Agony is over for El Guerrouj
The 29-year-old four-time world outdoor champion won in a thrilling duel with Kenya’s Bernard Lagat to cross the line in 3min 34.18sec. Lagat took silver in 3:34.30 and Rui Silva of Portugal won the bronze in 3:34.68.
El Guerrouj had taken up the pace with two laps remaining after an early slow pace set by the three Kenyans.
At the bell El Guerrouj was still in front but being tracked by Lagat and the menacing form of Ukrainian Ivan Heshko loomed large.
However, they soon shook off Heshko but Lagat stuck to him like a limpet and on the final bend moved alongside him. Neither could get the edge as first El Guerrouj held his own.
But then at the 40 metres from the line mark Lagat moved ahead but he could not kill him off and the Moroccan was back alongside him and then moved ahead with just metres left to win a quite outstanding battle.
The race had been halted at first because of a rare false start but as the pace was reduced to snail’s pace by the Kenyans, burly Spaniard Reyes Estevez pushed to the front after a lap and a half.
El Guerrouj soon moved ahead and from then on he was in charge until Lagat threatened to leave him utterly destroyed without the one title he craved so much.
Shawn Crawford was all business earlier in the evening, speeding into the semi-finals of the 200m in 19.95 seconds despite slowing significantly in the last 20 metres of the race.
Crawford’s time was the fastest of the second round and the third fastest in the world this year.
Crawford, who finished fourth in the 100 after dominating the early rounds, was joined in the semis by US teammates Bernard Williams and Justin Gatlin, the 100m gold medalist.
Williams won his heat in 20.40, while Gatlin was first in his heat in 20.03. Also advancing to tonight’s semi-finals were 100 silver medalist Francis Obikwelu of Portugal and two-time silver medalist Frank Fredericks of Namibia.
Ezekiel Kemboi continued the Kenyan tradition in the Olympic Games 3,000m steeplechase when he led home a clean sweep by the East African nation, winning in 8min 5.81sec.
Kenya have won the steeplechase title at every Games they have attended since 1968, missing only the 1976 and 1980 gold medals due to boycotts.
Teenager Brimin Kipruto was second in 8:06.11 while Paul Koech, the pre-race favourite as the only man under eight minutes this year, was third in 8:06.64.
Britain’s Kelly Holmes on Tuesday kept alive her bid to achieve a rare double of 800m and 1500m.
Barely 24 hours after winning an unexpected gold medal in the 800m, Holmes was back on the track and progressing easily through to Thursday’s semi-final of the 1500m.
Holmes was happy to stay at the back of the field until the last 200m when she accelerated away, rounded the bunched leading group and eased into second place behind Natalya Yevdokimova of Russia in a time of 4 min 05.58 sec.
Czech soldier and world record holder Roman Sebrle put together a tally of 8893 points to claim the Olympic Games decathlon title.
His score was the fifth best of all time, despite only taking the lead after the penultimate event. American champion Brian Clay finished with the silver medal with 8820 points. Kazakhstan’s Dimitry Karpov was third.
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