Crowd, Favorites Go the Distance

Lured by the Spanish Armada in the 1,500 meters, the spectators finally converged upon Estadio Olimpico on Tuesday night in the numbers expected. Of course, as soon as that race was finished, a mass exodus was anticipated so that soccer fans among the crowd could be in front of their television sets in time for the 9:45 p.m. kickoff between Real Madrid and AC Milan.

It didn’t happen. One can only guess that most among the sellout crowd in the 60,000-seat stadium didn’t want to leave before seeing Ethiopia’s Haile Gebrselassie, star of the movie “Endurance,” try to extend his winning streak in the World Championships 10,000 meters to four.

He didn’t disappoint, asserting such control over the field that he barely broke a sweat despite a temperature of 88 degrees and humidity of 50%.

The disappointment for Spaniards came in the 1,500, an event in which they hoped that their three finalists, including the Olympic champion from 1992 in Barcelona, Fermin Cacho, could overwhelm favored Hicham El Guerrouj of Morocco with numbers.

No chance. El Guerrouj, who had won 74 of his last 76 races at a mile, 1,500 meters and 2,000 meters, easily beat second-place Noah Ngeny of Kenya and the Spaniards, who finished third, fourth and fifth.

El Guerrouj’s time of 3 minutes 27.65 seconds was the fifth-fastest ever and might have approached his world record of 3:26.0 if he hadn’t slowed in the last 10 meters to blow kisses to the crowd.

Such is the impertinence of youth--he turns 25 next month--that he probably believes a world record is around every curve. Maybe it is for El Guerrouj, who also holds the mile record. He is that good.

As enthused as Spaniards were by the 1,500 meters, they had nowhere close to the emotional investment of Moroccans.

Asked how many in her country would watch Tuesday night, International Amateur Athletic Federation council member Nawal El Moutawakel said, “As many as there are televisions.”

There were fewer television sets in Morocco in 1984, but the percentage of viewers was the same when El Moutawakel became the first from the country to win an Olympic gold medal with her victory in the 400-meter hurdles in Los Angeles. Later at the Coliseum, Said Aouita became the first Moroccan man to win a gold medal with his victory in the 5,000.

When they returned home, more than 1 million people attended a parade for them in Casablanca. The people nicknamed the express train between Casablanca and Rabat for Aouita, as in, “I’m taking the 7 a.m. Aouita.”

That legacy was passed on to El Guerrouj, even more popular than El Moutawakel and Aouita.

King Hassan II was his country’s No. 1 sports fan, even calling El Guerrouj when he fell during the 1,500 final in 1996 in Atlanta to offer encouragement. When Hassan recently died, there were concerns within Morocco about the direction that his son and successor, Mohammad VI, would take. El Guerrouj has eased some of them with his vocal support of the new king.

It would be as if Al Gore and George W. Bush needed the endorsement of Michael Johnson or Marion Jones to convince voters of their fitness for the presidency.

Coincidentally, the only U.S. medalist Tuesday night was named Washington. Anthony Washington won the discus with a throw of 226 feet 8 inches, a meet record.

Lisa Misipeka, a 1993 graduate of Temecula Valley High, finished third in the women’s hammer but was competing for American Samoa. She had one funny line, saying she could throw the hammer almost across her island.

Otherwise, not much happened to make the Americans smile.

The American record holder in the pole vault, Jeff Hartwig, blaming the “incompetence” of the officials, was told he had qualified for the final, then told that he hadn’t. While rushing to take another jump, he injured his foot and knee and was taken to the hospital. The X-rays revealed no breaks, which was the only break he got here.

Allen Johnson, a two-time world and ’96 Olympic champion, didn’t make it to the start in the 110-meter hurdle semifinals because of a calf injury.

One American, Steve Holman, advanced to the 1,500 final and finished about seven seconds behind El Guerrouj, a well-beaten ninth in 3:34.32.

When Craig Masback, the 44-year-old executive director of USA Track & Field, was at his competitive best two decades ago, he was running 3:35.28.

Except for Steve Scott, no Americans since have done much internationally in the 1,500.

Masback said Tuesday night he believes that is about to change, naming several young U.S. milers with potential.

Asked if we might see them in the final in next summer’s Olympics in Sydney, he said, “More likely Edmonton than Sydney, more likely Athens than Edmonton.” He referred to the 2001 World Championships in Canada and the 2004 Summer Olympics in Greece.

Although Masback might not admit it, that also would be a realistic timetable for track and field to regain its footing in the United States. From a marketing and media standpoint, the sport was neglected until Masback was hired two years ago.

“We’re starting somewhere,” John Smith, who coaches Maurice Greene, Inger Miller and others in Westwood, said last week. “We’re trying to change in two years something that has been run another way for 30 years.”

About the best thing you can say for Masback’s predecessor, Ollan Cassell, is that he came from a different era, when the sport sold itself. Until his last couple of years in office, media contact gave him a rash.

In contrast, I walked into the USATF office here one day to use the copier and found the machine jammed. Masback, calling upon his experience years ago in the Yale law library, fixed it. Later that night, he climbed to the upper deck of the press seats to deliver results sheets. I asked him to bring me a Diet Coke, but I guess he didn’t hear.

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Randy Harvey can be reached at his e-mail address: randy.harvey@latimes.com