Rashid Ramzi celebrates winning gold in the 1500m (© Getty Images)
CarloThey are currently IAAF World Ranked 5th, 2nd and 1st at 1500m and so have qualified for Saturday’s race (10), one of the most anticipated events of the 3rd IAAF World Athletics Final in Monaco (9 / 10 Sept). The World Championship seasons of Rashid Ramzi (BRN), Daniel Kipchirchir Komen (KEN) and Bernard Lagat (USA) have been starkly different, setting up an intriguing encounter in Monaco this weekend.
Three fastest – three generations
As they presently stand, Lagat (3:29.30 Area Record), Komen (3:29.72 PB), and Ramzi (3:30.00 Area Record and PB) are the three fastest 1500m runners of the summer. This trio conveniently also represent three distinct generations of the 1500m discipline. The 30-year-old Lagat is five years the senior of Ramzi, who in turn is 5 years older than Komen.
Historic double
With his historic 800m - 1500m double at the 10th IAAF World Championships in Athletics, Helsinki, Finland last month, Ramzi must be seen as the man to beat in Monaco. The first male athlete to take a global middle distance senior championship double since ‘Flying Kiwi’ Peter Snell secured the Olympic titles in 1964, Ramzi has had a seven race (inc heats) 1500m campaign this summer highlighted statistically by his Area record of 3:30.00 in the Rome TDK Golden League (8 July). On that occasion he showed a clean pair of heels to both Komen (2nd, 3:30.37) and Lagat (3rd, 3:31.09). At the 1500m, the former Moroccan who now runs for Bahrain, has competed once at 1500m since the World Championships, coming a relatively weary looking second to Komen in Brussels (3:32.81).
Making up for a missed opportunity in Helsinki
Komen who possessed the second fastest time in the world of 3:30.31, as stood when the World Championships began, went to Helsinki with confidence. This, then personal best, had come when winning the Paris TDK Golden League meeting on 1 July, and had improved on his previous fastest, a 3:30.77 winning performance in Doha at the Super Grand Prix (1 May). Notably, in Paris, Lagat had been one of his major scalps, with the 30-year-old finishing second in 3:30.64. But when the opening 1500m round took place in Helsinki on 6 August, all Komen’s self belief disappeared, as in the slowest of the three heats he was one place short of the five automatic qualification spots for the semi-final.
Since Helsinki, Komen has been a man looking for self respect, a mission which has so far seen him successfully accomplish three victories in Zurich (3:30.49 over Lagat), Brussels (3:31.13 – ahead of Ramzi), and last Sunday (3:29.72 – a new personal best). Note - At that meeting in Berlin, Ramzi was came fourth in the 800m (1:44.99) and Lagat was first at 5000m setting a PB of 12:59.29.
New country - No Helsinki distractions
Lagat, who was a multiple Olympic and World medallist at 1500m when representing the country of his birth, Kenya, has this summer begun representing USA on the circuit. In this capacity, he set the new Area record (3:29.30) when winning in Rieti (28 Aug), though of course his PB and Kenyan record is a lot quicker (2001 - 3:26.34). The rules regarding the change of national allegiance meant that Lagat, by changing his nationality knowingly decided that he would miss the World Championships, and so instead of pursuing Helsinki aspirations he has looked to the international one-day meeting circuit for solace.
Of course Lagat’s 3:29.30, the fastest in the world this year, has been the highlight of an eight race campaign at 1500m but notably when we are comparing these three men, it must be noted that he was beaten over the Mile in Eugene (4 June) by Ramzi 3:51.33 to 3:51.53, with both men losing to another 20 year-old Kenyan named Kipchirchir, Alex, who clocked 3:50.91. In another Mile race, in the Oslo TDK Golden League (29 July) Lagat beat Komen (3:48.38 to 3:48.49) but both were defeated by Qatari Dahame Najem Bashir’s Area record of 3:47.97 on that occasion.
Alex Kipchirchir (2005 - 3:30.82) the 2002 World Youth Champion, along with Ivan Heshko of Ukraine (2005 – 3:31.91), the 2003 World 1500m bronze medallist and European Indoor champion, are the 4th and 3rd World Ranked athletes currently at 1500m and the most likely runners to challenge the ‘big three’ in Monaco. Note. Heshko beat Lagat in Stockholm (26 July) – 3:33.18 to 3:33.55.
Chris Turner for the IAAF
The 2005 summers of the ‘Big Three’ at 1500m
RAMZI
1500 m
3:37.41 2 Manama 29 Apr
3:34.74 1r2 Stanford 30 May
3:30.00 1 Rome 8 Jul Area Record + PB
3:38.32 1h3 WC Helsinki 6 Aug
3:34.69 1s2 WC Helsinki 8 Aug
3:37.88 1 WC Helsinki 10 Aug
3:32.81 2 Brussels 26 Aug
KOMEN
1500 m
3:35.7hA 3 Nairobi 7 May
3:30.77 1 Doha 13 May
3:31.46 1r1 GP Seville 4 Jun
3:36.75A 1 Nairobi 25 Jun
3:30.01 1 Paris 1 Jul
3:30.37 2 Rome 8 Jul
3:41.91 6h2 WC Helsinki 6 Aug
3:30.49 1r2 Zürich 19 Aug
3:31.13 1 Brussels 26 Aug
3:29.72 1 Berlin 4 Sep PB
LAGAT
1500 m
3:34.34 1 Carson CA 22 May
3:36.73 3rA Zaragoza 24 Jun
3:30.64 2 Paris 1 Jul
3:31.09 3 Rome 8 Jul
3:33.12 1 London 22 Jul
3:33.55 2r3 Stockholm 26 Jul
3:31.04 2r2 Zürich 19 Aug
3:29.30 1 Rieti 28 Aug Area Record