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After his unsuccessful attempt to win the 800m at the Seoul Olympic
Games the previous year, Said Aouita returned to the comparative
security of the longer middle distances in 1989. His indoor experience
was limited prior to that year, but he undertook an unbeaten US indoor
campaign in February, and then at Budapest in March, he won the World
Indoor 3000m title in 7min 47.94sec. After a loss in his first race of
the outdoor season over 5000m when he was still recovering from illness,
he then won 19 consecutive races between 1000m and 5000m. One World
Record that had constantly eluded him over the years, despite a number
of close attempts to break it, was Henry Rono's 3000m time of 7min
32.1sec set in 1978. In 1989, Aouita made another attempt to add this
record to his 1500m and 5000m World Records.
He first tried at the
Bislett Games in Oslo on 1 July, where he won by 10secs in 7min 34.79sec
(see photo above), the eighth fastest time ever run. At Cologne
seven weeks later, he tried again, and this time with a much stronger
field to help set the pace. Passing 2000m in 5min 03.3sec with the help
of pacemakers, Aouita took the lead with two laps to go and sped for
home. He hit the tape in 7min 29.45sec, and his last kilometre took
only2min 26.2sec. He had not only smashed Rono's World Record, but he
also now owned 6 of the 10 fastest times ever run. Aouita did not
compete in the 1990 outdoor season, and when he returned to competition,
was unable to recapture the dominance he had imposed during the 1980s.
His final appearance at the World Championships, in 1991 at Tokyo, was a
barely noticed 11th in the 1500m. (Ron Casey)
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