ROME, Reuter: Aouita won the 5,000 meters, Abdi Bile stole the 1,500 and Douglas Wakihuru ran away with the marathon as Africans took the honors on the final day of the world athletics championships Aouita won much as he pleased in a tactical 5,000 meters which gave him the world title to add to his Olympic gold and world record.
The slight Moroccan was content to stay with the pack until the end of the penultimate lap when he thrust his ‘way to the front and sped away from the rest of the field to win in 13 minutes 26.44 seconds.
Bile bided his time in the 1,500, Jetting an anxious defending champion Steve Cram take the lead twice in an effort to inject some pace into the race.
Bile sat on the Briton’s shoulder until the final bend, then displayed an electrifying tum of speed to take the race in 3:36.80 and give Somalia their first ever gold medal in either the world championships or the Olympic Games.
Wakihuru became the latest African long-distance runner to emerge from obscurity and take a major title when «he strode into the lead five kms from the finish of the 42.195 km event.
The Kenyan won in 2:11.48, a splendid time considering the difficult! nature of the race run in narrow, cobbled streets through the center of Rome.
He became the third Kenyan to win 1a gold medal here and showed the African nations are very much in the resurgence after a number of years in the doldrums.
Article extracted from this publication >> September 11, 1987
