Bernard Lagat, the 2007 world champion in both 1,500 and 5,000 meters, is moving close to his step in clinching two Olympic golds in Beijing.
As the first athlete to become world champion in both the 1,500 and 5,000 meters at the same IAAF World Outdoor Championships, Lagat has the potential and strentgh to realize his Olympic glory. He ran three minutes 41.98 seconds effortlessly to advance to the semifinals on Saturday.
The previous Kenyan who was offered U.S. citizenship in May 7, 2004, took bronze in the Sydney games, and the silver in Athens games, all in the 1,500 meters.
If Lagat is successful in his bid, he will be only the third man, behind Paavo Nurmi of Finland in 1924 and Hicham El Guerrouj of Morrocco in 2004 to achieve the feat at an Olympic Games.
The ambitious runner, however, has to confont fierce contenders from Africa to secure his gold double.
Augustine Choge, champion of the 2006 Commonwealth Games 5,000 meters led the world rankings until recently. The former world youth and world junior champion won the Golden League events in Berlin and Paris and the notoriously difficult Kenyan trials.
Second to Choge at both the Kenyan trials and Paris was the young Asbel Kipruto Kiprop, also from Kenya, who won the world junior cross country title and All-African Games 1,500 meters in 2007. Kiprop won the Golden League event in Rome this year.
Abdalaati Iguider of Morocco has emerged as a contender with his personal best of 3:31.88 in 2008. The 21-year-old won world junior gold in 2004 and silver in 2006 and has raced consistently this season.
The 1,500 meters race semifinal, which involves 36 athletes, will be held on Sunday evening, and the final will come next Tuesday.
(Xinhua News Agency August 16, 2008)