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Tears as El Guerrouj quits
23/05/2006 07:53 - (SA)
Paris - Hicham El Guerrouj shed many tears during his glittering athletics career not to mention sweat and on Monday he cried one last time in front of the press as the 31-year-old announced his retirement.
For a while the slender gracious Moroccan seemed destined to join the greats who for some reason were never to taste Olympic glory and the tears flowed freely.
In 1996 in Atlanta the young pretender to Algeria Nourredine Morcelli saw his chances disappear as he tumbled at the bell and picked himself up to finish down the field.
From then on he was the master of the 1 500m as Morcelli faded and with two world outdoor titles to his name - claiming that the secret to his indomitability was his mother's cous cous - arrived at the Sydney Olympics seemingly destined to be anointed.
However he failed to take account of a relatively unsung Kenyan Noah Ngeny, who he had beaten on every occasion and who had paced him for his 1 500m world record.
Unable to shake off the Kenyan, to his utter astonishment he was passed by Ngeny in the straight and literally fell to his knees in despair.
"Four years ago I fell in Atlanta and for four years I kept the photograph of that moment so I could bring it here and tear it up when I won the title," he said tearfully at the time.
"Now I will have to keep it for another four years but I will prevail because I am Hicham the great and still the best runner in the distance."
While some questioned whether he could handle the extra pressure of the Olympics and Ngeny faded into the obscurity he had come from, El Guerrouj just kept on winning accruing two more outdoor world titles.
After having a moderate season by his exalted standards in 2004 he approached the Athens Olympics in perhaps less confident frame of mind than before and added the 5 000m to his agenda as a measure of insurance.
He should not have worried as he finally fulfilled his destiny and ended any suggestions of mental fallibility by winning the 1 500m title on a balmy night in the Greek capital.
Tears flooded down El Guerrouj's face moments after he crossed the line but they were tears of joy and relief compared to the ones of frustration that welled up at after his two previous Olympics finals.
"Only victory can dry the tears of Atlanta and Sydney," El Guerrouj said.
"I will go and hang this medal over my baby daughter's cot."
Five days later and his ranking among the gods of the sport was rubberstamped as he beat the peerless Kenenisa Bekele, who was already the 10 000m Olympic champion, and took the 5 000m title to become the first athlete since Pavel Nurmi in 1924 to land both events at the same Games.
"After all that went on in Atlanta and Sydney this is a deserved reward but also unbelievable that I can win two Olympic gold medals in the space of five days.
- AFP
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