RASHID Ramzi is bent on winning gold at the Beijing Olympics, his coach Khalid Boulami says.
Ramzi is eager to make up for the disappointments of last season during which he battled a stinging left foot injury and then lost both his 800m and 1,500m world titles.
He still finished 2007 with one major medal to show for (a silver at the World Athletics Championships in Osaka, Japan), but generally did not meet the expectations set from a former double world champion.
"He is more determined than ever especially after last year," Boulami told the GDN yesterday in an exclusive interview at the Bahrain Athletics Association offices. "He is only planning for the gold in the Olympics. Nothing else."
Ramzi began this year just as he ended the previous one - missing out on a win. He was classified fifth by default in the men's 1,500m final at the World Indoor Championships in Valencia earlier this month, which marked his first meeting of the new season.
The setback, however, was nothing the 28-year-old should lose sleep on.
"He wanted to win, but basically this competition was only part of our Olympics preparations, and that's it," Boulami said. "This year, it's all about the Olympics. His training now is better than before, and we have begun it earlier this season than in the last. He now feels very good and is looking forward to Beijing."
Ramzi also aims to improve on his Olympics debut in Athens in 2004, when he bowed out of the men's 1,500m semifinals.
"We learned a lot then, and we said we would be better prepared the next time," Boulami said. "He knows how serious this season is. He wants to know the feeling of winning in the Olympics. He won in the world championships, and now he is very determined to repeat the success in a bigger stage. He is ready to face the challenge to win gold."
Boulami revealed that Ramzi will likely only run the men's 1,500m in Beijing. The pair will later this month set off to Albuquerque, New Mexico, in the US for a two-month training camp. They will then travel to Morocco prior to competing in several European meetings during the summer before Beijing Olympics.
