Rashid Ramzi gave Bahrain their first ever Olympic track and field gold medal when he triumphed in the 1500m last night. Moroccan-born Ramzi, the 2005 world champion over 800m and 1500m, won last night's final in 3mins 32.94secs. Kipruto Kiprop of Kenya took silver in 3-33.11 and Nicholas Willis of New Zealand got the bronze in 3-34.16.
Mehdi Baala of France, a two-time European champion and world championship silver medallist in 2003, was fourth. Ramzi has never looked back since he swapped Morocco for Bahrain in the summer of 2002. Raised in Safi, the son of a bricklayer joined the local athletics club which had also produced other Moroccan racers the Boulami brothers (Khalid and Brahim) and Abderrahim Goumri. Ramzi, 28, was offered a job in the Bahrain army and later asked to coach the Gulf state's athletes, taking Bahraini citizenship along the way.
He shot to prominence in the 2005 world championships in Helsinki, under the watchful eye of his coach and hero Khalid Boulami, where he won gold in the 1500m and 800m. Injury marred his preparations for last year's world championships in Osaka, where he just failed to defend his 1500m title, settling for the silver, while he could only manage eighth in the 800m. He will now take a decision on whether to run in the 5,000m.
The Bahraini Rogaya al Gassra qualified sixth fastest for today's women's 200m semi-final after winning her second-round heat. @Email:sports@thenational.ae
