SA�s athlete who aided Amos speaks

Mqondisi Dube | Friday August 8, 2014 13:33

 

He has largely been credited as the man who untangled Amos after Kenyan threats, David Rudisha and Ferguson Rotich appeared to box the Botswana athlete.  Some Batswana took to social networks to hail Olivier’s unselfish heroics.

Medal hopes were fast diminishing in the final stretch as Rudisha and Rotich led the line.  But Olivier, who is Amos’ training partner, made it possible for Amos to pull wide and burst away in the final 50m. The South African followed Amos and hit the accelerator to push past Rotich for bronze.

“I saw in the last 80m that he (Amos) was boxed, and I knew he was going to try and move wide, so all I did was to move half a meter wider so that he can have space to try catch Rudisha,” Olivier told Mmegi Sport from South Africa.

He said Amos deserved a fair chance after the Kenyans had apparently devised a strategy to box the talented Botswana athlete.  “ I knew how hard he trained for the Games. I also feel he would have done the same for me, as we have so much respect for each other.”  He said it was a competitive race and their coach, Jean Verster was delighted with the win.

“It’s very difficult to describe what was going through my mind that last 100m. I try to explain to people that Nijel and I got a very good relationship, but it’s a different relationship than normal (sic).

We train very hard together and when two people go through difficult times together, a special bond forms,” he explained. Olivier who is having a good year said Amos is more than a friend and training partner. He is more than just a friend and training partner. “I have all the respect in the world for him, and we both help each other a lot on and off the track.”

He tipped the 2012 London Olympics silver medallist to break the world record if he stays fit. Rudisha holds the record at 1:40:91.  Olivier ranks Amos as one of the most talented athletes in the world.In a short space, the world has watched a gangly Marobela boy turn on an incredible show with some jaw-dropping races, which include explosive runs at the Barcelona World Junior Championships, the London Olympics and recently the Glasgow Commonwealth Games.

Meanwhile, the improving Olivier has targeted reaching the finals at the 2016 Rio Olympics.  “And with an athlete like Nijel to train with, it makes the dream just more and more possible.”