London Diaries, Day 5: Men's 1,500 m, it's Taoufik Makhloufi, Leo Manzano, Abdalaati Iguider and Mathew Centrowitz, by Larry Eder

Men’s 1,500m final: Centrowitz (4), Manzano (2), Iguider (3), and Makhloufi (1),

photo by PhotoRun.net

A fast 1,500 meters, and some huge surprises. First, Asbel Kiprop, the 2008 Olympic champion, the 2009 and 2011 World Champion, and the fastest man in the world in 2012, finished last. Reuters’ Gene Cherry suggested to me, just before the final, that Kiprop might be injured. He was right.

And, miraculously, Taoufik Makhloufi, who dropped out of the 800 meters the day before, was disqualified for not making an honest effort, then, reinstated, then won the race with a kick from 410 meters out!

And, Leo Manzano became, with Jim Ryun (68), Bob McMillan (52), Glenn Cunningham (36) and Abel Kiviat (12), one of the few Americans to take silver in the Olympic 1,500 meters. Add to that, Matt Centrowitz,s fourth place in the 1,500 meters, and you had a truly hot August night of distance running!

2022 TCS London Marathon Diary: SIR MO FARAH IS OUT OF TCS LONDON MARATHON ON SUNDAY, from London Marathon media

Coffee with Larry, September 27, 2022

Coffee with Larry, September 26, 2022, part 1

Belal Mansoor Ali took the race out, hitting the 400 meters in 58.30. In the front pack were Abdalaati Iguider, Henrik Ingebrigtsen, the European 1,500m champion, Mekonnen Gebremedhin, Nick Willis, the 2008 silver medalist and Asbel Kiprop, the 2008 Olympic champ and 2009, 2011 World Champs.

Kiprop went to the back pretty quick and did not move there. He finished last in 3:43.83. Something, for Asbel Kiprop was terribly wrong.

Nixon Chepseba took the lead at 800 meters, in 1:56.63, and then, he went to the back of the pack, finishing a dejected 11th place, in 3:39.04.

Silas Kiplagat of Kenya, the last Kenyan in contention, lead at 2:54.72, with 300 meters to go, and he fought longer, finishing seventh in 3:35.04.

By this time, Taoufik Makhloufi of Algeria, who had won the national 1,500 race in Oslo, and had noted that he was dedicating himself to medaling in London, was running full boar. Our keen observer, Justin Lagat, told RBR that Makhloufi began his charge to home with 410 meters to go.

By 300 meters, Makhloufi was off and running, with all others charging. Leo Manzano moved up from ninth place, and Matt Centrowitz, who was up near the front was ready to pounce.

As Henrick INgebrigtsen of Norway (finished fifth in 3:35.43, NR) was passed by Manzano, Leo did not stop. He got all the way to second, kicking hard down the final stretch and caught all but Makhloufi.

Taoufik Makloufi of Algeria achieved his goal of a medal in the games. He won the gold medal, running 3:34.08. In second, Leonel Manzano took the first silver medal for the US since Jim Ryun in 1968, running 3:34.79, his seasonal best.

Matthew Centrowitz waited until the final stretch to charge, missing the bronze by .004, as Abdalaati Iguider of Morocco took the bronze in 3:35.13 to 3:35.17.

A strange, but honest race. Good pace, strong kickers. US put two in top four. Kenya had no one in top six.

Our correspondent in Eldoret, Kenya told us that as Silas Kiplagat went out of contention, the TV in the bar he was in was turned off. Not a great night for Kenyan men in the 1,500 meters.

Leo Manzano noted afterwards how happy he was to medal and how honored he was to be in the company if Jim Ryun and Bob McMillan.

A tremendous night for US distance running. Congrats to Leo Manzano and Matthew Centrowitz and their coaches, John Cook and Alberto Salazar and Andy Powell. Andy has been coaching Matthew through most of his college career.

Leo Manzano, Olympic 1,500m silver medalist, by PhotoRun.net

Leo Manzano, I am fond of saying, has the street smarts of Fermin Cacho, the 1992 Olympic 1,500m winner. Matthew Centrowitz does too. With two runners like this, our fortunes are bound to continue upwards.

US distance running is going through a renaissance. There are many, many reasons, but the constant introspection of coaches, athletes and sponsors is a major reason. Leo Manzano has had some great races, and some not so great. He is willing to learn and let it all go on the line. He is a great role model for Latinos and non-Latinos. I liked that he had his two flags up there. An American and a Hispanic American, that is mui bueno. I guess he will have to make cover for Latinos Corriendo?

————————————————————————————-
The XXX Olympic Games
London (GBR) – Tuesday, Aug 07, 2012
1500 Metres – M FINAL

————————————————————————————-

07 August 2012 – 21:15

(NR)

Position	Bib	Athlete	Country	Mark	.
1	1008	Taoufik Makhloufi	ALG	3:34.08	.
2	3234	Leonel Manzano	USA	3:34.79	(SB)
3	2456	Abdalaati Iguider	MAR	3:35.13	.
4	3210	Matthew Centrowitz	USA	3:35.17	.
5	2596	Henrik Ingebrigtsen	NOR	3:35.43
6	1687	Mekonnen Gebremedhin	ETH	3:35.44	.
7	2299	Silas Kiplagat	KEN	3:36.19	.
8	3078	Ilham Tanui Ã–zbilen	TUR	3:36.72	.
9	2612	Nicholas Willis	NZL	3:36.94	.
10	1252	Belal Mansoor Ali	BRN	3:37.98	.
11	2295	Nixon Kiplimo Chepseba	KEN	3:39.04	.
12	2300	Asbel Kiprop	KEN	3:43.83	.

Intermediate	Bib	Athlete	Nation	Mark
400m	1252	Belal Mansoor Ali	BRN	58.30
800m	2295	Nixon Kiplimo Chepseba	KEN	1:58.63
1200m	2299	Silas Kiplagat

Larry Eder

Larry Eder has had a 50-year involvement in the sport of athletics. Larry has experienced the sport as an athlete, coach, magazine publisher, and now, journalist and blogger. His first article, on Don Bowden, America's first sub-4 minute miler, was published in RW in 1983. Larry has published several magazines on athletics, from American Athletics to the U.S. version of Spikes magazine. He currently manages the content and marketing development of the RunningNetwork, The Shoe Addicts, and RunBlogRun. Of RunBlogRun, his daily pilgrimage with the sport, Larry says: "I have to admit, I love traveling to far away meets, writing about the sport I love, and the athletes I respect, for my readers at runblogrun.com, the most of anything I have ever done, except, maybe running itself."

View all posts