Athletics: Ramzi wins 800m and historic double

HELSINKI - Bahrain's Rashid Ramzi added the men's 800 metres gold medal to his 1500 title to complete an unprecedented double at the world championships.

Ramzi was happy to stay in the pack for most of the race but came up on the outside with 150 metres left and sprinted clear to win in one minute 44.24 seconds.

Olympic champion Yuriy Borzakovsky of Russia finished strongly to pip Kenyan William Yiampoy for the silver medal in 1:44.51. The African champion was third in 1:44.55.

Ramzi's middle distance double was the first at a global championships since New Zealand's Peter Snell at the 1964 Olympics.

"I thought I could get two medals. I wanted gold in the 1500 but in the 800 I wasn't sure," Ramzi told reporters.

"I knew it was going to be decided in the final straight and I was ready for that.

"I learned from my mistakes in Athens," added the 25-year-old who was eliminated in the semi-finals of the 1500 at last year's Olympics.

"These good results are simply because of the fantastic preparation I have had for these championships."

Moroccan-born Ramzi, who knelt on the track after his victory, has provided Bahrain with their only two world championships medals. He took the world 1500 title in the Finnish capital on Wednesday.

Ramzi was second-fastest in the semi-finals behind Borzakovsky and thought the Russian would provide his main challenge.

"I felt Yuriy had the same tactics as me, to wait, come from behind and use his great speed.

"In the semis I was behind Yuriy and couldn't catch him so in the final I knew I had to get ahead of him," Ramzi said.

Defending champion Djabir Said-Guerni of Algeria was up with the leaders for the first 400 metres but faded on the second lap to finish fifth.

Guerni, 28, has had a disappointing season and only made the final as a fastest loser.

Ramzi won the 1,500 silver medal for Morocco at the African junior championships in 1999 before moving to Bahrain at the end of 2001. He gained citizenship by joining the armed forces.

- REUTERS