Standing out from the crowd …
Nick Davies in Zurich
Not since the glory days of shot putter Werner Gunthor, who retired in 1993, has a Swiss athlete gone into the Weltklasse Meeting ranked as World Number 1 in his event. And this athlete's event is not in the field - traditionally a stronghold of Europeans - but is the 800m, which has long been dominated by long legged youths of African descent. So it is not surprising that a lot of eyebrows are being raised. But if Andre Bucher is currently a national hero, thanks to the 1:43.12 he ran in Lausanne last month, he has his feet firmly on the ground.
"Most journalists are asking me how I cope with the pressure of being World Number 1 in the 800m, and of how I will cope with being the most famous Swiss runner tomorrow night in front of a home crowd. But where they see pressure I just see a challenge. I love running in the Weltklasse and now I am in the best form of my life so I am just looking to hang onto my crown!"
Unfortunately, Bucher's European rival - the Kenyan born Wilson Kipketer - withdrew from Zurich with a slight injury. But the rest of the world will be there in the Letzigrund Stadium. "It was a shame not to have the chance to run against Wilson, but I still have a lot of other runners to think about. For me, the toughest opponents tomorrow will be the Algerian Djabir Said Guerni and the Kenyan Japheth Kimutai., and I am under no illusions that the race will be fast. I just plan to hang onto the pacemaker - go through 400m in 49.5 and 600m in about 1:15, and then run a really good last 200 metres."
Said Guerni was quoted yesterday as saying that he had been timed a 400m test in training in 45 seconds flat (with a flying start). Another sign that the pace will be hotting up between now and Sydney.
Bucher is no stranger to Australia, he has visited the Continent for training camps for the past three years. Recently, he has been a regular at the Swiss Alpine resort of St Mortiz. Is this habit of training in thin air a deliberate effort to be like the Africans? "To be honest, I wouldn't claim that altitude makes that much difference in my event. St Moritz is just a great place to train. The altitude factor is more important for long distance runners," says Bucher.
The blond haired former history student, is also amused by the constant references to his nationality and, less so, the colour of his skin. "There is something in the Media and general public that is fixated on the idea of "The Great White Hope". But being the only white European among nine black Africans means absolutely nothing to me. As an individual, I can only say that I have gained a tremendous amount of self-confidence because I have run fast times recently [he was second at the Golden League meeting in Rome with 1:44.44 and ran 1:44.35 to win in Luzern]. I have proved I am good enough to be in these races, regardless of colour or nationality. Hopefully, I can also continue to improve. As for the question of why Africans are currently better than Europeans, I think the Africans are just much more motivated - which means they are willing to accept the risks of becoming professional athletes and happy to train incredibly hard. In Europe, maybe most youngsters think it is safer to go to university and then get a high paying job. After all, there are easier ways to earn a living than as an 800m runner!"
Bucher is realistic enough to know that his world number 1 status, while honestly obtained, will come under serious threat in the coming weeks. "I know that my preparation has been better than ever. Today, I can say that my target is to make the Olympic Final. I might also win a medal, but that is the following step …"
