#stuttgart 1993

[spikes-mag]

The moment I became champion of the world #8 – Haile

In preparation for Moscow, SPIKES has tracked down 10 great world champions to ask them about their first golden moment. Haile Gebrselassie (left) won the first of his four successive world 10,000m titles at the 1993 edition in Stuttgart, Germany.

“A few days before I won my first world gold medal I had made a big tactical mistake and missed out in the 5000m, winning silver. I had let Ismael Kirui [the Kenyan gold medallist] go because Fita Bayisa [Haile's Ethiopian team-mate] told me not to follow him. I was very disappointed.

"I was very happy to win the 10,000m but I had mixed emotions because I accidentally struck the shoe of Moses Tanui and he had to run the last 400m with just one spike left. I felt really sorry for him.

"I celebrated my win with the other Ethiopian athletes back in the village. We had a good dinner and laughed a lot.

"I was very happy with my prize for winning gold, a Mercedes Benz, even though I couldn't drive at the time. I am still driving that Mercedes today. I did not give myself a treat because I had already won the Mercedes."

Watch the dramatic finale to the 1993 10,000m final below:

[spikes-mag]

The moment I became champion of the world #3 – Sally Gunnell

In preparation for Moscow, SPIKES has tracked down 10 great world champions to ask them about their first golden moment. At the 1993 World Championships in Stuttgart, Great Britain's Sally Gunnell won 400m hurdles gold in world record time. Take it away, Sally...

“It was almost a relief to win the world title as I had won the Olympic title [in Barcelona] the year before, and I hadn't felt that well in the ten days leading up to the race.

"I was doubting I would even run at all. It was a relief to feel I was the same athlete I was from the year before but it was still a very different feeling to the Olympics.

"We received a Mercedes Benz car for winning and I also bought myself the biggest bar of Swiss chocolate I could find that night – and I ate it all!”

Watch Gunnell's thrilling world record below: