Ahead of the World Athletics Awards 2019, we toast a special quintet of athletes from yesteryear who have all enjoyed great success at the glittering annual event.
&nbsp;
<h3>Usain Bolt</h3>
2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2016
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Usain Bolt with his 2013 IAAF World Athlete of the Year award</div>
&nbsp;
It is no surprise the most successful athlete in the 31-year history of the athlete of the year awards is the incomparable Usain Bolt.
The Jamaican sprint icon who transcended the sport like no other grabbed the Male World Athlete of the Year trophy on six occasions &ndash; 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2016. As a measure of his excellence, during those six years he won eight Olympic golds medals, eight world titles and broke seven world records.
&nbsp;
<h3>Sanya Richards-Ross</h3>
2006, 2009
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Sanya Richards-Ross with her 2006 Athlete of the Year award</div>
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The US one-lap star enjoyed an outstanding career and was rewarded with Female World Athlete of the Year trophies in 2006 and 2009.
Unbeaten outdoors over 400m throughout 2006, Richards-Ross set the fastest time for the 400m distance for 10 years with a North American record of 48.70 on her way to victory at the World Athletics Final in Athens.
In 2009 she was no less impressive, striking World Championship gold and recording two sub-49-second clockings during another dominant year.
&nbsp;
<h3>Hicham El Guerrouj</h3>
2001, 2002, 2003
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Hicham El Guerrouj with his 2003 Athlete of the Year award</div>
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At his best, the Moroccan middle-distance maestro was a near invincible force. From 2001 to 2003, when he collected a hat trick of Male World Athlete of the Year prizes, El Guerrouj lost just twice, both over the 5000m, a distance where he was a relative novice.
In that period he swept to successive world outdoor 1500m titles in 2001 and 2003 (to add to his world crowns in 1997 and 1999) and snared the 2001 world indoor 3000m title.
&nbsp;
<h3>Carl Lewis</h3>
1988, 1991
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Carl Lewis receives the Athlete of the Century award</div>
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The winner of the inaugural Male World Athlete of the Year award in 1988, the US sprint/jump superstar banked a second trophy three years later.
A triple gold medallist at the Seoul Olympics with victory in the men&rsquo;s 100m, long jump and 4x100m, Lewis was also a star at the 1991 World Championships in Tokyo, taking gold medals with world records in both the 100m and 4x100m and also claiming silver in that epic men&rsquo;s long jump final in which Mike Powell set a world record.
In 1999 Lewis was also honoured with the Male Athlete of the Century Award.
&nbsp;
<h3>Michael Johnson</h3>
1996, 1999
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Michael Johnson with his 1999 Athlete of the Year award</div>
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Michael Johnson secured the 1996 Male World Athlete of the Year award on the back of an outstanding year. At the US Trials in June he set a world 200m record of 19.66 before going on to make history as the first man to compete the 200m and 400m double at the Olympic Games, obliterating his 200m world record with a 19.32 clocking in Atlanta.
In 1999 he earned a second athlete of the year award after lowering the 11-year-old world 400m record with a 43.18 mark to win the world title in Seville.
&nbsp;
Steve Landells for World Athletics

Ahead of the World Athletics Awards 2019 we toast a special quintet of athletes from yesteryear who have all enjoyed great success at the glittering annual event.

Fab five: multiple winners of the World Athlete of the Year award

The 16th episode of the third season of IAAF Inside Athletics is available to <a href="https://www.facebook.com/WorldAthleticsClub/videos/vb.108930319155814/903007609748077/?type=2&amp;theater" target="_blank">watch online now</a>.This episode features an exclusive interview with Moroccan middle distance legend and IAAF Hall of Fame member Hicham El Guerrouj.El Guerrouj won four successive 1500m world titles between 1997 and 2003, took a unique 1500m and 5000m double at the 2004 Olympic Games and set three individual world records outdoors &ndash; 1500m, mile and 2000m &ndash; all of which still stand today. <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="225" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/11XrgNxztto?rel=0&amp;showinfo=0" width="400">&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br class="k-br" </iframe>IAAF Inside Athletics is hosted by Trinidad and Tobago&rsquo;s 1997 world 200m champion Ato Boldon, who is now an internationally respected broadcaster.To watch episodes of IAAF Inside Athletics as soon as they are released, follow the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/WorldAthleticsClub" target="_blank">IAAF World Athletics Club Facebook page</a>.IAAF

The 16th episode of the third season of IAAF Inside Athletics is available to watch online now.

IAAF Inside Athletics – Hicham El Guerrouj

Hicham El Guerrouj and Robert Korzeniowski are among the 2014 inductees into the IAAF Hall of Fame and the two athletics legends faced the press in Monaco on Thursday (20).Both men gave interesting and provocative answers to some questions posed by the international media.Q: Robert, Yohann Diniz is talking about doing the 20km and 50km race walk double in Rio. What advice would you give him? (Korzeniowski is the only man to win both events at a single Olympic Games, a feat he achieved in 2000.)Robert Korzeniowski: It depends on the timetable (if Diniz has a chance of winning two gold medals). If it&rsquo;s six days then that&rsquo;s fine, if it&rsquo;s shorter then it will be very hard. Otherwise, the only bit of advice I can give to Yohann is that training for the 50km is not the same as 20km and he&rsquo;s getting older, and the human body needs more recovery in training. He will have to be very smart in training, very precise in his planning and, for sure, it will be different from what he has done before.This is also an intellectual challenge. If he does it, it will be a big surprise for me because the world of 50km has changed a lot. The progress that has been made in the last 10 years since I last raced 50km has been tremendous.The 50km is now very demanding. You can&rsquo;t just play funny games up to 30 kilometres and then accelerate. No, it&rsquo;s from the start to end. High heart rate, high concentration; you can&rsquo;t now choose one distance that you like more and then do the other one. You now have to do both 100 percent and it&rsquo;s hard.Q: Hicham, your world records have been standing for some years. Is there anyone you see who could improve your records in the 1500m?Hicham El Guerrouj: First of all, I would I like to remind everyone that when Wilson Kipketer set the 800m world record back in 1997, a lot of people said that it would be very difficult to beat and that it would stand for a long time, but it was beaten. Of course, the 1500m world record is difficult, but it can be broken. However, the only athlete I currently see capable of breaking it is Asbel Kiprop.He has everything you need. He&rsquo;s tall, he&rsquo;s got a long stride, he has strength, he&rsquo;s strong mentally; perhaps he needs to work a little on his technique but he&rsquo;s the only one I see who has the characteristics. In fact, I think he could go under 3:25.It won&rsquo;t be easy but he can do it. The other thing to remember is that in middle-distance races you have to make choices, you have to set priorities. It&rsquo;s very difficult in the same year to go for a world record and a major title.Asbel runs a lot (of races) and sometimes I have the feeling that he&rsquo;s not really setting his priorities very clearly and this is something that he&rsquo;s going to have to do. Next year, he has the World Championships and the chance to win his third world title; in 2016, he has the chance to win his second Olympic title.He does have all the characteristics to break the world record but he&rsquo;s also going to have to set his priorities.Q: Hicham, with Doha having just been awarded the 2019 IAAF World Championships, when do you think Africa will be able to organise such an event?Hicham El Guerrouj: Africa has given so much to the sport and it would be great if Africa can one day organise the World Championships but, to do that, we need to change our thinking. We (African federations) need to work more with the governments because a big event like a World Championships can&rsquo;t be organised without government support in that country.We need the federations to change their way of thinking and to approach the government so that when we organise such an event it is a win-win situation for everybody.If an African country was to win the right to host the World Championships, I would be the happiest person on the planet.We also need to realise that at the moment there are only certain areas in Africa that can organise a World Championships. North Africa, Kenya and South Africa are the only realistic possibilities to organise the championships at the moment.With 2019 having just been awarded, there has been some talk about which cities will present their candidature for 2021 so we have to look further (for an African bid for the World Championships) to 2023, 2025 and 2027.Phil Minshull for the IAAF

Hicham El Guerrouj and Robert Korzeniowski are among the 2014 inductees into the IAAF Hall of Fame and the two athletics legends faced the press in Monaco on Thursday (20).

Monaco press points – Hicham El Guerrouj and Robert Korzeniowski

- Read on for English and French language versions of this story - La traduction française suit le texte anglaisTen years on from the Athenian drama of the 2004 Olympic men’s 1500m final, Hicham El Guerrouj was still playing catch up.The welcoming folk of Douar Ait Iktel, a remote village some 1200m from sea level in the Atlas Mountains, an hour and a half’s drive south of Marrakech, had already greeted the visiting party of IAAF ambassadors, Athletes’ Commission members and officials by the time the world’s fastest ever 1500m runner and miler arrived – somewhat flustered and profusely apologetic, but looking the epitome of cool in his Top Gun-style aviator shades.“I am sorry, but I stopped to have some tea at a village at the foot of the mountains and I got lost,” said El Guerrouj, addressing the villagers lined around the railings of the Ait Iktel school playground, and the 80 children gathered to take part in an IAAF/Nestle Healthy Kids Athletics day organised by the Moroccan Association for Sport and Development and supported by Athletics for a Better World, the IAAF’s burgeoning social responsibility project.The locals were simply glad that the national hero had made it. They clapped, cheered and whooped, then performed so many versions of Happy Birthday, in a variety of languages, that it would have been no great surprise had Stevie Wonder emerged to add his personal congratulations to El Guerrouj on the occasion of his 40th birthday.The great man himself (the Moroccan king of middle distance, rather than the American king of the keyboards and vocals) looked hardly a day older than he had been on 3 August, 2004, when he suddenly found himself playing catch up 50 metres from the finish line in that dramatic Olympic 1500m final.El Guerrouj was six weeks short of his 30th birthday at the time, and he was a man very much on a mission.Back in 1996, he had fallen just before the bell in the Olympic 1500m final in Atlanta. He was weeping uncontrollably in the stadium tunnel when someone handed him a mobile phone. King Hassan II was on the line. “Do not cry,” the monarch beseeched him. “You are a champion in the eyes of the Moroccan people.”Four years after that came more Moroccan tears and heartache in Sydney. El Guerrouj had Olympic gold within his sights but was overhauled 25 metres from the line by Noah Ngeny of Kenya.In Athens he must have been suffering from déjà vu when Bernard Lagat moved alongside in the home straight, then edged in front with 50 metres to go. This time, however, the Moroccan master of the middle distances gritted his teeth, dug deep and finally came up with a Midas touch in the Olympic arena.He hauled himself level and, with the line fast approaching, edged marginally in front, winning by a margin of 0.12.Who could forget the scenes of unbridled joy that followed? El Guerrouj dropped to the ground and kissed the track, then clasped his hands to his face and wept tears of joy. He made for the front row of the stands and plucked his three-month-old daughter, Hiba (“gift of God”), from the crowd and smothered her in kisses.The strains of ‘Zorba’s Dance’ came blasting over the public address system and El Guerrouj dropped to his haunches and jigged to the quickening bouzouki beat.A decade on from that magical golden moment (and from the one that followed four days later, when El Guerrouj joined Paavo Nurmi in the record books by completing an Olympic 1500m-5000m double), the tall, willowy North African was in playful mood once again.No sooner had the sons and daughters of Douar Ait Iktel launched zealously into their Kids Athletics action – running in between poles, jumping over little hurdles, throwing foam dart javelins, hurling bouncy balls over their heads – than the four-time world 1500m champion joined in with the seven-to-12-year-old novices.He was not the only familiar face to do so. Celebrated athletes from disparate disciplines and varying points on the globe – among them the giant Japanese hammer thrower Koji Murofishi and the slender former Polish pole vaulter Monica Pyrek – also rushed to get in on the action.“This is a very special day, coming here to this village, meeting the kids, the parents, their neighbours, their friends,” said El Guerrouj after showing an enduring turn of speed in some sprints. “It is a delightful thing for me.“It will help the kids in Douar Ait Iktel to focus on their dreams. It shows what these projects can do. It is something that we need to maintain for the future.“It makes me think of when I was young. I had dreams to become an Olympic champion. It is important for young kids to believe and to dream. Sport can do this for them.”El Guerrouj did his boyhood dreaming some 1000km from the remote, dusty hill villages of the Atlas Mountains. He was born and raised in Berkane in the north-east corner of Morocco, close to the Mediterranean and the Algerian border.“I was brought up in a city, not a village like this,” he said. “I was lucky. I lived close to the sports stadium. I could watch a good level of sport and it fed my dreams.“Most kids live in a very different situation. But events like we have had today can help them to dream. I hope that one day we can see champions of the future coming from this village.”The inspiration was clear to see when the people of Douar Ait Iktel opened their arms and their hearts to welcome the champions of the world – and particularly those of their homeland. The women of the village all lined the route up the steep hillside to warmly embrace Nawal El Moutawakel, head of the Moroccan Association for Sport and Development.In her time as a 400m hurdler, El Moutawakel blazed a pioneering trail in Los Angeles in 1984 as the first Moroccan, the first African and the first Muslim woman to win an Olympic gold medal.“The people here are very honest, sincere and pure,” said El Guerrouj. “They are very natural. It has been an honour to meet them and to enjoy their high hospitality.“It has also been a joy to run with their kids. I still enjoy running. I run maybe five or six times in a week.”But how fast might the world record-holder be able to run for a mile, 15 years on from his 3:43.13 in Rome’s Stadio Olimpico?“Oh, that is a tough one,” El Guerrouj pondered. “Maybe 4:30 or 4:25. But not 3:43. Not now that I am 40.”Simon Turnbull for the IAAF*****Dix ans après sa retraite sportive, el Guerrouj inspire toujours autant les nouvelles générations Dix ans après la finale olympique dramatique du 1500m masculin d’Athènes 2004, Hicham El Guerrouj a encore laissé tout le monde en haleine jusqu’au tout dernier moment. La population de Douar Ait Iktel, village isolé perché à quelque 1200m au-dessus du niveau de la mer dans les montagnes de l’Atlas, et à une heure et demie de route au sud de Marrakech, avait déjà accueilli la délégation composée d’Ambassadeurs, de membres de la Commission des athlètes et d’officiels de l’IAAF lorsque le coureur de 1500m et du mile le plus rapide de tous les temps les a enfin rejoints, se confondant en excuses, mais sans rien perdre, pour autant, de son allure éternellement décontractée, les yeux cachés derrière des lunettes aviateurs, style Top Gun. “Je vous prie tous de m’excuser, mais je m’étais arrêté boire un thé dans un des villages au pied des montagnes, puis ai pris une mauvaise route en le quittant,” a expliqué El Guerrouj aux villageois qui se pressaient dans la cour de récréation de l’école Ait Iktel, ainsi qu’aux 80 enfants s’apprêtant à participer à une journée de Kids Athletics de l’IAAF/Nestlé organisée par l’Association Marocaine pour le Sport et le Développement, avec le soutien de l’Athlétisme pour un monde meilleur (Athletics for a Better World/ABW) le projet de Responsabilité sociale de l’IAAF, inauguré tout récemment. Mais visiblement personne ne lui tenait rigueur de son retard, tellement on était heureux de voir ce véritable héros national. Les villageois ont applaudi, crié, hurlé, et chanté Joyeux anniversaire dans tellement de versions et de langues différentes qu’on s’attendait presque à voir surgir Stevie Wonder pour présenter, à son tour, ses meilleurs vœux à El Guerrouj pour ses 40 ans. En vérité, le roi marocain du demi-fond ne semble pas avoir pris une ride depuis ce fameux 3 août 2004, lorsqu’il s’est retrouvé à devoir remonter un retard conséquent à 50m de la ligne d’arrivée de cette finale dramatique du 1500m olympique. El Guerrouj, qui était alors à six semaines de son trentième anniversaire, était un homme déterminé à mener à bien sa mission, celle de remporter l’or olympique. En 1996, à Atlanta, il avait chuté juste avant le passage à la cloche de la finale olympique du 1500. Il pleurait à chaudes larmes dans le tunnel menant aux vestiaires lorsque quelqu’un lui a tendu un téléphone portable. C’était le roi Hassan II, qui lui a dit: “Ne pleure pas – aux yeux du peuple marocain tu es un champion!”Quatre ans plus tard, à Sydney, il y eut à nouveau larmes et désespoir dans le camp El Guerrouj. Il semblait en effet avoir course gagnée dans la finale du 1500m mais fut passé, à seulement 25m de la ligne, par le Kenyan Noah Ngeny.&nbsp; A Athènes, El Guerrouj a dû se demander si le cauchemar allait se renouveler, lorsque Bernard Lagat s’est porté à sa hauteur dans la dernière ligne droite, puis est passé devant lui à 50m de l’arrivée. Cette fois, pourtant, le maestro marocain, puisant au plus profond de lui, est revenu pour finalement passer la ligne en vainqueur, avec une marge d’avance de seulement 12 centièmes de seconde.Qui pourrait oublier les scènes de joie qui s’en sont ensuivies? El Guerrouj est tombé à genoux et a embrassé la piste, puis, se prenant le visage à pleines mains, il a pleuré de joie. Il s’est ensuite précipité vers les tribunes pour aller se saisir de sa fille de trois mois, Hiba [“le don de Dieu”], pour la couvrir de baisers. Puis, la célèbre musique de Zorba le Grec retentissant dans les hauts parleurs du stade, El Guerrouj s’est mis à exécuter des pas de danse grecque au rythme endiablé du bouzouki. Dix ans après ces moments magiques (et ceux qui se sont déroulés quatre jours plus tard lorsque El Guerrouj a rejoint Paavo Nurmi dans les annales en complétant le doublé 1500m/5000m), le longiligne nord-africain avait visiblement toujours le cœur à s’amuser.En effet, juste après que les fils et filles de Douar Ait Iktel aient entamé leurs différentes épreuves de Kids’ Athletics – des courses entre des piquets, des franchissements de haies basses, des lancers de javelots en mousse ou de petites balles au-dessus de leurs têtes – on vit le quadruple champion du monde du 1500m se joindre aux jeunes novices âgés de sept à douze ans. Ils furent bien vite rejoints par d’autres athlètes célèbres de disciplines, et d'endroits du globe totalement disparates, tels, par exemple, le lanceur de marteau géant japonais, Koji Murofushi, ou encore la menue perchiste polonaise Monica Pyrek.“C’est très spécial, de venir ici dans ce village et d’y rencontrer ces enfants et leurs parents, leurs voisins, leurs amis, a déclaré El Guerrouj au terme d’un sprint montrant qu’il n’a rien perdu de sa vigueur. Cette journée est un véritable bonheur pour moi.“Cela aidera les enfants de Douar Ait Iktel à se focaliser sur leurs rêves. Cela montre ce que ces projets peuvent accomplir. C’est quelque chose qu’il nous faut maintenir à l’avenir. “Cela me rappelle que moi, enfant, je rêvais de devenir champion olympique. C’est important que les jeunes puissent croire en quelque chose, rêver. Le sport peut accomplir cela pour eux.”El Guerrouj, lui, a grandi à environ 1000km des villages isolés et des montagnes de l’Atlas. Il est né et a été élevé à Berkane, dans la région du nord-est du Maroc, près de la côte méditerranéenne et de la frontière algérienne. “Je viens d’une ville, pas d’un village tel que celui-ci, a-t-il expliqué. J’ai eu de la chance, car, habitant près du stade, j’ai pu assister à du sport de bon niveau, ce qui a contribué à nourrir mes rêves. “La plupart des enfants connaissent des situations très différentes. Mais des manifestations telles que celle-ci peuvent les aider à rêver. Mon espoir est, qu’un jour, nous voyons émerger des champions de ce village.”L’inspiration était en tous les cas clairement visible lorsqu’on a vu les habitants de Douar Ait Iktel ouvrir leurs bras et leurs cœurs aux champions venus du monde entier, et plus particulièrement encore à ceux de leur propre pays. Les femmes du village étaient ainsi toutes alignées sur la pente menant à l’école pour accueillir chaleureusement Nawal El Moutawakel, la présidente de l’Association Marocaine pour le Sport et le Développement.Lorsqu’elle courait le 400m haies, El Moutawakel a montré la voie à suivre à tout un peuple lorsqu’elle est devenue, à Los Angeles en 1984, la première Marocaine, première Africaine et première femme musulmane à remporter un titre olympique. “Les gens ici sont très honnêtes, sincères et purs, a encore déclaré El Guerrouj. On les sent très naturels. Cela a été un honneur de les rencontrer et de bénéficier de leur excellent sens de l’hospitalité.“J’ai aussi pris beaucoup de plaisir à courir avec leurs enfants. J’aime toujours courir, et je m’y adonne généralement cinq ou six fois par semaine.”Bien sûr, on lui a demandé quel temps il penserait faire, lui le recordman du monde en titre du mile, sur cette distance, quinze ans après ses 3’43"13 réussis au stade olympique de Rome.“C’est une question difficile, a-t-il répondu. Peut-être 4’30 ou 4’25? Mais certainement pas 3’43. D’autant moins maintenant que j’ai quarante ans!”Simon Turnbull pour l’IAAF

Ten years on from the Athenian drama of the 2004 Olympic men’s 1500m final, Hicham El Guerrouj was still playing catch up.

A decade after retirement, El Guerrouj still has Midas touch in inspiring future generation

Double Olympic champion Hicham El Guerrouj and 800m Olympic silver medallist Hasna Benhassi have been named Moroccan Athletes of the Year following a survey jointly organised by the Moroccan Press Agency, the Moroccan National Radio station and TVM, the main national Television broadcaster. Overall 28 media were involved in the voting process.This year&rsquo;s was El Guerrouj&rsquo;s ninth title as Moroccan Athlete of the Year (the 8th consecutive). 2004 saw El Guerrouj achieve an incredible Olympic double at 1500m and 5000m and claim the Trophy for the Best Performance of the Year presented by IAAF President Lamine Diack at the World Athletics Gala in Monaco. El Guerrouj scored a total of 140 points with Bordeaux football player Marouane Chamakh a distant second with 51 points. Another athlete, Abdel&acirc;ati Iguider who won the 1500m at the IAAF World Junior Championships in Grosseto was third (34 pts). In the women&rsquo;s standings, Hasna Benhassi topped the rankings with 144 points. Cycling star Atiqa Sabib who won five medals (three golds) at the Pan Arab Games in Algiers came in second with 68 points while Siham Hilali, two-time bronze medallist in Grosseto was third with 39 points.Mohammed Benchrif for the IAAF

Double Olympic champion Hicham El Guerrouj and 800m Olympic silver medallist Hasna Benhassi have been named Moroccan Athletes of the Year following a survey jointly organised by the Moroccan Press Agency, the Moroccan National Radio station and TVM, the main national Television broadcaster. Overall 28 media were involved in the voting process.

Hicham El Guerrouj and Hasna Benhassi named Moroccan Athletes of the Year

Record setting pole vaulter Stacy Dragila (USA) and mile king Hicham El Guerrouj (Morocco) have been named the world&rsquo;s top track &amp; field athletes for the 2001 season by Track &amp; Field News. California native Dragila, the first woman vaulter ever to achieve AOY honours, was named No. 1 on 25 of the 34 ballots cast by an international panel of experts in scoring a runaway victory over sprinter Marion Jones.&nbsp; This marks the first time American women have gone 1-2 in the voting since balloting began in 1977. Jones was the AOY choice in 2000, as well as &lsquo;98 and &lsquo;97. Dragila, 30, set 8 World Records in the pole vault in 2001, 4 indoors and 4 outdoors. The world champion&rsquo;s highest mark, 15-9 &frac14;, was set at the GMC Envoy Open at Stanford University in June. The women&rsquo;s top 10: 1. Stacy Dragila (US), pole vault; 2. Marion Jones (US), sprints; 3. Olga Yegorova (Russia), distances; 4. Osleidys Men&eacute;ndez (Cuba), javelin; 5. Tatyana Lebedeva (Russia), triple jump; 6. Violeta Szekely (Romania), 1500 meters/mile; 7. Catherine Ndereba (Kenya), marathon; 8.&nbsp; Maria Mutola (Mozambique) 800 meters; 9. Olimpiada Ivanova (Russia), walks; 10. Derartu Tulu (Ethiopia), distances. On the men&rsquo;s side of the voting, El Guerrouj was as overwhelming a choice as Dragila, capturing 24 of 36 votes for No. 1. He returned to the AOY position he also earned in &lsquo;99. Most of the rest of the votes for the top spot, 7, went to American sprinter Maurice Greene, whose season was cut short by injury. The men&rsquo;s top 10: 1. Hicham El Guerrouj (Morocco), 1500 meters/mile; 2. Maurice Greene (US), sprints; 3. Jan Zelezny (Czech Republic), javelin; 4.&nbsp; Andr&eacute; Bucher (Switzerland) 800 meters; 5. Jonathan Edwards (Great Britain), triple jump; 6. John Godina (US), shot &amp; discus; 7. Tom&aacute;s Dvor&aacute;k (Czech Republic), decathlon; 8. Felix S&aacute;nchez (Dominican Republic), 400 hurdles; 9.&nbsp; Brahim Boulami (Morocco), steeplechase; 10. Koji Murofushi (Japan), hammer. Garry Hill (Track and Field News) for the IAAF

Recordsetting pole vaulter Stacy Dragila (US) and mile king Hicham El Guerrouj (Morocco) have been named the world’s top track & field athletes for the 2001 season by Track & Field News.

Track  & Field News names its Athletes of the Year

he chance for a share of the Golden League Jackpot and delays in his training schedule have decided Hicham El Guerrouj to delay his long-heralded move up to the 5000 metres.Speaking in Brussels on the eve of tomorrow's sixth leg of the 2001 IAAF Golden League, the Moroccan World Champion over 1500 metres confirmed that he will not be running the longer distance before next season.Though it was thought he might run in the 3000 metres here, this has been shelved in favour of the Golden League 1500m event: "I cannot see any point in running 7:30 or 7:32. I want to make an impression from the start and quite honestly with the travelling this season, I have not had the time to make proper preparations."Of course, the fact that Hicham remains in the running for a share of the Golden League Jackpot has also played a part in this decision: "It is not my main motivation, but then again, I do not want someone else to win it. I want to end this season at the top and show everybody that after my title in Edmonton I am still a great 1500 runner."But, of course, the plans to move up to the longer distance are far from definitively shelved. "Whilst I will still keep up with my 1500 training," says El Guerrouj, "I do not want to lose that speed, I will start training seriously towards the 500 during the winter. I plan to run the 3000 and 1500 indoors and then I will run some 5000 metre races next outdoor season. I still feel in very good shape and I have all my motivation."El Guerrouj has always performed well in Brussels - he ran the second-fastest time ever in the 300 metres here with his 1999 clocking of 7:23.09 and tomorrow he will have additional motivation as he will be performing in front of the King and Queen of Belgium: "Morocco is also a monarchy so I feel a special responsibility and honour to compete when the Belgian royal family are there."But perhaps more importantly, also in the stands will be a number of Hicham's family members. "I have an uncle and aunt who live in Antwerp and my grandparents are staying here on holiday and will come to the stadium. It will be the first time that they have ever seen me compete so it will be a very special day."El Guerrouj will also be running for the large Maghrebin population of Brussels who revere the 27-year-old Moroccan and are expected to attend in great numbers. Last time he was here he spent several hours going to visit the areas in Brussels where most of the North African population live and was received with adulation."I am just sorry that I have not had the time to do it again this year, though I may try and do so after the competition. They are wonderful supporters and I am also running for them."Another star who owes much to Brussels is the neo World Champion over 10,000 metres, Kenya's Charles Kamathi. A Nairobi policeman by profession, Kamathi got his first big break when the organiser of the Ivo Van Damme Memorial, Wilfried Meert agreed to let the unknown Kenyan compete after some high pressure salesmanship from Kamathi's manager.Meert recalls: "It was not long before the Memorial in 1999 and I received a phone call from someone I had never heard of in the United States telling me that he was the manager of a Kenyan athlete - as if everyone isn't, laughs Meert - I told him that we were already full of athletes and that our budget was all used up and that we couldn't take anyone else, but he insisted and said that he would pay the athletes fare and accommodation and if he did not compete well he did not expect to be reimbursed."The athlete was, of course, Charles Kamathi and the rest of the story is history, Kamathi went on to run the fastest time of the year in Brussels with his 26:51.49 and defeated local favourite Mohammed Mourhit in the process. A star was born.Tomorrow Kamathi and Mourhit will both be competing in the Van Damme Memorial, but in different races, a not fully fit Mourhit having elected to run in the 3000 metres, while Kamathi willl be facing Moroccan veteran Khalid Skah, France's Ismail Sghir, Jose Rios from Spain and a another unknown Kenyan whose story could well parallel his own: Philemon Rotich, taken on as a pacemaker, but&nbsp; who wants to finish the race and challenge his compatriot to the finish after taking the pack through 5000 metres in 13:20 (a distance he has run in 13:05). Once again Meert tried to refuse the athlete and once again the manager said he would pay... we will see tomorrow if lightening strikes twice in Brussels.Sean Wallace-Jones for the IAAF

The chance for a share of the Golden League Jackpot and delays in his training schedule have decided
Hicham El Guerrouj to delay his long-heralded move up to the 5000 metres.
Speaking in Brussels on the eve of tomorrow's sixth leg of the 2001 IAAF Golden League, the Moroccan World Champion over 1500 metres
confirmed that he will not be running the longer distance before next season.


El Guerrouj delays plans for move to 5000 metres

Morocco's 1500m World Champion Hicham El Guerrouj and Olympic Champion Nawal El Moutawakel &ndash; who is also a member of the IAAF Council and the IOC &ndash; have been asked to act as Goodwill Ambassadors to Morocco for the United Nations Children&rsquo;s Fund (UNICEF). El Guerrouj, who in addition to his World Championship title owns the World Records in the 1500m and Mile both indoors and outdoors and the 2000m outdoors, is also an ambassador for Morocco&rsquo;s bid to host the 2006 football World Cup. The 25-year-old gladly accepted to be associated with UNICEF&rsquo;s actions in favour of improving the conditions for children in his home country. El Guerrouj and El Moutawakel are to be officially invested in their ambassadorial functions by the regional director of UNICEF for the Middle East and North Africa, Mr Ibrahima Fall, on 20 November, the tenth anniversary of the adoption by the United Nations of the International Charter on Children&rsquo;s Rights.Mohammed Benchrif (MAP) for IAAF

The United Nations Children's Fund has asked Hicham El Guerrouj and Nawal El Moutawakel to be Goodwill Ambassadors

El Guerrouj and El Moutawakel to become UNICEF Goodwill Ambassadors

Morocco's Nezha Bidouane, the 1997 400m hurdles World Champion, successfully underwent surgery on her right Achilles&rsquo; tendon two weeks ago and is now recovering well. Her countryman Hicham El Guerrouj, the 1500m World Champion and World Record holder, is also recovering from surgery for a haemorrhoids problem which took him away from the Grand Prix Circuit for three weeks this summer. IAAF Council Member Nawal El Moutawakel has been named Vice President of the Association "Morocco - 2006 World Cup" and is currently heading a campaign to promote Morocco&rsquo;s candidature for the 2006 World Cup in football. Last Thursday, some 20 world class sportsmen and women, including track and field champions Hicham El Guerrouj, Salah Hissou, Nezha Bidouane and Zahra Ouaziz, were named as ambassadors for this candidature

Brief news from Moroccan track and field champions

Latest News from Morocco

Morocco's Nezha Bidouane, the 1997 400m hurdles World Champion, successfully underwent surgery on her right Achilles’ tendon two weeks ago and is now recovering well. 

Fresh from yet another world record, Hicham El Guerrouj plans to rule supreme from the 1500m to the 5000m. The Moroccan looked awesome when he added the 2000m to his collection of world records in Berlin on Tuesday. Racing the last 600 metres well ahead of the rest of the field, he clocked four 4:44.79 to beat the old mark by more than three seconds. Four days earlier in Brussels, the 24-year-old had run over 3000m for the first time since his days in the junior ranks. The result was a mark of 7:23.09 which made him the second best performer ever over the distance after world record holder Daniel Komen of Kenya, who clocked 7:20.67 three years ago. "It was a good experience," he said "I didn't know what to expect but I know now that I can get that world record. Running 7:15 should be possible but just not yet." In the German capital, he shattered the previous best mark for the rarely run 2000m of 4:47.88 set by Algerian Noureddine Morceli in July 1995 in Paris. The 1500m World Champion, who had already taken the 1500m and Mile World Records from Morceli, removed Morceli's last mark from the record books. "That's the sort of time I had in mind," El Guerrouj said after becoming the only athlete to currently hold the World Record for three individual events. "The conditions were perfect," he added. "I just concentrated on my race and I knew it would be a world record." It has been a great year for El Guerrouj, who set a Mile World Record of 3:43.13 last July in Rome and went on to defend his 1500m World title in the heat of Seville last month. The season had started in pain with a bout of haemorrhoids, which left him on the sidelines for a month. "In the end the break turned out to be a good thing," he said "During that period I found the strength to achieve my goals." Now he wants more. "My goal for this year was to hold all the World Records from the 1500m to the 2000m. Eventually I want to have them all from the 1500m to the 5000m but I've got time for that." The heir to the great Moroccan runner Said Aouita said he would concentrate next year on hunting one of few major titles to elude him, an Olympic gold medal. In 1996 in Atlanta, he had victory in sight when his heels were clipped and he stumbled over in the inner curb in the 1500m final, allowing Morceli to grab the goal. "I was very sad but if I win in Sydney, I will forget all about that," he said. "The year after the Olympics, I will probably switch to the 3000m and the 5000m." El Guerrouj obliged on Tuesday when asked to repeat yet again the mother's advice, which made him take up running. "My sport was soccer," he said. "I was a goalkeeper but my mother kept shouting at me because I always came home dirty." His mother no longer has anything to complain about. "She's happy now because I'm successful," he said. "And I’m a lot cleaner."

Fresh from yet another world record, Hicham El Guerrouj plans to rule supreme from the 1500m to the 5000m

El Guerrouj plans to extend range to 5000m

Romania&rsquo;s Gabriela Szabo knew that she was at least $500,000 better off as she crossed the finish line here this evening. Though the actual finish repeated a scene we have witnessed six times before this season, the later stages of the race were thrilling, as the world record holder in the marathon took the lead three laps from the finish, taking the leaders through the 4000m m stage in 11:49.97 and obviously hoping to be able to pull away from the leaders and build up a sufficiently large lead to hold off Szabo and Morocco&rsquo;s Zahra Ouaziz. It was not to be, the Romanian is far too good a tactician to be taken by such a ruse and hung doggedly on Loroupe&rsquo;s heels, trailed by Ouaziz and Germany&rsquo;s Irina Mikitenko. Mikitenlo made a move with around 500 metres to go, then dropped back again, as Loroupe lengthened her stride. With the pace quickening at the final bell, Ouaziz tried to pull in front, but once again it was Szabo who scorched into the lead, closely followed by Mikitenko and Ouaziz, with Loroupe gradually falling away from the three as they sprinted for the line. As devastating as always, Szabo pulled inexorably ahead of the others, now followed by Ouaziz ahead of Mikitenko and this was to remain the position at the finish, with Szabo timing 14:40.59, Ouaziz 14:41.34 and Mikitenko setting a new German record of 14:42.03. Szabo&rsquo;s win took her for a short time to the head of the IAAF overall grand Prix standings. Sixth-placed Fatima Maama Yvelain (FRA) set a national record with her time of 14:58.18. "It was really a great race," Mutola said. "I felt how much the fantastic audience pulled me to the win. To be honest, it was purely psychological. That was the key to the success. I&rsquo;m so happy. One more time &ndash; thank you to everyone for the great support." Maria Mutola retained her place at the head of the standings, equalling the 84 points achieved by Gabriela Szabo with seven Golden League event victories, as she narrowly beat arch rival Svetlana Masterkova in the women&rsquo;s 800m. A victory by both Mutola and Szabo in their respective events in the Grand Prix Final in Munich on Saturday 11 September, could well mean that the two will have to be separated using the outdoor scoring tables, with the better performance winning. Doubtless, though, Masterkova will most certainly not let Mutola have it her own way as the Mozambican and Szabo tussle for the $200,000 which go to the winner of the Overall Grand Prix. Japhet Kimutai made his play too late to shatter Wilson Kipketer&rsquo;s jackpot hopes in the 800m. The 20 year-old Kenyan made his attack as Kipketer sprinted for the line and a half million-dollar payday, but there was nothing doing. The masterful Dane pushed just a little harder and finished first in 1:44.03 to Kimutai&rsquo;s 1:44.18. Kipketer&rsquo;s success may have meant that Szabo would have to split the IAAF Golden League jackpot with him, but she showed no signs of regret as, waiting at the finish line, she rushed over and threw her arms around Kipketer&rsquo;s neck. Speaking afterwards, Kipketer once again spoke of the struggle to overcome the pre-race pressure: "It was definitely a fight for my nerves. I didn&rsquo;t sleep well last night, but after the starting gun went off, everything was OK. "The first lap in 50 seconds &ndash; I was satisfied with this because I trust my finish. "Gabriela Szabo was the first person to congratulate me. Now we can both dig into the jackpot." Which they both did, as IAAF President Dr Primo Nebiolo and the directors of the seven meetings of this year&rsquo;s IAAF Golden League congratulated the winning pair to the cheers of the Berlin crowd. In another spectacular run, which rounded off the evening, Moroccan middle distance star, World Champion in the 1500m and World Record holder in the 1500m and Mile, Hicham El Guerrouj smashed Noureddine&rsquo;s Morceli&rsquo;s world record in the 2000m. Paced by Robert Kibet through 400m in 56.70; 800m in 1:54.94, El Guerrouj went through the 1000m mark in 2:23 and 1600m in 3:49.60, finally crossing the line in 4:44.79, taking more than three seconds off Morceli&rsquo;s 1995 time of 4:47.88. Morceli&rsquo;s corresponding splits were: 57.1; 1:57.1; 2:26.2 and 3:52.82. After his victory, El Guerrouj fell to his knees, kissed the track and offered thanks to God for his success. The surprise of the evening came in the 3000m steeplechase, as Morocco&rsquo;s Ali Ezzine set a new national record time of 8:06.70 to beat Bernard Barmasai in a final sprint for the line. Barmasai recorded a time of 8:07.02. Ezzine&rsquo;s time was also the fastest time ever recorded by a non-Kenyan in this event, which has been dominated by the African nation for decades. Kenya&rsquo;s Benjamin Limo was the first of five Kenyans across the line in the men&rsquo;s 5000m. When Morocco&rsquo;s Salah Hissou started to make his move and took the lead two laps from the finish running easily and looking very strong, it seemed for a short time as though the race could well have been his, but after less than thirty metres the pack had bunched again. Dieter Baumann too had a short-lived moment of glory before the 45,000 plus crowd, stepping out in front as the leaders approached the bell for the final lap, only to be swallowed up by the pack once again as they went into the final 400. In a tightly bunched group, the leaders came around to the final bend, with Hissou once again attempting to break away, running on the inside shoulder to shoulder with Kenya&rsquo; Benjamin Limo. But as they went into the home straight, the Kenyans accelerated en masse, leaving Hissou in their wake as they took the first five places; led by Benjamin Limo (12:59.54), the first three all clocked under 13 seconds. Bahamians Debbie Ferguson and Sevatheda Fynes were first across the line in the women&rsquo;s 200, in a near photo with World Champion Inger Miller of the USA. Miller seemed to falter in the final paces, giving way to the onslaught of Ferguson and Fynes, who took first and second place, respectively, in 22.55 and 22.58 to Miller&rsquo;s clocking of 22.62. World Champion Maurice Greene was not going to make any mistakes in his race. Greene powered away from the blocks and remained half a stride ahead of second-placed Claudinei Da Silva (BRA) all the way home, clocking 20.21 at the finish. Running in his second race of the evening, Canada&rsquo;s Bruny Surin was third in 20.36. Neck and neck until the final hurdle, Larry Wade had the better of Mark Crear in the men&rsquo;s 110m hurdles, as the couple sprinted for the line. Wade crossed the line three-hundredths ahead of Crear in 13.27 seconds to Crear&rsquo;s 13.30. Third-placed Anier Garcia of Cuba recorded a performance of 13.38 behind the two Americans who have largely dominated this event throughout the 1999 Grand Prix season. In a well-balanced race, just 37 hundredths separated the first seven places. Jamaica&rsquo;s Deon Hemmings won the day in the women&rsquo;s 400m hurdles in front of Nezha Bidouane of Morocco and Tatyana Tereshchuk of the Ukraine. Hemmings&rsquo; winning time was 53.90. "I&rsquo;m just happy," said Hemmings, "because at the end of a long season I didn&rsquo;t have the strength. In this case, I&rsquo;m happy with this winning time. "The Grand Prix Final is the last start this year, then I&rsquo;ll start looking forward to the Olympics." Excellent performance by Russia&rsquo;s Maksim Tarasov in the men&rsquo;s pole vault. The Russian World Champion cleared 6.01 metres at his third attempt, after making just one earlier vault at 5.90. "Looking forward to the Grand Prix Final, I stopped at 6.01 metres. The conditions were very good here. I didn&rsquo;t have any problems and was able to jump at my own rhythm. Having 20,000 spectators so close to you really heps too!" In an unspectacular 100 metres, Canada&rsquo;s Bruny Surin was first across the line in 10.07. With Maurice Greene appearing later in the evening in the 200 metres, Surin found little competition from the field. Second-placed Tony McCall (USA) clocked 10.19, with third place going to another American, Curtis Johnson in 10.22. In a closely contested men&rsquo;s discus competition, Germany&rsquo;s gentle giant Lars Riedel won the first competition of this evening, to the delight of the crowd in the historic Berlin Olympiastadion. Riedel won with his fifth attempt, throwing 68.41 metres, against the 68.25 metre first attempt of Lithuania&rsquo;s Virgilijus Alekna and the 68.23 metres managed by neo World Champion Anthony Washington of the United States (5th attempt). "I knew I was in really good shape," Riedel said after his victory. "I had a good standing throw during the warm-up; this was also the case in Brussels, but my legs were tired there. Everything was perfect here &ndash; I felt fit and the crowd was great. Thanks also to the old Olympic Stadium!" (the stadium is scheduled for renovation staring next year). Riedel&rsquo;s victory was followed by another German victory in the throws, this time by reigning World Champion Astrid Kumbernuss in the women&rsquo;s shot put, with a toss of 19.53 metres. Second place in this event also went to Germany, with Nadine Kleinert throwing 19.02. Valentina Fedyushina of Austria was third with 18.58, just one centimetre better than Yanina Korolchik from Bielorussia. The German "throwfest" continued as Franka Dietsch repeated her success in Seville with a winning first throw of 66.60 metres in the women&rsquo;s discus. Nicoleta Grasu of Romania took second place with 65.91. Only Konstadinos Gatsioudis (GRE), the Sevilla 99 silver medallist, came to spoil the party, as he threw 87.96 with his first throw and clinched victory in the men&rsquo;s javelin ahead of Boris Henry (86.48) and Raymond Hecht (84.89).Sean Wallace-Jones for IAAF

Gabriela Szabo and Wilson Kipketer win the IAAF Golden League jackpot. World Record for El Guerrouj

Golden Jackpot for Szabo and Kipketer, World Record for El Guerrouj

Hicham El Guerrouj had vowed to return the world record for the mile to Morocco. Tonight he lived up to his word in front of an ecstatic crowd in Rome&rsquo;s Olympic Stadium. The record of 3:44.39 set by Noureddine Morceli of Algeria, in Rieti back in September 1993 was the target of the 24 year old Moroccan, who last year thrilled the spectators in Rome as he established a new world record for the 1500m (3:26.00) on his way to a third share in the IAAF Golden League jackpot. He had promised to repeat the performance over the mile, conditions and pacemakers permitting and proved worthy of the challenge. The pacemakers took El Guerrouj through 440 yards in 55.07; 880 yds in 1:51.58, past the &frac34; mile mark in 2:47.91 and, pushed by Kenya&rsquo;s Noah Ngeny (who set a new Kenyan national record of 3:43.40 and also went under the previous record for the mile in the process), El Guerrouj ran the final quarter mile in 55.22 seconds to set a new world record mark for this, the most classic of all of the middle distance races, of 3:43.13. The elfin Gabriela Szabo became the first of the contestants for the IAAF Golden League Jackpot to go through to the third leg of the competition here this evening. Content to follow the pacemakers through the first 800 metres, Szabo then moved to the head of the leaders, with Morocco&rsquo;s Zahra Ouaziz and Ethiopia&rsquo;s Berhane Adere hanging on her heels. Ouaziz moved into the lead just past the 1000 metre point and the lead passed between the Moroccan and the Ethiopian until Ouaziz increased her pace at 2000 metres (5:42.28). Running comfortably three strides behind Ouaziz, Szabo ran the perfect tactical race, letting Ouaziz make the running up to 300 metres out from the finish, when Szabo put on a devastating demonstration of her strength at the finish. She broke away from Ouaziz and kicked for the line, leaving the Moroccan behind her as she sprinted for the finish in 8:27.79. Barbadian Obadele Thompson became the first casualty in this year&rsquo;s edition of the IAAF Golden League, as Michael Johnson showed that his still The Man to be reckoned with in the half-lap race. The Waco Express, as Johnson is known in the USA, ran away from both Thompson and Trinidad&rsquo;s Ato Boldon as he steamed down the straight to a 19.93 victory in the 200m. Thompson won in Oslo following the disqualification for a line infringement by Boldon, but here in Rome, the man from Barbados was the one who followed Johnson across the line to take second place in a race that had the Rome supporters on their feet. Allen Johnson dispelled any doubts about his chances of staying in the jackpot stakes, with a decisive victory in the men&rsquo;s 110m hurdles. Despite an excellent start by Mark Crear (USA), who currently owns the season&rsquo;s best of 12.98 over the high hurdles. it was Olympic champion Johnson who prevailed, crossing the line in 13.01 and ensuring that he will still be wearing his IAAF Golden League contender&rsquo;s yellow bib when the League moves to Paris on 21 July. Another day is over for Wilson Kipketer. Before this evening&rsquo;s race, the soft-spoken Dane who holds the world records indoors and out for the 800m, refused to speculate on victory in Rome, as he looked back at the terrible year passed in 1998 and the slow path back to fitness after a debilitating attack of malaria. The first step on the path to excellence came in the first leg of the IAAF Golden League in Oslo, when Kipketer was first across the line in a season&rsquo;s best performance of 1:43.11. In his second victory in the series of seven meetings, here in Rome this evening, Kipketer once again displayed the fire that made him the sensation of 1997. Taking the lead at the 600m mark, as the pacemaker dropped away, Kipketer kicked into his own personal overdrive mode, showing the crowd in Rome&rsquo;s Olympic stadium all the perfection of his superb loping stride. In a brief interlude from the IAAF Golden League events, Maurice Greene clocked the second fastest legal time over 100 metres this season. With a perfect start out of the blocks, Greene powered away from the rest of the field to cross the finish line in 9.85, a new meeting record for the Golden Gala. Marion Jones also set a new meeting record as she confirmed her appointment with the next stage of the jackpot. There was no contest as Jones burst out of the blocks in her classic head-down style and led all the way to the finish and a time of 22.19 (wind 0.8 m/s). Beverly McDonald (JAM), who was disqualified after the Oslo Meeting, following a clear lane infringement, took second place behind Jones in 22.41. Russia&rsquo;s Svetlana Masterkova kept her place in the jackpot stakes, running a perfect tactical race to win the women&rsquo;s 800m in 1:57.63. Boxed in by Hassa Benhassi (MAR), Maria Mutola, who had been narrowly beaten by Masterkova in Oslo and Stephanie Graf of Austria. Masterkova waited until 80 metres from the finish to move out into the outside lane and kick for home, leaving the others powerless to resist, despite a sterling effort by Benhassi in the last metres, which gave the Moroccan second place. With a final bound of 8.18 metres, Erick Walder (USA) clinched his place in the Paris leg of the IAAF Golden League. The American moved temporarily into second place following a third attempt of 8.03 by Morocco&rsquo;s Younes Moudrik. At this stage, Walder had cleared 7.96, a mark also bettered by Jamaica&rsquo;s James Beckford at his fourth attempt with 7.99. Walder looked doomed as he fouled on his fourth and fifth attempts but he pulled out all the stops and leapt the winning distance. Nezha Bidouane dashed any hopes Jamaica&rsquo;s Deon Hemmings may have had of taking a share of the million dollar IAAF Golden League Jackpot to the bank. The Moroccan asserted herself from the penultimate hurdle and burst into the lead, as a visibly tired Hemmings faded, losing ground all the way to the finish, which she finally crossed in fifth place. Bidouane, who had only managed a fourth place showing in the first leg of the Golden League in Oslo was followed across the line by Romania&rsquo;s Ionela Tirlea Bernard Barmasai was leaving nothing to chance as he confirmed his claim to the Golden League jackpot stakes. The Kenyan world record holder in the discipline led the field from the time the pacemakers left the track to the finish line, with a comfortable lead, which gradually increased to some twenty metres at the finish. Barmasai completed the course in a season's best and new meeting record time of 8:03.30. Germany&rsquo;s Tim Lobinger dropped out of the Golden League with a bang as he failed to clear 5.8O in the pole vault, finishing the competition in joint eighth position. Russia&rsquo;s Maksim Tarasov won the event with 5.90, ahead of Australian Dmitri Markov Misfortune also for IAAF Golden League contender Monica Iagar-Dinescu. The Romanian cleared 1.94 at her second attempt and after two unsuccessful attempts at 1.98 elected to attempt 2.00, also unsuccessfully. Russia&rsquo;s Yelena Yelesina, who cleared 2.00 at her first attempt and then made three unsuccessful tries at 2.03, won the event. In another of the non-Golden League events staged this evening, Daniel Komen (KEN) won the men&rsquo;s 5000m in 12:55.16, ahead of countryman Paul Tergat in second place (12:55.37) and Morocco&rsquo;s Salah Hissou. Intermediate times: 1000m &ndash; 2:32.50; 2000m &ndash; 5:06.08; 3000m &ndash; 7.45.85; 4000m &ndash; 10:23.70. The final failure of the evening in the Golden League came in the men&rsquo;s javelin. With a mighty hurl of 86.92 metres, upcoming Greek thrower Konstantinos Gatsioudis opened the competition and cancelled any hopes Germany&rsquo;s Raymond Hecht may have harboured of going through the seven meetings of the Golden League unscathed. Despite a desperate final attempt with his last throw, Hecht was unable to better 83.95 and had to settle for third place, behind Gatsioudis and Russia&rsquo;s Sergey Makarov, who placed second, with 85.74 at his fifth throw. Paraskevi Tsiamita closed this year&rsquo;s edition of the Golden Gala, as she won the women&rsquo;s triple jump competition with 14.77m, the fourth best performance for the event this season. IAAF Golden League Jackpot Contenders after the second leg: Men: 800m &ndash;Wilson Kipketer (DEN) 110m Hurdles - Allen Johnson (USA) 3000m Steeplechase &ndash; Bernard Barmasai Long Jump &ndash; Erick Walder (USA) Women: 200m &ndash; Marion Jones (USA) 800m &ndash; Svetlana Masterkova (RUS) 3000m &ndash; Gabriela Szabo (ROM) The next stage of the IAAF Golden League is the Meeting de Paris on 21 July 1999. Previews, live results and reports will be available as always on www.iaaf.org.

report from the second leg of the IAAF Golden League. World Record for El Guerrouj in the mile

El Guerrouj smashes mile record as Johnson dashes Thompson’s jackpot hopes

Hicham El Guerrouj had vowed to return the world record for the mile to Morocco. Tonight he lived up to his word in front of an ecstatic crowd in Rome’s Olympic Stadium. 