Ville Ritola leads Paavo Nurmi at the 1928 Olympics (© Getty Images)
Before reaffirming his total fitness at the Zurich Weltklasse – IAAF Golden League – meeting with a marvellous 3:29.12 victory, Hicham El Guerrouj, the three time World 1500m champion reconfirmed that will extend his repertoire by attempting an audacious 1500m and 5000m double at next week’s 9th IAAF World Championships in Athletics, Paris 2003 Saint-Denis (23-31 August).
It was last year that the Moroccan World record holder at 1500m and the Mile first announced his attempt at an historic double in Paris, and he is maintaining his resolve despite the fact that the heats of the 5000m take place the day after the 1500m final.
“I want to keep my promise. I want to win my fourth title over 1500m and then attack the 5000m as a rehearsal for what I might do at the Olympics in Athens,” said El Guerrouj. “There's no doubt that the 1500m is like a baby I've brought up by myself, I know everything about it, but the 5000m is a leap into the unknown. I'm scared of the 5000m. Not of any particular runner, I'm just scared of the event."
In Paris, El Guerrouj will be embarking on an historic path which has been audaciously tackled, successfully and unsuccessfully by some of the great names of our sport. Ken Nakamura now takes us through a history of 1500m/5000m doubling at major championships.
NURMI
On July 10, 1924 in the Paris Olympic Games, Finland's Paavo Nurmi won the 1500m in 3:53.6. Nurmi, the World record holder (3:52.6 on June 19, 1924 in Helsinki) in the 1500m, did so with ease; his margin of victory was 1.4 seconds, despite slowing down in the closing stages of the race. It was a historic day, for less than an hour later he was back on the track to contest the 5000m. And he won!
Nurmi, the ‘Phantom Finn’ had as his main competition in the 5000m, his compatriot and arch-rival Ville Ritola, who earlier had won the 10,000m (in a World record) and 3000m Steeplechase gold medals.
Nurmi, the heir to the first of the ‘Flying Finns’ Hannes Kolehmainen, was the World record holder in the both the 1500m and 5000m, having set both records on 19 June 1924 in Helsinki’s Eläintarha stadium, which later became the training/warm up track for the Olympic stadium. That June afternoon was Nurmi’s rehearsal for the Paris’ double.
In the Olympic 5000m his rivals - Ritola and Edvin Wide of Sweden - set a near suicidal pace of 2:46.4 for the first 1000m (13:52 5000m pace). Nurmi, who was known for his keen sense of pace, stayed behind in the early stages of the race. He worked his way up, took the lead nearing the half way point and won in 14:31.2, two-tenths of a second ahead of Ritola. Thus not only had Nurmi completed the unprecedented double, he had also foiled Ritola’s attempt to win his third gold medal of the games.
KEINO and AOUITA
Seventeen Olympic Games later, Nurmi’s double remains unmatched. The closest anybody has ever come to matching it was in the Olympics of 1968 Olympic Games, when Kip Keino won the gold and silver medals in the 1500m and 5000m respectively.
The double has never been accomplished in the World Championships either, in fact nobody has ever medalled in the both events at the Worlds. One of the reasons why this double is so elusive is because the final of the both events has been held on the same day in Helsinki 83, Rome 87, Tokyo 91, and Gothenburg 95.
However, in Paris 2003 Saint-Denis, the schedule allows Hicham El Guerrouj, the greatest 1500m runner of our time, the opportunity to pick up Nurmi’s mantle.
Looking back at the last 20 years, Morocco's Said Aouita could have doubled in the 1987 World Championships, as well as in the 1984 and 1988 Olympic Games. Like Nurmi, Aouita was the World record holder at both the 1500m and 5000m, having recorded 3:29.46 in 1985, and 13:00.40 and 12:58.39 in 1985 and 1987 respectively. He was one of the best at both distances from 1984 to 1989, but in all three occasions the finals of the 1500m and 5000m were on the same day.
Keino came closest to matching Nurmi’s double in the Olympics. In the 1968 Olympics, Keino won the 1500m in the Olympic record of 3:34.91. Three days earlier Keino finished second to Tunisia’s Mohamed Gammoudi in the 5000m with 14:05.16. It should to be noted that Gammoudi outkicked Keino in the last 200m despite Keino’s 1500m speed. While Gammoudi’s best at the 1500m was 3:41.9, Keino was 7 seconds faster in 1968 (3:34.91).
Although Keino failed with his 1500m/5000m double at the Olympics, he was successful elsewhere. In the 1965 All African Games Keino won the 1500m in 3:41.1 over Charles Maina (3:47.8); he also won the 5000m in 13:44.4 over Naftali Temu (13:58.4).
A year later, the 1966 Commonwealth Games was held in Kingston, Jamaica. It was a championships of great historic significance, for on the first day of Athletics Naftali Temu of Kenya won the six-miles. It was the first gold medal won by the Kenyan distance runner in the major championships. The rest, as often being said, is history.
The 3-Miles showdown between Keino and Ron Clarke in the Commonwealth Games was billed as the most eagerly awaited duel since Roger Bannister versus John Landy over the Mile in 1954.
By 2-Miles (8:37.7) Keino and Clarke broke away from the rest of the field. Around the first bend on the final lap Keino challenged Clarke but held him off. Down the back straight for the final time, Keino challenged Clarke again. And soon Keino was alone. With his final lap of 56.3, Keino won in 12.57.4, a Games’ record and the fifth fastest time in history.
Five days later, Keino, leading all the way, also won the mile in 3:55.34, thus completing the double. Four years later in Edinburgh, Keino won the 1500m but was relegated to third place in the 5000m by two Scots – Ian Stewart and Ian McCafferty.
WOODERSON and MOORCROFT
Nurmi and Keino are not the only runners who have successfully completed a major championships 1500m and 5000m double. In the Asian Games, two runners – Keisuke Sawaki in 1966 and Mohammed Suleiman in 1990 and 1998 – have won both events.
Though an achievement of much less magnitude, several runners have won both the 1500m and 5000m golds in different editions of the championships. In the 1938 European Championships, Britain’s Sydney Wooderson won the 1500m, while eight years later after WWII had postponed all competition he won the 5000m in 14:08.6 at the 1946 European Championships.
In the 1978 Commonwealth Games, David Moorcroft won the 1500m, and returned four years later as the World record holder at the 5000m, and won that distance at the 1982 edition.
JAZY and NORPOTH
Wooderson and Moorcroft, however, are not the only runners who have won the 1500m before moving up to the 5000m in the next edition of the championships. Michel Jazy, the 1960 Olympic silver medallist in the 1500m, won the same event in 3:40.9 at the 1962 European Championships.
Jazy moved up to the 5000m for the 1964 Olympics. In Tokyo, he hit the front with 1000m to go and led by 10 metres at the bell, but apparently misjudged the pace, and was passed by Bob Schul, Harald Norpoth and Bill Dellinger in succession to finish a disappointing fourth.
Two years later Jazy attempted a 1500m/5000m double in the 1966 European Championships. First, with 200m to go in the 1500m race, Norpoth lead from Bodo Tummler and Jazy. On the home straight, Tummler kicked passed Norpoth and then held off Jazy, who finished second in the 1500m with 3:42.2.
Three days later Jazy lined up for the 5000m final. The race stayed slow through 4000m (11:14.6). With one lap to go, Norpoth was again in the lead; he tried everything in his power to get away from Jazy with no avail. Jazy passed him in the home straight and thus won his first major championships at 5000m to compliment his 1500m gold from four years before.
It should be noted that, Norpoth had thus finished third in the 1500m and second in the 5000m.
SZABO
Turning briefly to the women’s events, in the first two editions of the World Championships, Mary Decker and Tatyana Samolenko won both the 1500m and 3000m. However, since the introduction of the 5000m in the major championships in 1995, no woman has successfully doubled in the both events at the major championships.
Gabriela Szabo has come the closest, having won a medal in the both events in the 2000 Olympics. First at 5000m, Szabo unleashed her devastating kick (last 200m in 28.6) to hold off Sonia O’Sullivan on the home straight. She won the 5000m in the Olympic record time of 14:40.79. Five days later Szabo won bronze medal in the 1500m, despite being forced to hurdle over the runner in mid-race. Incidentally, Szabo won both the 1500m and 5000m in the 1995 World University Games.
SLIJKHUIS
Several other runners have won medals at both the 1500m and 5000m in the same championships.
Willem Slijkhuis was a bronze medalist at both the 1500m and 5000m in the 1948 Olympic Games. He also won silver in the 5000m in the 1946 European Championships, before winning gold in the 1500m in the 1950 Europeans.
Len Eyre won silver in the 1500m and gold in 5000m in the 1950 Empire Games, while Albie Thomas was 3rd in the 1500m and 2nd in the 5000m in 1958 Empire Games. Turning to the Pan American Games, John Twomey was 3rd in the 1500m and 2nd in the 5000m in the 1951 edition.
JIPCHO
Both the 1500m and 5000m in the 1974 Commonwealth Games were races of epic proportions. Not only did Ben Jipcho win a medal in both events, but he also won the 3000m Steeplchase!
The 5000m race turned out to be an epic battle between Jipcho and Brendan Foster. At 2400m, Foster surged, taking Jipcho with him. With 800m to go, Foster started to wind up the pace (1:59.8 for the last 800m, 55.3 for the final 400m), yet Jipcho not only stayed with him, but moved slightly ahead of him in the final metres. Jipcho won in 13:14.3, the second fastest time in history, while Foster finished with 13:14.6, the third fastest time.
Eight days later in the 1500m, Filbert Bayi went out on his usual brisk pace (54.9 and 1:52.2 for the first 400m and 800m respectively). On the final lap Jipcho, led the chase but Bayi held on for the win with the World record of 3:32.16. Jipcho finished third in 3:33.16, the fourth fastest time ever, winning his third medal of the championships.
2003
The Stade de France now awaits El Guerrouj’s attempt to wrap himself in Nurmi’s mantle but as Keino found to his cost in the 1968 Olympics, and El Guerrouj experienced this summer when losing to the then Kenyan Stephen Cherono (13:48.81 to 13:50.24) at his senior debut at the distance, the miler’s speed does not guarantee success. In any case Abraham Chebii and Kenenisa Bekele might have had something decisive to say on the track before it even reaches a finishing straight battle.
