The middle distance runner looks back on his third place in the 800m in 1:44.65 at Rieti in 2005.
Last winter I left my previous training at St. Mary’s and went to Tony Lester, who is more famous as a sprint coach, and we really clicked. I’ve worked with a lot of world-class coaches and I wanted him at the very top level, but it was definitely a shock. for the system.
The first thing we did was improve my speed. I had trained with the Kenyans for a few years before, so I had a lot of stamina, even though I didn’t run 1500m. With Daniel Komen and (three-time world 3000m champion) Moses Kiptanui, so I had that the background.
But speed is the name of the game, so Tony asked. “What do you have to do?” For a good 800m, you have to be able to go 400m at a certain mark and another at 600m, so we really worked on our speed.
I did a full indoor campaign, which was new. I used to do an indoor meet or two just in cross-course or endurance training, go and run 1:51, then do a couple of races, usually at the British Champs, and stop. : I did my best this time. It didn’t quite work out for me in the indoor finals when I was in contention in the last 200, but the speed, really, was and March was on its feet.
When we got to the outdoor season, I opened up at Hengelo, which I always found had soft tracks and was pretty windy, but I was third there and felt really comfortable World Championship in Helsinki.
I remember sitting in the call room before the heat and no one really wanted to go on the track. The rain was coming down. Therefore I said: “Right, I’m just going to go for it. I’m going to go strong because they’re all going to hate it.” It worked, and I only finished second.
Unfortunately I got knocked out in the semi-final in the 800m, it’s Russian Roulette, but I ran 1:45 there again, then I went to Zurich where I expected to run 1:44 and instead it’s 1:45.35.
Then it went to Rieti, which was the best race in the world along with Zurich. It was originally only a six lane track, but then they changed it back to eight lanes. However, it was almost impossible to get in because they were attracting the best of the best , such as Wilson Kipketer, and only 11 athletes ever took the maximum 800m.
James McIlroy (Getty)
That was the race to get in. Now there are a lot of diamond leagues, but back then there were probably only six big events. Brussels was usually right after the World Cup, or Zurich was either side of it.
Both of those races were basically Olympic finals or world finals with a pacemaker, so they were of a very high caliber and Rietti was definitely in the same bracket.
It was very scenic and perfect for racing. It was always a great race. Everything was tight for me, even in a very good field . Instead of winning it, I should have tried to sit, and I think I would have run a little faster.
Wilfred Bungay won it and he led the world that year. In a way I’m glad I tried to take him. He slowed it down on the back straight. I said: “You know what? I’m going to go for it.”
READ MORE. My greatest racing streak
With about 120m to go I got on his shoulder and then he kicked the corner again. He had slowed it down to hit while I hadn’t got it in my engine. I had to sit on him and let him drag me . Instead, he kind of piled up and then lifted off the curve and I blew up a little.
Antonio Reyna, the Spanish 800m runner, also passed me on the line, but I got my 1:44.65, which I think was the fastest time in the UK for 16 years. It was my third and last race in 2005, but it was the highlight of that year.
As Mark Woods said
Documents
Was bornDecember 30, 1976
Events800 m/1500 m
PBs. 1:44.65/3:39.73
Honors:
2008British Indoor Championships 1500m gold
2005European indoor championship 800 m fourth place; British Indoor Championships 800m gold
2004British Indoor Championships 800m gold
2002Commonwealth Games 800m sixth place; British Championships 800m gold; British Indoor Championships 800m gold
2000British Championships 800m gold
1999British Indoor Championships 400m gold
1998European Championship 800 m fourth place; British Championships 1500m gold
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