Two strides later El Guerrouj tripped and fell. Morceli took off sprinting at the same moment the rest of the field had to evade El Guerrouj's body on the track. Cacho was forced to leap over the fallen El Guerrouj, almost stepping on him.
In a split second, El Guerrouj lost his footing and tumbled. Morceli sprang into action, sprinting at the same time as the other runners had to sidestep El Guerrouj's body on the track. Cacho was forced to jump over the fallen El Guerrouj, with only a fraction of an inch separating him from making contact.