IT is only a matter of time before Bahrain's Maryam Yusuf Jamal breaks the nearly 15-year-old women's 1,500m world record, her coach believes.
"I am 100 per cent sure she can do it," coach Tareq Sabt, who is also her husband, told the GDN yesterday in an exclusive interview.
Maryam, the event's reigning world champion, has declared in the past that beating the three minute 50.46 second-mark set by China's Yunxia Qu in September, 1993 is one of the goals she has set for her career.
"It is difficult, but not entirely impossible," said Maryam, who currently owns a personal best of 3:56.18.
Sabt however thinks that Maryam is being a little too modest. "Sometimes, she does not have big confidence to say that she can break the world record," he said. "But for me, I know she will do it; maybe not this year because it is not our main goal for the season, but surely when the right time comes and with the right pacemaker."
Sabt explained that this year's top priority is winning at the Beijing Olympic Games - a goal that seemed even more realistic after winning her first world title in the World Athletics Championships in Osaka, Japan, late last year.
But after a fourth-place finish in her first major competition this season (the World Indoor Championships in Valencia earlier this month), doubts began to surface about whether she could emulate her Osaka success.
"Surely, we were very disappointed in Valencia as I'm sure everyone supporting Maryam was," Sabt said. "But there were more positives than negatives in that competition.
"The positives were, even if she did not win any medals, she ran a new Asian record for the event (3:59.79), which was more than what we were looking for her to do. And it is better a setback like that happened now, and not in Beijing.
"The only negative: she wants to win every race."
Maryam added: "I thought I would win, but it was very tough race and I made a mistake at the finish line, so I missed a bronze by very little. For sure, I want to better in my next event and then in the Olympics.
"But I don't want to just say it, I will show it."
Sabt added that Maryam is right where she should be at this point of the year as the outdoor athletics season takes shape leading up to Beijing in August.
"She is now 80 to 85 per cent from her peak, which is perfect because we don't want her to be at her best right now," Sabt said. "Those who beat her in Valencia are already 100 per cent. You cannot be like that now and then expect to be the same during the summer. You are a human being, and it is impossible."
Maryam and Sabt had arrived in Bahrain last Friday to be present at a special honouring ceremony the next day, hosted by the Bahrain Athletics Association.
Maryam is set to return to her base in Switzerland later this week while Sabt will join her at a later date. Her next competition is scheduled to be on June 8 at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon, in the US.
