Not finished yet
Morceli still could be contender at Rieti
Posted: Saturday August 29, 1998 01:59 PM
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Morceli has been hampered by tendon injuries this season, but says he's healthy now Howard Boylan/Allsport |
RIETI, Italy (AP) -- Noureddine Morceli is not ready to abdicate.
Not completely.
The Algerian's reign as the world's premier middle-distance
runner may be over, but he insisted on the eve of Sunday's IAAF
Rieti Grand Prix meet that he still has one or two years of top
performances left.
As long as I put shoes on my feet there are things I can do,
Morceli, 28, said in an interview Saturday. I have been running
very fast for many years. I have ranked No. 1 seven time. I have
done everything. When you are 28, 29, 30 you don't have the same
strength and speed. But I know I still can produce very fast
times.
His optimism may be bolstered by being in this little town
nestled in mountains about 55 kilometers (35 miles) northeast of
Rome. Morceli twice set world records here.
It is a special track, it's like it has magic, the Olympic
champion said. 'Many people have produced fast times here. I feel
like I am at home.
When he lines up for the 1,500 meters Sunday, the opponents will
not include Hicham El Guerrouj, who clipped more than a second off
Morceli's old record for the 1,500 by running 3 minutes, 26 seconds
at the Golden Gala meet in Rome last month.
El Guerrouj also ended Morceli's four-year unbeaten streak at
the distance in 1996 and took away the Algerian's three-year hold
on the world title last year. But El Guerrouj is skipping Rieti to
concentrate on the final Golden League series meet, Tuesday at
Berlin.
He has great talent and he's very, very young, Morceli, who
still owns the standards for the mile and 2,000 meters, said of his
rival. The way he has been running he is the king of he middle
distances right now. I have thought about changing my distance,
trying to make my mark in the 5,000 meters. Let's give it another
year or two and see. If [my speed] doesn't come back I won't lose
anything. I still have what I accomplished in the past.
Morceli has been hampered by tendon injuries this season, but
says he's healthy now.
Opting out of Rieti were sprinting and long jump star Marion
Jones, and top men's sprinters Ato Boldon and Maurice Greene.
Former 3,000 steeplechase record holder Wilson Boit Kipketer pulled
out with a back injury, while Heike Drechsler - the newly-crowned
European champion and past Olympic and world titlist and
record-holder in the women's long jump - was a late scratch because
she had to shoot an advertisement for a sponsor, organizers said.
The men's high jump will feature a top-flight battle between
world record holder and world champion Javier Sotomayor, Olympic
titlist Charles Austin and Poland's Arthur Partyka, who captured
the gold at last week's European championships.
Others participating include Olympic pole vault champion Jean
Galfion and all three medalists from the shot put at the Europeans
(Aleksander Bagach, Oliver-Sven Buder and Yuri Belonog).
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