Willard Wins Trials Steeple in American Record
Posted July 4th, 2008 at 8:00 AM by David Monti
Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Olympics
Anna Willard, the 2007 NCAA steeplechase champion who had to contest last year’s AT&T U.S. Outdoor Championships on an injured ankle, ran the fastest ever 3000m steeplechase by an American woman here last night as the U.S. Olympic Trials resumed after a two-day break. Her winning time of 9:27.59 was also the fastest-ever women’s steeplechase performance on U.S. soil.
“I just felt so fantastic,” an enthusiastic Willard told reporters after the race.
Willard, her short blonde hair accented with a bright red streak she had dyed-in just for the Trials, followed the early lead of reigning NCAA champion, Jenny Barringer of the University of Colorado, her chief rival for last night’s title. They were joined by Lindsey Anderson and Nicole Bush of Michigan State University, and the pace was strong.
“I wanted it to go out fast like it did,” said Anderson who is coached by former City of Los Angeles Marathon champion Paul Pilkington. “That is what we were planning on and I knew if I could stay right with Jenny and Anna that I would be there at the end and be able to finish strong and make the team.”
Willard, who did all the leading in her qualifying race before Barringer passed her in the closing stages, suppressed her urge to surge ahead.
“I kept saying to myself, ‘I want to go now, I want to go now,’” she recalled. “But I really made myself hold back for a while.”
Once through the fifth of the seven and one-half lap race, the former University of Michigan star who is still coached by Mike McGuire decided to make her bid for victory.
“I decided I wanted to go at the second to last water jump,” she said.
Neither Barringer nor Anderson could match Willard’s late race speed. Her form still crisp over the barriers, she rounded the final turn for home with the record within her grasp. The capacity crowd at Hayward Field roared in approval.
“I honestly didn’t know what I needed to run on that last lap to get the record,” Willard admitted. “I didn’t know how much of a gap I had. I still don’t know.”
Willard, who got engaged to steeplechaser Jon Pierce last Saturday night, won by more than three seconds over Anderson who had passed Barringer. Anderson shattered her personal best by more than nine seconds finishing in 9:30.75 and, like Willard, earned a spot on her first Olympic team. Barringer, whose fast early pace helped Willard achieve the record, finished third in 9:33.11. Despite losing her national title to Willard, Barringer was thrilled to have made her first Olympic team and will be contesting the first-ever Olympic Games steeplechase competition for women.
“I’m not going to sleep tonight, because I’m worried I’ll wake up and it won’t have really happened,” Barringer said. “With about 800 meters left I got really nervous and overwhelmed, because the crowd was so into it. It almost made it harder. I kept trying to tell myself it’s just another race… but it is the Olympic Trials and it means so much.”
Bush, who will be the alternate for the team because she finished fourth, set a nine-second personal best and easily got under the Olympic Games “A” standard of 9:46.00 by clocking 9:40.27. She is now fully qualified for Beijing should Willard, Anderson or Barringer be unable to compete due to injury.
WEBB, LAGAT AND TOP WOMEN ADVANCE IN 1500M
In the first round of the men’s 1500m, only six athletes were eliminated out of the 30 who stepped to the starting line of the three heats. Alan Webb looked strong winning the third heat in 3:41.27.
“This was the first time ever I really looked forward to running the rounds,” said Webb after running only his first 1500m race of the year. “The way this year has gone I needed to spread my wings and feel good. It was nice to be able to ease up at the end. It’s just the quarterfinals and I needed to qualify.”
Bernard Lagat, who won the 5000m last Monday, was running in last place at the bell and had to run a sub-56 second final lap to finish fourth.
A resurgent Gabe Jennings, a 2000 Olympian, won the first heat with a late-race charge in 3:44.39, while Lopez Lomong outlegged NCAA champion Leonel Manzano (who just signed with agent Ricky Simms and Nike) in the second heat, 3:43.38 to 3:43.41. The University of Oregon’s A.J. Acosta fell and finished last in the second heat and did not advance.
In the women’s 1500m quarterfinals the only athlete of note eliminated was the University of North Carolina’s Brie Felnagle who dropped out after running in last place. Christin Wurth, Shannon Rowbury, and Lindsey Gallo won the three heats, respectively, and three-time national champion Treniere Clement finished second in the final heat after easing up at the finish.
Both the men’s and women’s semi-finals are tonight.
BROOKS AND KING ELIMINATED IN MEN’S STEEPLE QUALIFYING
Oregon Track Club Elite coach Frank Gagliano, who experienced the joy of having three of his athletes make the Olympic team in the 800m finals last Monday (Nick Symmonds, Christian Smith and Nicole Teter), had to watch two of his athletes eliminated in the first round of the men’s 3000m steeplechase: Tom Brooks and Max King. Neither athlete was able to respond when the pace picked up in the second of two heats, and they finished seventh and eighth, respectively. Brooks had finished third in the national championships last year.
Reigning U.S. champion Josh McAdams advanced by finishing third in the first heat in 8:26.47, behind 2004 Olympian Anthony Famiglietti (8:25.17) and the University of Colorado’s Billy Nelson (8:26.17 PB). Steve Slattery, the 2003 national champion, also advanced on time in sixth place. Former Cal Poly athlete Ben Bruce ran a personal best 8:32.57 to win the second heat, followed by reigning NCAA champion Kyle Alcorn (8:32.74) and Jordan Desilets (8:34.74). Last year’s runner-up at the national championships, Aaron Aguayo, did not start in the second heat.
TWO BIG FINALS TONIGHT
The women’s 5000m and men’s 10,000m finals will close tonight’s program at these Trials. The women’s 5-K will feature a rematch between Shalane Flanagan and Kara Goucher, who finished 1-2 in last Friday’s 10,000m final. Goucher’s husband Adam will be competing in the 10,000m after successfully petitioning himself into the race without having one of the top-25 qualifying times. Tucson’s Abdi Abdirahman, the reigning national champion and the fastest American over the distance in both 2007 and 2008, will be hoping to make his third Olympic team. Other favorites for the podium include reigning Olympic marathon silver medalist Meb Keflezighi, the University of Oregon’s Galen Rupp, reigning U.S. 8-K champion Jorge Torres and NCAA division II star Scotty Bauhs. Dathan Ritzenhein, who has already made the Olympic team in the marathon, will also be racing. He lives here in Eugene.
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Tags: Alan Webb, Anna Willard, Anthony Famiglietti, Bernard Lagat, Eugene, frank gagliano, Gabe Jennings, hayward field, Olympic Trials, oregon, steeplechase, Team USA, track & field trials, track and field, track trials, Tracktrials08coverage, u.s. olympic track & field trials
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