Also if now I'm not the official coach of Shaheen, we are in very good relations, and he follows the phylosophy of the past. We spoke together several times, and I think he can be ready for coming back at his top level. Of course, we cannot know if he can beat his WR again, or not.
But I can explain that, in 2006, his shape was 20% better than in 2004, when he beated the WR.
The real problem was the consistancy of the pacers. In 2003 and 2004, the "rabbits" were Simon Vroemen, Luis Miguel Martin and Le Dauphine, all top specialists with a very good technique and the ability to run at even pace. In 2006, we had to find some solution, 100% not so good, but it was no alternative.
I want to explain 2 different sessions at the beginning of August 2006, in Kenya (Nairobi) :
A) A Specific Block with the following tests :
Morning : 4 x 1600m (recovery 4'30") in 3'56" / 3'59" / 3'58" / 3'57"
Afternoon : 2 sets of 5 x 300m (rec. 30"), with 2'30" recovery in between (500m jogging), with the average of first set 38"5, and the second set in 39" / 37"3 / 37"2 / 37"3 / 37".
b) 4 couples of (1000m, rec. 1'30", 300m) rec. 4', in :
2'24"2 / 40"3 - 2'23"6 / 40"8 - 2'23"4 / 40"2 - 2'23" / 39"7
In my opinion, he could run 3'28" in 1500m and, may be, the WR of 3000m.
But, in Zurich meeting, we had a bad work from the rabbits. I personally spoke with Richard Mateelong (at that time n. 3 in the World) for being the 3rd rabbit from 1600 to 2000m. The day was very cold and windy, but the pace was not bad till 1500m (63"2 average per lap). When Mateelong went in front, he slowed down till 67"5, losing 4". When Shaheen saw the split, lost motivation, finishing without pushing too much in 7'55".
From the next day, in St. Moritz, we found snow and a temperature of 3 degrees. His training was not good, and in the next meeting (Bruxelles) the second rabbit (Luis Miguel Martin) came to me AFTER his warm-up telling me honestly that he didn't feel able to run how we requested. So, Shaheen ran a crazy race, with the first 800 in 1'59" behind the first rabbit, then alone, slowing down only for winning in 8'02". Few days later, without any specific training for the bad weather conditions, he was second in Berlin in 3'33". After we came back to Kenya for preparing the double victory in World Cup (5000 and steeple).
About his PB in 2000m, before winning in Helsinki 2005, in training (already in Finland), Shaheen ran 2000 / 1600 / 1200 with 5' recovery in 4'55" (the first 3 laps behind Bashir, the last two alone), 3'56" (2 laps with Bashir) and 2'54". The original plan was to run 800 and 400m too, but, because of the times he did, I stopped his training after 3 tests.
I don't know if in the future he can be able to run again so fast in training. But I think that, more mature and with his unbelievable motivation and personality, he can run again fast like before IN THE RACE.
I never had an athlete with so strong personality and motivation. When you meet somebody with so strong personality, and also you have the same attitude, sometime you have some battle of principle, because nobody wants to surrender. But this is what I like : if you are too weak like character, accepting everything, you never can be a leader OF YOURSELF, and never can have the motivation for lasting.
This is what I try to build in every athlete, but unfortunately I was able only with few of them. These are the champions.