Athletics at the 2004 Summer Olympics – Men's 1500 metres

Last updated
Men's 1500 metres
at the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad
Olympic Athletics.png
Olympic Athletics
Venue Athens Olympic Stadium
Dates20–24 August
Competitors38 from 26 nations
Winning time3:34.19
Medalists
Gold medal icon.svg Hicham El Guerrouj
Flag of Morocco.svg  Morocco
Silver medal icon.svg Bernard Lagat
Flag of Kenya.svg  Kenya
Bronze medal icon.svg Rui Silva
Flag of Portugal.svg  Portugal
  2000
2008  

The men's 1500 metres at the 2004 Summer Olympics as part of the athletics program were held at the Athens Olympic Stadium from August 20 to 24. [1] Thirty-eight athletes from 26 nations competed. [2] The event was won by Hicham El Guerrouj of Morocco, the nation's first title in the event after coming second twice (1992 and 2000); El Guerrouj was the fifth man to win a second medal in the event. Bernard Lagat's silver put Kenya on the podium in the event for the third straight year; the United States (six times from 1896 to 1920) and Great Britain (four times from 1908 to 1924 and three times from 1980 to 1988) were the only other nations to have accomplished that. It also made Lagat the sixth man to win two medals in the event, just behind El Guerrouj in both 2000 and 2004. Rui Silva's bronze was Portugal's first medal in the event.

Contents

Summary

World record holder Hicham El Guerrouj came into the race with a target on his back. Though El Guerrouj had won four straight World Championships, he had failed to win the previous Olympics, falling with a lap to go in his breakthrough year of 1996 and being beaten to the line in 2000 by the same Noah Ngeny who had chased El Guerrouj to the mile world record a year earlier. Ngeny was not back but bronze medalist Bernard Lagat was, seeking to finally beat El Guerrouj. Lagat had the potential assistance of two Kenyan teammates, but El Guerrouj also had his teammate Adil Kaouch make the final and Kaouch had previously sacrificed himself by acting as a pacesetter leading El Guerrouj to the 1999 and 2001 world titles. Because of the assistance, El Guerrouj's ability in a strategic race was suspect.

Off the line, the three Kenyan runners took the lead and formed a wall keeping the field behind as they slowed the pace; El Guerrouj could not run away from the start and the race would be strategic. With 500 metres to go, El Guerrouj worked his way to the front, with a line of kickers including Lagat, Reyes Estevez, Ivan Heshko and the unknown Mulugeta Wendimu lined up behind him. Down the backstretch, Lagat stayed a step behind El Guerrouj as other speedsters jockeyed for position and then fell back. From deep in the pack (dead last with less than 500 metres to go), Rui Silva was on the outside passing the others. Around the final turn, Lagat edged his way closer to El Guerrouj, pulling even just at the head of the stretch, with Silva gaining to just a step behind. By halfway down the home stretch, Lagat edged into the lead, but El Guerrouj did not go away, fighting back to take the win as Lagat gave up the fight a couple of steps before the line. [3] [4] After clearly running the fastest last lap, Silva was unable to make any further headway, celebrating his bronze medal as he finished.

Four days later, El Guerrouj outsprinted 10000 metres gold medalist Kenenisa Bekele to take the 5000 metres gold medal and never competed internationally again, officially retiring in 2006.

Background

This was the 25th appearance of the event, which is one of 12 athletics events to have been held at every Summer Olympics. Half of the finalists from 2000, including four of the top five but not the defending champion, returned: silver medalist Hicham El Guerrouj of Morocco, bronze medalist Bernard Lagat of Kenya, fourth-place finisher Mehdi Baala of France, fifth-place finisher Kevin Sullivan of Canada, eighth-place finisher Juan Carlos Higuero of Spain, and twelfth-place finisher Youssef Baba of Morocco. El Guerrouj (who had stretched his world championship streak to four and still held the world record) and Lagat were the strongest contenders; Lagat and Baala had finished second to El Guerrouj at the last two world championships. [2]

Bahrain, Brunei, the Czech Republic, and Guam each made their first appearance in the event. The United States made its 24th appearance, most of all nations (having missed only the boycotted 1980 Games).

Qualification

The qualification period for athletics was 1 January 2003 to 9 August 2004. For the men's 1500 metres, each National Olympic Committee was permitted to enter up to three athletes that had run the race in 3:36.20 or faster during the qualification period. The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress. If an NOC had no athletes that qualified under that standard, one athlete that had run the race in 3:38.00 or faster could be entered.

Competition format

The competition was again three rounds (used previously in 1952 and since 1964). The "fastest loser" system introduced in 1964 was used for both the first round and semifinals. The 12-man semifinals and finals introduced in 1984 and used since 1992 were retained.

As in 2000, there were three heats in the first round, each with 13 or 14 runners (before withdrawals). There was a slight move towards "fastest losers" advancing, with only the top five runners in each heat, along with the next nine fastest overall, advancing to the semifinals. The 24 semifinalists were divided into two semifinals, each with 12 runners. The top five men in each semifinal, plus the next two fastest overall, advanced to the 12-man final. [2] [5]

Records

Prior to the competition, the existing World and Olympic records were as follows.

World recordFlag of Morocco.svg  Hicham El Guerrouj  (MAR)3:26.00 Rome, Italy 14 July 1998
Olympic recordFlag of Kenya.svg  Noah Ngeny  (KEN)3:32.07 Sydney, Australia 29 September 2000

No new world or Olympic records were set during the competition. The following national records were established during the competition:

NationAthleteRoundTime
Flag of Equatorial Guinea.svg  Equatorial Guinea Roberto Mandje Heat 14:03.37

Schedule

All times are Eastern European Summer Time (UTC+3)

DateTimeRound
Friday, 20 August 200419:40Round 1
Sunday, 22 August 200421:50Semifinals
Tuesday, 24 August 200423:40Final

Results

Round 1

Qualification rule: The first five finishers in each heat (Q) plus the next nine fastest overall runners (q) advanced to the semifinals. [6]

Heat 1

RankAthleteNationTimeNotes
1 Hicham El Guerrouj Flag of Morocco.svg  Morocco 3:37.86Q
2 Rui Silva Flag of Portugal.svg  Portugal 3:37.98Q
3 Álvaro Fernández Flag of Spain.svg  Spain 3:38.34Q
4 Kamal Boulahfane Flag of Algeria.svg  Algeria 3:38.59Q
5 Isaac Kiprono Songok Flag of Kenya.svg  Kenya 3:38.89Q
6 Kevin Sullivan Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada 3:39.30q
7 Michal Šneberger Flag of the Czech Republic.svg  Czech Republic 3:39.68q
8 James Nolan Flag of Ireland.svg  Ireland 3:41.14q
9 Wolfram Müller Flag of Germany.svg  Germany 3:46.75
10 Mounir Yemmouni Flag of France.svg  France 3:51.08
11 Grant Robison Flag of the United States.svg  United States 3:53.66
12 Roberto Mandje Flag of Equatorial Guinea.svg  Equatorial Guinea 4:03.37 NR
Peter Roko Ashak Flag of Sudan.svg  Sudan DNS

Heat 2

RankAthleteNationTimeNotes
1 Reyes Estévez Flag of Spain.svg  Spain 3:39.71Q
2 Bernard Lagat Flag of Kenya.svg  Kenya 3:39.80Q
3 Nick Willis Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand 3:39.80Q
4 Adil Kaouch Flag of Morocco.svg  Morocco 3:39.88Q
5 Mulugeta Wendimu Flag of Ethiopia (1996-2009).svg  Ethiopia 3:39.96Q
6 Gert-Jan Liefers Flag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands 3:40.10q
7 Hudson de Souza Flag of Brazil.svg  Brazil 3:40.78q
8 Johan Cronje Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa 3:40.99q
9 Alan Webb Flag of the United States.svg  United States 3:41.25
10 Aleksandr Krivchinkov Flag of Russia.svg  Russia 3:41.37
11 Abdulrahman Suleiman Flag of Qatar.svg  Qatar 3:42.00
12 Mohamed Khaldi Flag of Algeria.svg  Algeria 3:42.47
13 Mehdi Baala Flag of France.svg  France 3:46.06

Heat 3

RankAthleteNationTimeNotes
1 Michael East Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  Great Britain 3:37.37Q
2 Timothy Kiptanui Flag of Kenya.svg  Kenya 3:37.71Q
3 Ivan Heshko Flag of Ukraine.svg  Ukraine 3:37.78Q
4 Rashid Ramzi Flag of Bahrain.svg  Bahrain 3:37.93Q
5 Tarek Boukensa Flag of Algeria.svg  Algeria 3:37.94Q
6 Juan Carlos Higuero Flag of Spain.svg  Spain 3:38.36q
7 Youssef Baba Flag of Morocco.svg  Morocco 3:38.71q
8 Manuel Damião Flag of Portugal.svg  Portugal 3:39.94q
9 Charlie Gruber Flag of the United States.svg  United States 3:41.73
10 Branko Zorko Flag of Croatia.svg  Croatia 3:48.28
11 Dou Zhaobo Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  China 3:50.28
12 Neil Weare Flag of Guam.svg  Guam 4:05.86
13 Jimmy Anak Ahar Flag of Brunei.svg  Brunei 4:14.11
Samwel Mwera Flag of Tanzania.svg  Tanzania DNS

Semifinals

Qualification rule: The top five finishers in each heat (Q) plus the next two fastest overall runners (q) advanced to the final. [7]

Semifinal 1

RankAthleteNationTimeNotes
1 Adil Kaouch Flag of Morocco.svg  Morocco 3:35.69Q
2 Bernard Lagat Flag of Kenya.svg  Kenya 3:35.84Q
3 Gert-Jan Liefers Flag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands 3:36.00Q
4 Reyes Estévez Flag of Spain.svg  Spain 3:36.05Q
5 Ivan Heshko Flag of Ukraine.svg  Ukraine 3:36.20Q
6 Michael East Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  Great Britain 3:36.46q
7 Isaac Kiprono Songok Flag of Kenya.svg  Kenya 3:37.10q
8 Manuel Damião Flag of Portugal.svg  Portugal 3:37.16
9 Hudson de Souza Flag of Brazil.svg  Brazil 3:38.83
10 James Nolan Flag of Ireland.svg  Ireland 3:42.61
11 Rashid Ramzi Flag of Bahrain.svg  Bahrain 3:44.60
Tarek Boukensa Flag of Algeria.svg  Algeria DNF

Semifinal 2

RankAthleteNationTimeNotes
1 Hicham El Guerrouj Flag of Morocco.svg  Morocco 3:40.87Q
2 Rui Silva Flag of Portugal.svg  Portugal 3:40.99Q
3 Timothy Kiptanui Flag of Kenya.svg  Kenya 3:41.04Q
4 Mulugeta Wendimu Flag of Ethiopia (1996-2009).svg  Ethiopia 3:41.14Q
5 Kamal Boulahfane Flag of Algeria.svg  Algeria 3:41.27Q
6 Nick Willis Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand 3:41.46
7 Álvaro Fernández Flag of Spain.svg  Spain 3:42.01
8 Juan Carlos Higuero Flag of Spain.svg  Spain 3:42.13
9 Kevin Sullivan Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada 3:42.86
10 Youssef Baba Flag of Morocco.svg  Morocco 3:42.96
11 Johan Cronje Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa 3:44.41
12 Michal Šneberger Flag of the Czech Republic.svg  Czech Republic 3:47.03

Final

[8]

RankAthleteNationTime
Gold medal icon.svg Hicham El Guerrouj Flag of Morocco.svg  Morocco 3:34.19
Silver medal icon.svg Bernard Lagat Flag of Kenya.svg  Kenya 3:34.30
Bronze medal icon.svg Rui Silva Flag of Portugal.svg  Portugal 3:34.68
4 Timothy Kiptanui Flag of Kenya.svg  Kenya 3:35.61
5 Ivan Heshko Flag of Ukraine.svg  Ukraine 3:35.82
6 Michael East Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  Great Britain 3:36.33
7 Reyes Estévez Flag of Spain.svg  Spain 3:36.63
8 Gert-Jan Liefers Flag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands 3:37.17
9 Adil Kaouch Flag of Morocco.svg  Morocco 3:38.26
10 Mulugeta Wendimu Flag of Ethiopia (1996-2009).svg  Ethiopia 3:38.33
11 Kamal Boulahfane Flag of Algeria.svg  Algeria 3:39.02
12 Isaac Kiprono Songok Flag of Kenya.svg  Kenya 3:41.72

Related Research Articles

Hicham El Guerrouj Moroccan middle-distance runner

Hicham El Guerrouj is a retired Moroccan middle-distance runner. El Guerrouj is the current world record holder of the outdoor 1500 metres, mile, and 2000 metres events. He also held indoor world records for the mile and 1500 metres until 2019, and is the only man since Paavo Nurmi to earn a gold medal in both the 1500 metres and 5000 metres at the same Olympic Games. El Guerrouj is considered the greatest middle-distance runner in history and is also viewed by some as one of the greatest athletes of all time.

Noah Kiprono Ngeny is a former Kenyan athlete, Olympic gold medalist at 1500 m at the 2000 Summer Olympics, and world record holder in the 1000 m.

Bernard Lagat Kenyan-American runner

Bernard Kipchirchir Lagat is a Kenyan-American middle and long-distance runner.

Paul Kipketer Korir is a middle distance athlete from Kenya.

Portugal at the 2004 Summer Olympics Sporting event delegation

Portugal competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, from 13 to 29 August 2004. Portuguese athletes have competed at every Summer Olympic Games in the modern era since 1912. The Olympic Committee of Portugal sent the nation's second-largest team to the Games. A total of 81 athletes, 64 men and 17 women, were selected by the committee to participate in 15 sports. Men's football was the only team-based sport in which Portugal had its representation at these Games. There was only a single competitor in badminton, canoeing, equestrian, artistic and trampoline gymnastics, triathlon, and wrestling, which made its official Olympic comeback after an eight-year absence.

The men's 100 metres was of one of 23 track events of the athletics at the 2004 Summer Olympics, in Athens. It was contested at the Athens Olympic Stadium, from August 21 to 22, by a total of 82 sprinters from 62 nations. Each nation was limited to 3 athletes per rules in force since the 1930 Olympic Congress.

Athletics at the 2004 Summer Olympics – Mens 200 metres Olympic athletics event

The men's 200 metres at the 2004 Summer Olympics as part of the athletics program was held at the Athens Olympic Stadium from August 24 to 26. There were 54 competitors from 41 nations. The event was won by Shawn Crawford of the United States, the nation's 17th victory in the men's 200 metres. His teammates Bernard Williams (silver) and Justin Gatlin (bronze) completed the sixth American sweep in the event and first since 1984.

The men's 400 metres at the 2004 Summer Olympics as part of the athletics program were held at the Athens Olympic Stadium from August 20 to 23. Sixty-two athletes from 48 nations competed. The event was won by Jeremy Wariner of the United States, the sixth in what would ultimately be 7 consecutive American victories stretching from 1984 to 2008 and the 18th overall title in the event by the United States. The United States swept the podium for the 4th time in the event.

The men's 800 metres at the 2004 Summer Olympics as part of the athletics program was held at the Athens Olympic Stadium from August 25 to 28. Seventy-two athletes from 58 nations competed. The event was won by Yuriy Borzakovskiy of Russia, the first medal for the nation in the event. Wilson Kipketer of Denmark became the 10th man to win a second medal in the 800 metres.

The men's 5,000 metres at the 2004 Summer Olympics as part of the athletics program were held at the Athens Olympic Stadium on August 25 and 28.

Morocco at the 2004 Summer Olympics Sporting event delegation

Morocco competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, from 13 to 29 August 2004. This was the nation's eleventh appearance at the Olympics, except the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, because of its partial support to the United States boycott.

Adil Kaouch is a Moroccan middle distance runner.

Mauritania at the 2000 Summer Olympics Sporting event delegation

Mauritania sent a delegation to compete at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia from 15 September to 1 October 2000. This was the African nation's fifth time competing at the Summer Olympic Games. The Mauritanian delegation consisted of two track and field athletes, Sidi Mohamed Ould Bidjel and Fatou Dieng. Neither advanced beyond the first round of their respective events.

Athletics at the 1996 Summer Olympics – Mens 1500 metres Mens 1500 metres events at the Olympics

The men's 1500 metres was an event at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia. There were 57 competitors from 37 nations. The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress. The event took place between 29 July and 3 August. The event was won by Noureddine Morceli of Algeria, the nation's first championship in the men's 1500 metres. Fermín Cacho of Spain was unable to repeat as gold medalist, but took silver to become the fourth man to win two medals in the event.

Athletics at the 2008 Summer Olympics – Mens 1500 metres Mens 1500 metres events at the Olympics

The men's 1500 metres at the 2008 Summer Olympics took place on 15–19 August at the Beijing National Stadium. Forty-eight athletes from 30 nations competed.

Athletics at the 2000 Summer Olympics – Mens 1500 metres Mens 1500 metres events at the Olympics

The 1500 metres at the 2000 Summer Olympics as part of the athletics programme were held at Stadium Australia on Monday 25 September, Wednesday 27 September, and Friday 29 September 2000. Forty-one athletes from 26 nations competed. The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress. The event was won by Noah Ngeny of Kenya, the nation's first title in the event since 1988 and third overall. Hicham El Guerrouj of Morocco took second, matching the nation's best result in the event.

Athletics at the 2012 Summer Olympics – Mens 1500 metres Mens 1500 metres events at the Olympics

The men's 1500 metres competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, United Kingdom, was held at the Olympic Stadium on 3–7 August. Forty-three athletes from 29 nations competed. The event was won by Taoufik Makhloufi of Algeria, the nation's first title and medal in the event since 1996. Leonel Manzano's silver was the first medal for the United States in the men's 1500 metres since 1968. Morocco earned its fourth medal in six Games with Abdalaati Iguider's bronze. Kenya's four-Games podium streak ended.

Athletics at the 2004 Summer Olympics – Mens 110 metres hurdles Mens 110 metres hurdles events at the Olympics

The men's 110 metre hurdles at the 2004 Summer Olympics as part of the athletics program were held at the Athens Olympic Stadium from August 24 to 27. Forty-seven athletes from 34 nations competed. The event was won by Liu Xiang of China, the nation's first medal in the event. Terrence Trammell and Anier García became the 11th and 12th men to win multiple medals in the 110 metres hurdles.

1500 metres at the World Athletics Championships

The 1500 metres at the World Championships in Athletics has been contested by both men and women since the inaugural edition in 1983. It is the second most prestigious title in the discipline after the 1500 metres at the Olympics. The competition format typically has two qualifying rounds leading to a final between twelve athletes. It is one of two middle-distance running events on the programme, alongside the World Championship 800 metres.

2019 World Athletics Championships – Mens 1500 metres

The men's 1500 metres at the 2019 World Athletics Championships was held at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha from 3 to 6 October 2019.

References

  1. "Athletics at the 2004 Athens Games: Men's 1500 metres". sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 4 November 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 "1500 metres, Men". Olympedia. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  3. Steve Cram (24 August 2004). "El Guerrouj's golden salvation". BBC Sport . Retrieved 13 October 2015.
  4. McMullen, Paul (24 August 2004). "3rd time proves golden charm for El Guerrouj". The Baltimore Sun . Retrieved 13 October 2015.
  5. Official Report, Results Book for Athletics.
  6. "IAAF Athens 2004: Men's 1500m Heats". Athens 2004 . IAAF . Retrieved 13 October 2015.
  7. "IAAF Athens 2004: Men's 1500m Semifinals". Athens 2004 . IAAF . Retrieved 12 October 2015.
  8. "IAAF Athens 2004: Men's 1500m Final". Athens 2004 . IAAF . Retrieved 12 October 2015.