VAL-DE-REUIL, Sept 24: Double Olympic champion Hicham El Guerrouj of Morocco, who missed this year’s World Championships in Helsinki, has said he might extend his career to compete in the Beijing Games in 2008. The 31-year-old Moroccan said he would take stock at the end of 2006 to possibly extend his career until 2008 to take in the Games. “And if I do that it will, of course, be over 5000m with quality preparation over the 1500m.

El Guerrouj pulled off a sensational 1500-5000 metre double at last year’s Athens Olympics when he became the first man since Paavo Nurmi in 1924 to win both events at one Games.

El Guerrouj had failed in two previous heartbreaking Olympic bids for the 1500m, winning silver in Sydney in 2000, and had previously said that he would be hanging up his spikes in 2006.

El Guerrouij won the 1500m world title in 1997, 1999, 2001 and 2003. His 3min 26.00sec run in 1998 still stands as the world 1500m record.—AFP