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Faces in Races: Abdi, Rupp, Meb highlight Men’s 10000m

Posted July 4th, 2008 at 4:47 PM by Jared Markowitz

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Olympics

The men’s 10000m final at the 2008 US Olympic Trials should be a wide-open affair, with several men who could potentially take the title. Leading the way will be Abdi Abdirahman, whose 27:16.98 at the Prefontaine Classic a few weeks ago makes him a slight favorite. He will have to battle with 2004 Olympic Marathon silver medalist Meb Keflezighi, 2007 USATF 10k national runner-up Galen Rupp, Colorado alum Jorge Torres, and rising stars Josh Rohatinsky and Scotty Bauhs. Dathan Ritzenhein, a 2008 Olympian in the marathon, is also entered in the race but has been focusing on marathon preparation.

As in the other races, the top three finishers in this race who have achieved the A standard will make the US team in the 10000m. The A standard in this event is 27:47:31, which has been achieved by six athletes (Abdi, Rupp, Meb, Torres, Ed Moran, James Carney) in the qualifying window. These six athletes can afford to focus on place while the other competitors must keep an eye on the clock to see their Olympic dreams fulfilled. Below we profile three of the competitors (Abdi, Meb, Rupp) and offer some thoughts on how we think this race will play out.

Abdi Abdirahman

Abdi Abdirahman (also known as “The Mayor of Tuscon” and “The Black Cactus”) should be considered the favorite in this Trials race after his 27:16.99 clocking at the Prefontatine Classic early this summer. Abdi was born in Somalia but came to the US during his high school years, becoming a citizen in 2000. His career has been full of exceptional performances dating back to his college days at the University of Arizona. He has run 2:08:56 for the marathon and 61:57 for the half marathon in addition to his exploits on the track. Last summer Abdi won the USATF 10000m championship in impressive fashion and finished 13th at the IAAF World Championships in Osaka.

Meb Keflezighi

Mebrahtom “Meb” Keflezighi is the American Record Holder in the 10000m and the reigning Olympic silver medalist in the marathon. Meb was born in Eritrea but has spent most of his life in the California, becoming a US citizen in 1998. He was a standout in the California high school ranks, winning several state championships while at San Diego High School and then moving on to excel at UCLA. As a professional Meb has run 13:11 for 5000m, the American Record of 27:13.98 (set in 2001) in the 10000m, and 2:09:53 in the New York Marathon. His silver at the 2004 Athens Games was the first American medal in the men’s marathon since Frank Shorter’s gold and silver medals in the 1972 and 1976 Games. Meb has the most distinguished resume of any runner in the field, but may be on the downside of his career as he failed to make the US Olympic marathon team this past fall and has not competed much in this outdoor track season.

Galen Rupp

22 years old, Rupp has been known around elite running circles for several years, dating back to his days as Portland Central Catholic High School. There he was coached by the legendary Alberto Salazar to the national high school record in the 5000m of 13:37.91. Since then Rupp has continued his career at the University of Oregon with good results. He has several All-American certificates and the collegiate record in the 10000m of 27:33.48. Last summer he placed second in the 10000m at the USATF National Championships and 11th at the IAAF World Championships in Osaka. Rupp will look to use the home crowd to his advantage in his quest to make his first Olympic team.

So who will make the trip to Beijing? As has been the case with many other races at these Trials, an exceptionally strong field has been assembled and there are many plausible outcomes. The weather in Eugene is supposed to be good tonight (low 60s, 65% humidity) so those needing the A standard should have the chance to get it. Look for Scotty Bauhs, Fasil Bizuneh, Josh Rohatinsky, and Adam Goucher to lead a charge for the standard. In the end though I expect Abdi to be the class of the field and Rupp to crack the top 3. The third spot will be interesting, however. Can Torres, Moran, or Carney live up to their potential? Does Meb have one big race left? Will Ritz play spoiler? In the end I expect the team to consist of Abdi, Rupp, and Torres as all three have proven themselves on big stages before.

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