El Guerrouj wants to cap year with record

BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) -- Hicham el Guerrouj already was the talk of the Olympics with his double in the 1,500 and 5,000 meters. Now he wants to end his season with a world record in the 3,000 on Friday.

Last week, the Moroccan became the first racer to clinch the rare Olympic double since Finnish great Paavo Nurmi 80 years ago.

It compensated for his failure to win a 1,500 gold medal in the 1996 and 2000 Olympics despite his status as one of the greatest middle distance runners in history. He was held back by misfortune in Atlanta, where he crashed, and a rare bad race at the Sydney Games.

"You know I still haven't slept in two days? I still cannot believe it," El Guerrouj told Het Nieuwsblad.

He'd better get some rest before he attacks the 3,000 world record at the Van Damme before a sellout crowd of 47,000 at the King Baudouin stadium on Friday.

"I'll give it everything I have," he said, but admitted the 1996 record of 3 minutes 20.67 seconds set by Kenyan Daniel Komen will be tough to beat.

In comparison, the year's top time by Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge stands at 7:33.37.

After finally clinching the 1,500 in Athens, El Guerrouj upset world record holder Kenenisa Bekele of Ethiopia in the 5,000 to deny the 10,000 champion his double.

After his run on Friday, El Guerrouj will travel to Morocco for a series of celebrations.

At 29, it doesn't get any better.

He plans to drop the 1,500 next season and center on the 5,000 instead, hoping to celebrate it with a world title in Helsinki next year.

He wants to come back to Brussels and the Van Damme after that to run his first 10,000.