KEY POINTS:
Hope for a long drive for the line from perhaps 600m to go, and then a kick at 150m, when Nick Willis lines up in the Olympic 1500m final.
The first New Zealander to make the premium track event final since 1984 would prefer that to a blinding sprint to the finish. If Willis is to have any chance of achieving his dream of a medal, he simply cannot leave it to the home straight to make a dash for glory.
And he knows it.
"I think I have a pretty good kick on a good-to-moderate pace, but if it's a really slow pace other guys probably have a little better top-end speed," Willis said early yesterday after his semi-final.
The final is due to start at 2.50am New Zealand time tomorrow.
The 25-year-old made it to the final after claiming the fifth and last spot in the second semifinal, running 3m 37.54s.
It was a tight-run thing. The 12 finalists finished within 0.73s of one another. The fastest through was Asbel Kipruto Kiprop, the 19-year-old Kenyan who emerged from nowhere last year to win the world junior cross-country title then finish a close fourth at the world championship 1500m.
In a boil-over, the reigning world champion, Bernard Lagat, missed out. But Kiprop, Rashid Ramzi and Mehdi Baala loom as favourites.
Willis ran cleverly during his semi-final, but had a hiccup on the last bend when the runner in front of him, Spain's Arturo Casado, ran out of gas and Willis had to swerve around him.
"It's like pulling out in the traffic to pass," said Willis, "you've got to check your rear view mirror."
The incident reminded him of the heats at the Commonwealth Games two years ago - an event he finished with a gold medal.
"If you remember the heats at the Commonwealth Games, I almost took a stumble with 300 to go. It was a similar feeling, you lose your stride - it's like getting an ankle tap. You've got to really re-gather your speed and fortunately I had a lot left in reserve from the really fortunate position I had in the race."
He was happy with how his legs felt, believing his hamstrings had strengthened after hard training last week and about a month earlier.
"That tore my hamstrings up. Because of that my body has strengthened and now for this stuff it's not getting as damaged. That was a necessary sacrifice."
Willis spent the day yesterday relaxing. Since arriving in Beijing, he has checked out of the athletes village each day to spend time with his wife, Sierra, and his American coach, Ron Warhust, who are staying at a hotel in central Beijing.
"I've been catching a taxi 15 minutes away. I just spend the day hanging out. When you're in the village it's really hard to sleep because as soon as close your eyes you think about your next race and your heart is pounding."
Especially when it is the Olympic final you've dreamed of since you were a boy growing up in the Hutt Valley.
