a new World record of 4.85m last Sunday in Athens is the obvious star of the women’s Pole Vault, as she puts in the final preparations before she defends her World title in Budapest.
The crowds attention will also be focused on France’s World Long Jump champion Eunice Barber who is making her indoor season’s debut and intends to jump in Budapest next week. Russia’s Olga Rublyova has a 6.78 seasonal best and should be her nearest challenger.
IAAF
