Makhloufi insists it was 'will of God' after capturing 1,500 title
Source: Agencies |
August 9, 2012, Thursday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
FROM the moment Algerian Taoufik Makhloufi was controversially reinstated into Tuesday's Olympic 1,500 meters final, reporters thronging the stadium began boning up on a man upon whom fate had clearly shone its divine light.
So, against the odds but to nobody's great surprise, the 24-year-old duly roared to victory with American Leonel Manzano and Moroccan Abdalaati Iguider trailing in his wake.
Makhloufi described his reinstatement as "the will of God", when in fact it was the will of the IAAF which was persuaded that the Algerian had been suffering from an injury when he dropped out of his 800m heat on Monday. They had taken a different view after he jogged around 300m before stepping off the track having been forced to start after his federation forgot to scrap his entry. He was quickly thrown out of the Games for "not making a bonafide effort", only for the decision to be reversed after evidence provided by two doctors confirmed "the athlete suffered from a painful injury, which however, with appropriate treatment, may allow him to compete in 24 hours."
Having scorched the last lap to win Tuesday's race in three minutes 34.08 seconds it was no surprise that Makhloufi faced a barrage of questions about his miraculous overnight recovery.
"I had a knee injury," he told reporters. "I was told it might be dangerous to run in the 800m but I wanted to race."
Asked how he had managed to not only complete three and three quarter laps of the track on Tuesday but fast enough to leave the cream of the world's middle-distance runners trailing, he said: "Anyone who wins can forget about the pain. I had some massage and I need more treatment but I was able to run."
Makhloufi said he had remained calm during the ban, confident that he would be reinstated. "It was only a minor error," he said. "I showed that I had the injury so I just tried to concentrate on preparing as I would normally."
Asbel Kiprop, who won the 2008 gold after Bahraini Rashid Ramzi was stripped of the title for a positive dope test, finished last but said he was happy Makhloufi had been allowed to run. "It was healthy to have him in the race, it was not a big offense," said Kiprop.
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