Yusuf Saad Kamel meeting with the press in Zurich (© Bob Ramsak)
Zürich, SwitzerlandVarious World champions from Berlin have revealed the critical factors in their success but only Bahrain's 1500m champion Youssef Saad Kamel has said that his victory was down to having his mobile telephone confiscated.
Like a naughty schoolboy caught talking too often in class, Kamel's coach took the 26-year-old's link with the outside world away to get him to concentrate on training at a crucial period in the season.
Three week sentence
Kamel, who himself admits that he can sometimes be less-than-assiduous in training if there are distractions available, revealed the story ahead of an outing over his gold-medal winning distance at the Weltklasse Zürich meeting, the fifth stop on the ÅF Golden League series, on Friday night.
“I was training in Switzerland earlier this summer and I didn't have my telephone with me and didn't talk to anyone. That was why I was so successful in Berlin. I was closed, it was like being in prison, because my coach had said 'Youssef, you cannot be with your phone' and he took my phone away,” reflected Kamel.
His coach is Tareq Sabt whose cruel-to-be-kind methods can't be too quibbled with as he also guided his wife Maryam Yusef Jamal to the defense of her women's 1500m title.
“So I only got my phone on Sundays and we always did a very hard training session on a Sunday, just one session but it was very hard. However, I was really tired and I wanted to sleep in the afternoon so I didn't have time to call anyone,” added Kamel slightly sheepishly.
“In fact, I didn't have time for anything. But I think I will make these sacrifices again in the future because I have seen the achievement I can make. After all, I won the 1500m and I almost did the double. Now I'm going to see whether I can give up my phone for three months. If I do, maybe I can run 1:41 for the 800m.”
Family affair
Prior to this year, Kamel was more widely known as an 800m runner and has the family record over two laps of the track after running 1:42.79 in Monaco last year but he feels he is still in the shade of his father Billy Konchellah (note: Kamel was formerly named Gregory Konchellah until he switched nationality from Kenya to Bahrain) who won both the 1987 and 1991 IAAF World Championships 800m titles.
“My father won two gold medals and I've only got one so until I get three wins at the World Championships, I can't say I'm better than him even though I'm faster.
“But I think the Konchellah family has good genes and that has helped me. My dad didn't run 1:42 but his brother (Patrick Konchellah, 1:42.98 in 1997) has and so have I. For sure, there is something inside us.
“My father has also helped me tremendously as well even though he is not my coach. He told me that I have to remember my Masai roots, be a warrior and that I had no need to fear anyone,” said Kamel, whose victory made it the first time that a son had followed in the footsteps of his father and won a World Championships gold medal, even if they were in different events.
Spoilt for choice
His history now makes it inevitable that people want to know which event Kamel prefers. Does he favour the 800m or 1500m? The enquiry is made more pertinent by the fact that he also won a bronze medal over the shorter distance in Berlin.
Kamel was pleasantly candid in his answer when faced with the question.
“I like both the 800m and 1500m but for different reasons. However, in 800m at the moment, it's very tough, but the 1500m doesn't have very strong guys like Hicham El Guerrouj anymore so I think I now like the longer distance better.
“It's simple, if you make a mistake at the 1500m, you can still catch up with the guys, but if you make a mistake at the 800m it's just a short distance. It's also easier for me to win races. If you go through a fast 400m in the 800m, let's say 51 or 52, it's difficult to go 50 on the last lap. In the 1500m, guys go 56 or 57 for the first few laps and I feel so comfortable and I still have a lot of energy to kick over the last 100m.
“I think I will change permanently in the near future to the 1500m because I want to be like El Guerrouj and run 3:26, 3:27 and 3:28 regularly. Next year I think I can run 3:29 or 3:28 but I have to discuss this with my coach.”
So will he go under the iconic 3:30 barrier in Zürich, into the bargain smashing his personal best of 3:31.56 which he also set in Monaco but this time only a month ago.
Tired but a point to prove
“For tomorrow night (Friday) I don't want to make any predictions. Honestly, I'm still tired after Berlin, I did six races in nine days but I think I can run a personal best as I have confidence.
“I also choose to run the 1500m over the 800m here because some guys were saying, 'Youssef, you didn't win in Berlin fairly.' Some athletes have been saying that behind my back but I want to prove to them that I don't fear anyone. I want to compete with them and defeat them,” said Kamel, harking back to the tactical and sometimes eccentric1500m final in the German capital which he won in a relatively modest 3:35.93 after unleashing an astonishing burst of acceleration over the final 40 metres.
“My eventual dream is to break the world record over 1500m and I'm sure I can do it. I have been fighting all these years over 800m and last year I ran 1:42 and for sure, it's not the end of my career over two laps.
“Next year there are no meetings as big as the World Championships or the Olympics. Yes, we have the Asian Games, but they are not quite the same, so I will try to run fast. Just watch me,” he warned.
Phil Minshull for the IAAF
Like a naughty schoolboy caught talking too often in class, Kamel's coach took the 26-year-old's link with the outside world away to get him to concentrate on training at a crucial period in the season.
Three week sentence
Kamel, who himself admits that he can sometimes be less-than-assiduous in training if there are distractions available, revealed the story ahead of an outing over his gold-medal winning distance at the Weltklasse Zürich meeting, the fifth stop on the ÅF Golden League series, on Friday night.
“I was training in Switzerland earlier this summer and I didn't have my telephone with me and didn't talk to anyone. That was why I was so successful in Berlin. I was closed, it was like being in prison, because my coach had said 'Youssef, you cannot be with your phone' and he took my phone away,” reflected Kamel.
His coach is Tareq Sabt whose cruel-to-be-kind methods can't be too quibbled with as he also guided his wife Maryam Yusef Jamal to the defense of her women's 1500m title.
“So I only got my phone on Sundays and we always did a very hard training session on a Sunday, just one session but it was very hard. However, I was really tired and I wanted to sleep in the afternoon so I didn't have time to call anyone,” added Kamel slightly sheepishly.
“In fact, I didn't have time for anything. But I think I will make these sacrifices again in the future because I have seen the achievement I can make. After all, I won the 1500m and I almost did the double. Now I'm going to see whether I can give up my phone for three months. If I do, maybe I can run 1:41 for the 800m.”
Family affair
Prior to this year, Kamel was more widely known as an 800m runner and has the family record over two laps of the track after running 1:42.79 in Monaco last year but he feels he is still in the shade of his father Billy Konchellah (note: Kamel was formerly named Gregory Konchellah until he switched nationality from Kenya to Bahrain) who won both the 1987 and 1991 IAAF World Championships 800m titles.
“My father won two gold medals and I've only got one so until I get three wins at the World Championships, I can't say I'm better than him even though I'm faster.
“But I think the Konchellah family has good genes and that has helped me. My dad didn't run 1:42 but his brother (Patrick Konchellah, 1:42.98 in 1997) has and so have I. For sure, there is something inside us.
“My father has also helped me tremendously as well even though he is not my coach. He told me that I have to remember my Masai roots, be a warrior and that I had no need to fear anyone,” said Kamel, whose victory made it the first time that a son had followed in the footsteps of his father and won a World Championships gold medal, even if they were in different events.
Spoilt for choice
His history now makes it inevitable that people want to know which event Kamel prefers. Does he favour the 800m or 1500m? The enquiry is made more pertinent by the fact that he also won a bronze medal over the shorter distance in Berlin.
Kamel was pleasantly candid in his answer when faced with the question.
“I like both the 800m and 1500m but for different reasons. However, in 800m at the moment, it's very tough, but the 1500m doesn't have very strong guys like Hicham El Guerrouj anymore so I think I now like the longer distance better.
“It's simple, if you make a mistake at the 1500m, you can still catch up with the guys, but if you make a mistake at the 800m it's just a short distance. It's also easier for me to win races. If you go through a fast 400m in the 800m, let's say 51 or 52, it's difficult to go 50 on the last lap. In the 1500m, guys go 56 or 57 for the first few laps and I feel so comfortable and I still have a lot of energy to kick over the last 100m.
“I think I will change permanently in the near future to the 1500m because I want to be like El Guerrouj and run 3:26, 3:27 and 3:28 regularly. Next year I think I can run 3:29 or 3:28 but I have to discuss this with my coach.”
So will he go under the iconic 3:30 barrier in Zürich, into the bargain smashing his personal best of 3:31.56 which he also set in Monaco but this time only a month ago.
Tired but a point to prove
“For tomorrow night (Friday) I don't want to make any predictions. Honestly, I'm still tired after Berlin, I did six races in nine days but I think I can run a personal best as I have confidence.
“I also choose to run the 1500m over the 800m here because some guys were saying, 'Youssef, you didn't win in Berlin fairly.' Some athletes have been saying that behind my back but I want to prove to them that I don't fear anyone. I want to compete with them and defeat them,” said Kamel, harking back to the tactical and sometimes eccentric1500m final in the German capital which he won in a relatively modest 3:35.93 after unleashing an astonishing burst of acceleration over the final 40 metres.
“My eventual dream is to break the world record over 1500m and I'm sure I can do it. I have been fighting all these years over 800m and last year I ran 1:42 and for sure, it's not the end of my career over two laps.
“Next year there are no meetings as big as the World Championships or the Olympics. Yes, we have the Asian Games, but they are not quite the same, so I will try to run fast. Just watch me,” he warned.
Phil Minshull for the IAAF