BOSSE CONFIDENT AFTER EURO CHAMPIONS 800M PRELIMS
By David Monti, @d9monti
(c) 2014 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved, used with permission.
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ZÃœRICH (13-Aug) — Europe’s fastest 800m runner this year, France’s Pierre-Ambroise Bosse, breezed through yesterday’s first round at the 21st European Championships here, taking second in the last of four heats in 1:47.54. Bosse ran the entire race near the front, and was only just beaten by Denmark’s Andreas Bube, the 2012 silver medalist from these championships, by 4/100ths of a second.
When asked by Race Results Weekly about the relative ease of his effort, Bosse responded confidently.
“You can guess, actually,” he said in English, leaning on the mixed zone barrier at Letzigrund stadium. “I feel really good. I was really in shape, mentally and physically.”
Earlier this season at the Herculis meeting in Monaco, Bosse ran a national record 1:42.53, making him the only sub-1:44 European this season. He is the clear favorite here for gold (he was the bronze medalist two years ago in Helsinki) and, according to Denmark’s Bube, is part of a rising class of European half-milers.
“It will be interesting,” Bube told Race Results Weekly of the upcoming semi-finals tonight. “It will be tough. The level of racing in Europe has risen a bit, with Bosse coming and running 42’s. It’s really amazing.”
The Polish duo of Adam Kszczot and Marcin Lewandowski represent Bosse’s key rivals for the top step of the podium. Like the Frenchman, both advanced easily to the semi-finals: Lewandowski won the first heat in 1:47.83 and and Kszczot won the third in 1:47.92. Britain’s Andrew Osagie ran near the front of most of heat 2, but faded badly in the final 200 meters to finish fifth. He did not advance.
Bosse, who is only 22, is already looking past the semi-finals to Friday’s final.
“It’s not going to be hard,” Bosse said of the semi-finals, but then he paused and said, “I hope so.”
