Rashid Ramzi will not be defending his 800m title on Sunday. The Bahrainian has had an injury-hit season and simply ran out of steam in the men’s 800m semi-finals this evening as the stresses and strains of five races and the trauma of losing his 1500m title on Wednesday finally caught up with him.
But he wasn’t the the only medal hope to bite the dust as another man perished in a third heat that was heavily loaded with podium prospects.
The Bahrainian Youssef Saad Kamel was one of them. He holds the third quickest time in the world this year, but won’t be emulating his father, the great Kenyan Billy Konchellah who was World champion in 1987 and 1991.
Finishing fourth, Kamel missed qualification as a fastest loser by 0.08s.
Their absence increases Yuriy Borzakovskiy’s prospects of finally adding the World title to his Olympic crown. The Russian, who’s finished as silver medallist in 2005 and 2003, ran an intelligent, controlled race to win that third heat in 1:54.12.
Alfred Yego of Kenya was the fastest qualifier after winning heat one in 1:44.54, his best of the year, with the Olympic silver medallist and this year’s fastest man, Mbulaeni Mulaudzi second in 1:44.71.
With only two to go through by right, Khadevis Robinson (USA) decided to make the race fast, hitting the front from the start and taking the field through the bell in 50.33. Mulaudzi was on his tail, though, with Yego and Uganda’s Abraham Chepkirwok also in contact.
It was these who took the top four positions, but Yego had the edge over the South African in the home straight, while Chepkirwok was third in 1:44.84 which turned out to be the third quickest of the round and easily enough to go through.
Robinson’s front running was all to no avail as he finished fourth in 1:45.45 and missed out.
Dmitriy Bogdanov did the pace-making duties in heat two, and although he was slower than the first race – 51.57 at 400m – he and Moroccan Amine Laalou opened a gap on the field that stretched to 10m. The great surprise was Ramzi, who languished in fifth, another three metres back, and when the move came to bridge the gap came, it wasn’t him but Reed.
Ramzi tried to find that killer change of gear that brought him two titles two years ago, but it just wasn’t there. He gave up in the straight and jogged in at the back of the field in 1:47.76.
Briton Michael Rimmer adopted the all or nothing, gamble or bust tactic in heat three. He blasted away and led by 15m at the bell, 51.42. It couldn’t last. Borzakovskiy led the chase, with Kamel, Bungei and the impressive Mohammed Al Salhi of Saudi Arabia on his tail.
As Rimmer cranked to a near full stop in the home straight, Borzakovskiy brought them home ahead of Bungei with Al Salhi in third pushing Kamel out of the final.
Osaka 2007 News Team/mkb
