by Larry Eder
USATF Day Four
By Roy Stevenson
Warm, cloudy.
10,746 spectators.
Under mercifully cooler conditions than the first three days’ competition, the 4th and last day of the USATF Champs served up a delicious menu of 16 track & field finals. Anticipating super hot conditions, the USATF wisely brought the Women’s and Men’s 5,000m finals forward to 10:20 and 10:45 am, before the track heated up.
Men’s 800m Final
To this writer, the Men’s 800m final was THE race of the USATF Champs!
Why this race, you ask?
OK, everyone knows that Nick Symmonds’s stock-in-trade is his ability to blitz that last 120m. We all get that. But most of us still thought he’d timed this one too late as he trailed through the first lap dead last, in 51.27, behind leader Duane Solomon’s speedy 49.76. You just can’t afford to give up this sort of lead to a quality runner like Solomon and expect to be close at the finish.
Nick Symmonds wins 800 meters, photo by PhotoRun.net
This was a lot of daylight between Solomon and Symmonds, and there were some good kickers between them whom we knew could fend Symmonds off if they timed things right.
But, apparently, someone forgot to tell Symmonds that he couldn’t win this race from so far behind. He started moving through the field with a 26.24-second third 200m, picking off a few stragglers. Well, we thought, maybe Symmonds might squeak into third–but his chances of winning still seemed remote.
Symmonds put his trademark hammer down with 130m to go, and it seemed like he might just squeeze onto the team, as he wound his sprint up. As it turned out, Symmond’s hammer was every bit as formidable as Thor’s Hammer, Mjolnir.
Half way down the home straight Solomon literally ground to a halt, stopped, and eventually walked across the line. But all eyes were on Symmonds who absolutely screamed over the last 50m, hoovering in the rest of the field left, right, and center. His final 200m of 27.03, was a quarter second faster than the next fastest, and eons ahead of the others’ final 200m splits.
Flashing across the line in 1:44.53, with Erik Sowinski a gallant runner-up in 1:44.84, and Casimir Loxsom third in 1:45.35, Symmonds absolutely dismantled this field of the finest half-milers this country has to offer.
Many of us in the press box were rendered speechless by Symmond’s merciless blitz. Someone should tell this super-talented runner that this just isn’t done. All we ask in your future races, Nick, is that you show a modicum of respect for your competitors by not annihilating them in such a humiliating way again.
Although dating Paris Hilton and selling your deltoid to the highest bidder may be notable achievements, Nick, we rate today’s race as your finest moment. And by the way, your book is a darn good read.
Good luck at the Worlds’ and here’s hoping you bring back a lustrous gold medal.
Men’s 5,000m Final
Some true heavyweights lined up for this race: Galen Rupp, Bernard Lagat, Lopez Lomong, Paul Chelimo, Benjamin True, Ryan Hill, and Garrett Heath to name a few.
The 70.4-opening lap and the 2:24.6 800m indicated this would be a tactical race, and with Rupp in the field, the final 1200m would be nasty. Laps in the first half unfolded between 67 and 76 seconds. The 1200m passed in 3:35.4, and the 1600m in a schoolboy 4:42.2. With this slow pace came the usual jostling for positions behind the early leader Jonathan Peterson.
The 5000 meters, photo by PhotoRun.net
Others featuring in the lead group were Jim Spisak, Rupp, Heath, Lagat, and David Torrence who lurked in 4th for a while.
The 3,000m was reached in a pedestrian 8:44.55, with Peterson, Lomong, Heath, Lagat, Spisak, Chelimo, Torrence, and Rupp chugging along, marking each other for their breakaway.
With 4 laps left things heated up. Spisak kicked a 65.9 lap. Then, Rupp moved into the lead with a 63.97-second lap, passing through 3800m in 10:55.18. It was Rupp, Hill, Chelimo, and Lagat. Rupp continued to apply the pressure with a 61.96-second lap.
With 2 laps to go, everyone was betting that Rupp’s excellent finish would prevail, as he led Torrence, Lomong, Lagat, Hill and True.
A light rain shower started just as Rupp started his final drive with 600m remaining. Rupp’s penultimate lap of 58.76 should have been enough to shake the rest of the field. However, he was still closely trailed by Torrence, Hill, Lomong, and True.
Although Rupp looked to have it all sewn up with 200m left, Ryan Hill and Benjamin True had other plans. They hastily relegated Rupp to 3rd place as he faded down the home straight, over the last 60 meters, as Hill and True unleashed well-timed, super-quick finishes.
A thrilled Hill would win in 13:50.69 with True clocking 13:51.09 in 2nd. Rupp’s 13:51.54 3rd shows how much Hill and True got away from him in the final 50 meters.
Few pundits saw Rupp’s defeat coming. No one thought he could be outsprinted, but no doubt coach Salazar will have Rupp sharpening his final sprint to razor sharpness for the world championships.
Women’s 400m Hurdles Final
As this race unfolded, it was Cassandra Tate clearing the hurdles first and Tiffany Williams close behind, with Georganne Moline clearing in third.
But, how fortunes can change in this event. Moline took a tumble on the third to last hurdle, leaving Shamier Little and Tate with a clear lead half way down the home straight. Little prevailed in 53.83 from Tate’s 54.01 and a late finishing Kori Carter third in 54.41.
Women’s 800m Final
With one of the country’s fastest-ever fields assembled, the women’s 800m final promised to be exciting. Phebe wright led at 200m in 27.78, with Molly Ludlow, Alysia Montano, Ajee Wilson, and Brenda Martinez in close attendance.
At the bell, Wright had the lead in 58.14. With 260m to go, Montano had the lead, and Maggie Vessey went down hard after a collision. Montano led into the home straight and held her form nicely to win in 1:59.15, over fast finishing Martinez (1:59.71). Ajee Wilson too 3rd in a blanket finish (2:00.05), from Molly Ludlow 4th (2:00.09), and Chanelle Price 5th in 2:00.16. Montano’s final 200m was 29.98. Wilson finished with only one shoe, the other torn off during the earlier collision.
Montano does it! photo by PhotoRun.net
Women’s 5000 meters
USATF Championship 10,000m silver medallist, Shalane Flanagan, took the lead and tried to sap the kick from her faster rivals, Nicole Tully, Marielle Hall, Abbey D’Agostino, and Emily Infeld.
At 3,000m the leaders included Shalane Flanagan (9:07.53), Marielle Hall, Emily Infeld, Nicole Tully, and Abbey D’Agostino.
With 2 laps left it was Flanagan, Hall and D’Agostino. At the bell, D’Agostino led Katie Mackey, Tulley, Hall, and Infeld and Flanagan, all within .27 seconds of eachother. This would be an exciting finish!
Tulley’s well-timed finish got her across the finish line first, but narrowly, in 15:06.44 from Hall (15:06.45). D’Agostino held on well for third in 15:06.59 and Infeld (15:07.18).
Women’s 1500m Final
Jenny Simpson is queen of her domain, photo by PhotoRun.net
This final promised to be one of the most fiercely contested distance races of the championships, and it lived up to all expectations.
Mary Cain was content to make the pace and stay out of trouble, leading through the 300m in 53.74. The second lap was covered between 75.15 and 75.23, with the filed bunched very closely. Kerri Gallagher clocked the fastest 3rd lap in 66.22 to lead at the bell. Then the game was on.
Jennifer Simpson’s trademark last lap kick of 58.86 was the second fastest in the field, but she had enough distance between her and Shannon Rowbury to cross in first place in 4:14.86 t Rowbury’s 4:14.99. Gallagher would hang tough for third in 4:15.81, and Cain faded to 8th in 4:16.77.
