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Lagat Breaks 99 Year Gold Medal Drought for USA

Posted August 29th, 2007 at 1:30 PM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Special Features, Live Race Coverage

bernard lagat osaka 2007 with son miika Competing in his first IAAF World Championships in Athletics for the United States, Bernard Lagat of Tucson, Ariz., brought home a gold medal in the 1500m, breaking a 99-year middle distance gold medal drought for his adopted nation. Not since Mel Sheppard won the Olympic title in London in 1908 has an American man won a world or Olympic 1500m title.

“This is the most important moment of my life today,” Lagat told the media at the post-race press conference while balancing his 19 month-old son, Mikka, on his knee. He added later, “This was a great win for me.”

Lagat, who already has Olympic silver and bronze medals to his name, executed the race plan coach James Li gave him to perfection. Coach Li had come to Lagat’s hotel room this morning with a video of his semi-final, and pointed out where the 32 year-old athlete had made mistakes during the race. Lagat said he listened carefully to his long-time coach, and kept the race plan he was given for tonight clearly in mind.

“He showed me the plan. I followed it and at the end, I was the winner,” Lagat summarized.

The race began at a reasonably honest pace, with Lagat’s teammate and medal favorite Alan Webb of Reston, Va., taking the field through 400m in 58.63. Lagat stayed tucked in the pack, following coach Li’s proscription not to lead. Kenyan Asbel Kiprop was running in last place during the first lap, but the teenager decided shoot to the front and stir up the pace. He was on the lead at 800m, and Webb thought the race was going well.

“At one point, I thought I was doing a pretty good job,” said Webb. “Somebody (Kiprop) took over for me halfway through. I felt pretty good.”

Kiprop stayed on the front through three laps (2:55.21), and was still leading the race coming out of the final turn, with his teammate Shedrack Korir on his right and Webb and Lagat half a step behind in lane-two. Defending champion Rachid Ramzi of Bahrain was on the curb just behind Kiprop, boxed in. Although he had to swing wide, Lagat’s superior finishing speed simply overwhelmed his rivals’. He left Webb, then passed Ramzi and the two Kenyans to break the tape in 3:34.77. Ramzi was running fourth with about 30 meters to go, but got past the Kenyans to take second by just 4/100ths over Korir. Kiprop ended up fourth, setting a personal best.

Webb faded to eighth in the last few meters, his dreams of a world championships medal in tatters. He called his late race effort “a colossal breakdown.” He offered no excuses. “I thought I had more left than I did. I wish I could learn a lesson from that, but I learned nothing. I got nothing out of it. If I wanted to get seventh, I would have run for seventh and gotten seventh, or whatever the hell I got. I didn’t come to get seventh, I came to get first. I didn’t.”

For Lagat, these championships are not yet over. After an ice bath tonight, he’ll have to gear up for the 5000m qualifying round tomorrow night. Perhaps he can break another drought: no American man has won a world or Olympic title at 5000m since Bob Schul at the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo.

# # # # # #

Elvan Abeylegesse of Turkey and Meseret Defar of Ethiopia won their respective heats in 5000m qualifying. Fifteen women made it through to Saturday’s final, including Americans Shalane Flanagan and Jen Rhines. Defar, the reigning Olympic champion, is the gold medal favorite.

Results:
Men’s 1500m Final:
1. Bernard Lagat, USA 3:34.77 Gold
2. Rashid Ramzi, BRN 3:35.00 Silver
3. Shedrack Korir, KEN 3:35.04 Bronze
4. Asbel Kiprop, KEN 3:35.24 PB
5. Tarek Boukensa, ALG 3:35.26
6. Antar Zerguelaine, ALG 3:35.29
7. Arturo Casado, ESP 3:35.62
8. Alan Webb, USA 3:35.69
9. Andrew Baddeley, GBR 3:35.95
10. Nick Willis, NZL 3:36.13
11. Belal Mansoor Ali, BRN 3:36.44
12. Sergio Gallardo, ESP 3:37.03
13. Juan Carlos Higuero, ESP 3:38.43
14. Youssef Baba, MAR 3:38.78

Women’s 5000m Qualifying:
Heat 1:
1. Elvan Abeylegesse, TUR 15:06.26 Q
2. Vivian Cheruiyot, KEN 15:06.54 Q
3. Sylvia Kibet, KEN 15:06.54 Q
4. Gelete Burika, ETH 15:07.21 Q
5. Shalane Flanagan, USA 15:07.47 Q
6. Volha Kravtsova, BLR 15:17.64 q
7. Kayoko Fukushi, JPN 15:19.67 q
8. Simret Sultan, ERI 15:25.29
9. Michelle Sikes, USA 15:54.06
10. Nora Rocha, MEX 16:34.74
11. Lucia Chandamale, MAW 16:35.75 PB
12. Francine Niyonizigiye, BDI 17:25.22
Tirunesh Dibaba, ETH DNS
Yekaterina Volkova, RUS DNS

Heat 2:
1. Meseret Defar, ETH 15:10.13 Q
2. Meselech Melkamu, ETH 15:10.32 Q
3. Priscah Jepleting, KEN 15:11.22 Q
4. Jo Pavey, GBR 15:11.83 Q
5. Jen Rhines, USA 15:14.30 Q
6. Silvia Weissteiner, ITA 15:15.74 q
7. Mariya Konovalova, RUS 15:16.49 q
8. Jessica Augusto, POR 15:21.23 q
9. Kayo Sugihara, JPN 15:31.44
10. Zakia Mrisho Mohamed, TAN 15:33.81
11. Mary Cullen, IRL 15:40.53
12. Angeline Nyiransabimana, RWA 15:53.23 NR
13. Gabriela Traña, CRC 17:45.56
Mariem Alaoui Selsouli, MAR DNF

PHOTO: Bernard and Miika Lagat (Photo by David Monti)