On August 26, 2003, HE athletics The Spaniard had a spectacular moment in the 3,000m hurdles final in Saint-Denis. At the World Cup in Paris. While Qatari nationalized Saif Saaeed Shaheen and Kenyan Ezekiel Kemboi were stubborn, Luismi Martín Berlanas and Eliseo Martín made an unforgettable final.
The man from Madrid went to war and went after two favorites After the first thousand of a frenzied final where Kemboi recovered 30 meters from Shaheen and lost on the grid. Behind him, Eliseo made a star in the last 400 and hung a historic bronze with Berlana placing sixth.
20 years later, Dani Arce faces the final of 3,000 hurdles with enthusiasm and ambition This Tuesday at 21:42 in Budapest among the finalists there is a general feeling that the eighth best grade of the year (8:10.63) and a few seconds less may be worth it.
“It’s always good to be sixth in a World Cup, but I saw myself with the medal options.”. He finished fourth, European bronze in Edmonton’01, again breaking the Spanish record. The Kenyans didn’t have a good relationship with Shaheen, the race was going crazy and she wanted to try it out. If I were to go back, I would do it differently. Elisha did better. He wanted to pass me 500 meters from the finish line and I didn’t let him. On my way to comment on Monday’s Eurosport session, I was wrong,” Berlanas recalls, from Prensa Ibérica to SPORT.
“I would have tried it differently if I had gone back. I went to death and Eliseo was much smarter, not as aggressive.. He did better than me. He tried to pass me 500 meters away, but I didn’t let go and I was wrong there too. Eliseo was doing so well, I didn’t let him pass and I did him a favor because I took him forward and they saw that he had his followers. I wanted to run to the obstacle, I touched my heel, I stumbled out and tried all my strength not to fall. Elisha won a medal just as I thought. There they beat me, Tahri, Cherono and I reacted again, but I came in sixth,” he explains with surprising spontaneity.
“I love the way Dani runs. I’ve been following for many years.. When I was little, I saw him a lot on the diagonals and was very happy to see him go over the obstacles. He’s matured so much and I’m amazed at how he made the 8:10 mark. He can fight for fifth or sixth place and if there are many conditions why not for bronze because in Girma and El Bakkali it is a bit like in Shaheen and Kemboi in Paris. If it is successful, I will be very happy,” he adds.
Sixth at the World Cup in Seville’99 and the Sydney’00 Games, Eliseo Martín of Montison in her wonderful moment in Paris. “I fulfilled a dream that day.. Stealing medals from Africans was incredible (laughs). I remember everything that passed as a magical night that gave meaning to everything. He had a chance at a medal after missing a bit in Sydney due to stage fright and a host of circumstances. I’ve had very specific times. Note that Luismi was able to do the series and training sessions that I couldn’t. I had a clear approach and knew how to leverage my options,” he explains.
“There is one thing very few people know and that is that my hematocrit is low, at 48% when there are many people who are 43%, and so I had to walk very thin. But on the contrary, my blood cells are very large and I can get oxygen better. Sometimes I wanted to be ahead, but I had to run with my head more than others, so to speak.. And that helped me in that final in Paris.
“I see Dani with options. He has already run too fast and has to go out with controlled ambition. His rhythms and opponents are sure to work very well. If it gets a great result, I will be very happy”, emphasizes the Aragonese.
And the hero? “I am not signing for a finalist place. I got nothing to lose and I’m not afraid to explode in the last 200. I will run smart. He is the best Dani ever. When I did 8:10 in Paris, I went a bit to do 8:15, which is what they asked me to do, and it was too slow for the mark I crossed at 2,000. Now I feel much better, I train more and the volume is very good. I see myself lowering this rating, but what you value is what you do in races. I’m going out with Eliseo’s intelligence and fearless mindset,” he concludes.
In this sense, He said of the 2003 final: “I didn’t watch it live. I started athletics at the age of 13 (2005). I watched that race a few times later because it was impressive.”. At first I identified more with Luismi because she was a monster and I wanted to do everything from scratch. And now with maturity I identify more with Eliseo. I’ve been surrounded by obstacles since I was little, a test I’ve always been passionate about and followed a lot. Eliseo and Berlanas have always been a touchstone. I started in my group with Tomás Tajadura, who later became the Spanish champion.”
“I prefer a fast race because you know who is the best there. And I will go where I already know I am for everyone. In the beginning I will go to my ball a little and when it’s time to run I will go out with all my might. I’m better than ever and I’m very confident in myself,” he concludes with controlled ambition, so to speak.