Botswana’s Nijel Amos and Ethiopia’s Mohamed Aman will face off in 800m event today.
August 9, 2012. London Olympics. Nijel Amos, an 18-year-old runner from Botswana, has made it to the final with just eight months of professional training backing him up.
He runs hard. He tries catching up with David Rudisha, who also is running a race of his lifetime. And even as Rudisha celebrates yet another world record, Amos breaks down and has to be stretchered off. By the way, he came in second tying the third fastest time in 800m history — 1:41.73 with Sebastian Coe.
“My goal was to be in the final. So when I did reach the final, I knew I had nothing to lose,” Amos said yesterday ahead of today’s IAAF Diamond League Doha event. “I gave it my all. And broke down in the end.”
Rudisha has pulled out of Doha citing injury concerns but the 800m event today promises to be a cracker with Amos and world champion Mohamed Aman of Ethiopia joining the fray.
“I missed Moscow but ran a PB (personal best in 400m in Abidjan) this year. So I am getting there (in terms of performance),” Amos said.
Aman, who flew in at 5am yesterday, is looking to recover well and build on his second consecutive world indoors title, which he won in Sopot earlier this year.
“I will train good, I will try to do well. I have fans and friends here. I like to do well here,” a soft-spoken Aman said yesterday.
Also in fray for the 800m title is Andrew Osagie of Great Britain and Asian champion Abdulrahman Musaeb Bala of Qatar. Also representing the hosts in the event along with Bala will be rising star Jamal Hairane.
In 200 metres, Jamaican Warren Weir is targeting to stay under the meet record of 20.02 by American Walter Dix (2012).
“I am hoping to run faster than my last race. My last race was 19.8. I am hoping I can get below 20 seconds which is a meet record,” Weir said yesterday.
Weir will be up against American Curtis Mitchell, the World bronze medallist, who finished third in pre-Diamond League meeting Kingston, Jamaica, last Saturday.
“I’ve heard good things about Doha and I want to make a good performance, to have fun,” Mitchell said. “I just want to run fast and prove myself and to compete at the highest level. I want to (eventually) attack the US record in the 200 metres. I just want to keep healthy and put myself among the greatest.”
Also, in the 200m field is Weir’s compatriot Rasheed Dwyer, who finished second ahead of Mitchell in Kingston.
In 400m, LaShawn Merritt of USA and Luguelin Santos of Dominican Republic will have the year’s third rematch of sorts. Merritt, who is also the meet record holder with 2012 performance of 44.19, won (44.44) the Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa, earlier this year, with Santos (44.72) finishing third. Santos (44.82), however, won by four-hundredths of a second in Kingston.
The Kenyans will like to strengthen their grip on the 1500m event having won 13 of the 14 times in Doha.
Reigning world champion Asbel Kiprop, last year’s winner, will return to defend, with 2011 winner Nixon Chepseba and 2012 winner Silas Kiplagat also in the field.
Kenyans will also look to continue their domination of the 3000m steeplechase. Leading the pack will be Olympic champion Ezekiel Kemboi, followed by Brimin Kipruto, who came within one-hundredths of a second of the world record 7:53.63 in Monaco in 2011. There is also Paul Kipsiele Koech, the meet record holder and at 7:54.31 the third fastest man in the event.
The 110m hurdles is headlined by world champion David Oliver. The American also has the meet record of 12.95 (2008) to his name.
The Moscow World silver and bronze medallists, veteran Dutchman Ignisious Gaisah and Mexican newcomer Luis Alberto Rivera respectively, lead a wide-open field in the long jump. There is also an interesting entry of American Christian Taylor, the reigning Olympic champion in triple jump.