5 Questions with Donn Cabral

Donn Cabral hits the steeple pit in the
2012 Olympic Trials Final
(photo: TrackAndFieldPhoto)

Today, we have 5 Questions with a new professional runner. It's the first of our interviews with a male member of the 2012 London Olympic Team. It's been a long year, but a very, very fruitful year for the recent Princeton graduate. Read on about how his life will change after impressive performances all season, and most importantly, about two weeks ago at the at the trials.

Donn Cabral has had a big year. Most recently, he signed a professional contract with Nike and then went on to make the US Olympic Team in his first race in his new kit. Just before that, he won the NCAA Championship. Earlier this season he anchored Princeton's 4xMile and Distance Medley Relay teams to wins at the Penn Relays. He'll now prepare for the biggest event of his young life. The Men's Steeplechase semifinals are on the first day of Track & Field at the Olympics, Friday, August 3rd. He'll hope to make the final.

5 Questions with Donn Cabral

1. Writing About Running: First off, congrats on making your first Olympic team. It's been an incredible season for you. How satisfying was it to cap it off with an Olympic bid?

Donn Cabral: It's been the most successful, most life-changing season I've ever had, but making the Olympic Team wasn't the cherry on top. It was the meat and potatoes. That's what I had dreamed of all year, so the cherries on top were the All Americans, the Penn Relays titles, the Conference wins, and the NCAA title.

2. Writing About Running: You wore your Princeton uniform in the prelim and then wore a Nike kit in the final. How fast did that come together and did you feel extra pressure to perform as a new professional for Nike?

Donn Cabral: The change was painless for me because I had an agent to handle it. I thought the pressure would change my mindset during or surrounding the race, but at the end of the day I did what I've been doing for years and handled it just the same.

3. Writing About Running: You had mentioned you were planning on using your fifth year of eligibility at the University of Colorado. Now that you have gone pro, does that change your plans for the fall in terms of schooling and future training?

Donn Cabral: Yes, I'm no longer going to the University of Colorado for business school, as previously planned. I've got to figure out where I'll be, whom I'll be coached by and what my life will look like in a more general sense for the coming years.

The 2012 Steeple Team shows much promise
(photo: TrackAndFieldPhoto)

4. Writing About Running: You've had a very long season. How much do you plan to compete before and after the Olympics in Europe?

Donn Cabral: As of right now I've got three races lined up. Two in Italy and one in Sweden. Hopefully I'll be able to sneak in one or two more after the Olympics, too, since when I'm running well I want to ride it out for as long as I can.

5. Writing About Running: You had a big group of friends with you in Eugene to watch you make your first team. How special was it to you to have such a big support group around you on the biggest week of your racing career and can you describe your experience off the track?

Donn Cabral: It was amazing to have so many friends and family from Princeton and home at the Trials. Before, between and after races it was so cool to be surrounded by the people who know me best. It was relaxing, calming but also a lot of fun to spend time with some of those people before we headed our separate ways.

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Talking Trials: Agony and Ecstasy on full display at Hayward Thursday

Photo finishes aren't reserved for the 100 hurdles
(photo: TrackAndFieldPhoto)

This is the eighth installment of "Talking Trials." There will be more to come every day during the 2012 USA Olympic Track and Field Trials from Hayward Field on the University of Oregon campus in Eugene, OR. Full results for the trials are here.

You're not supposed to cheer from the press box. I wouldn't necessarily say I was cheering, but providing words of encouragement for a cramping Julia Lucas as she gutted out a painful last 50 meters of the Women's 5000 final Thursday night, eventually getting out-leaned by a hard charging Kim Conley. Julie Culley outkicked American Record Holder Molly Huddle before the drama for third. You've likely seen it by now, but if you haven't, here's the link to watch the race. Keep in mind, if it would have been a tie, like in the 100 hurdles, there could have been a 5000 runoff. That would have been worth a pay per view special to me.

Lucas is from Charlotte, as am I, and I would be covering her for the Charlotte Observer and the Raleigh News & Observer, as she went to NC State in Raleigh. I've never met Julia, as she's five years younger, but it's not hard to pull for someone that has been through so much and lays it out like that, only to fall .04 seconds short of an Olympic berth.

And as tough as it was to watch, she handled it with class. "I completely went underwater" said an exhausted Lucas afterwards. "I gave that race away." No one would have blamed her if she would have walked through the mix zone, without taking interviews, but she didn't. She talked for at least 15 minutes about the tough ending she faced.

Lucas' personal best going into this season was 15:33, a time run in 2008. Her 15:08 earlier this year at Payton Jordan was a major, major breakthrough. To be so close and to fall so short. "I didn't sense her until the last few meters. I thought this day I would be the best athlete. You can't fake it." No you can't. This one's tough to swallow, but Lucas has been facing adversity for years. She'll press on.

Rupp leads the field and Hills lurks
(photo: TrackAndFieldPhoto)

The Men's 5000 went almost to form, except of course, Galen Rupp battled back and beat one of the best of all time, Bernard Lagat, over the same last 50 meters that the Women's race was decided over. The fist pump he gave afterwards was that of pure joy, with a trace of relief.

"I'm on cloud nine right now" were Rupp's first words at the press conference. "It's a huge confidence boost for sure," he claimed in reference to outkicking Lagat.

Lagat's reaction was a little different "Our mission as a team is to bring back a medal, whether it's me, Lopez or Galen. I'm at 90% right now. I'll be at 100% in London."

In somewhat of a surprise, recent NC State graduate, Ryan Hill, had an excellent race and a strong last lap, where he went from seventh to a strong fifth in a personal best time of 13:27.49. "I'm still trying to decipher in my mind if I'm happy with that or not. You can always get fourth and third. Hopefully four years from now, it will be more like third," said a slightly surprised Hill at how well he closed on the leaders over the final 400 meters. "It's to Europe from here to go after that A standard for the World Championship next year." A great race by a guy with a bright future. Watch the race here.

The future of the Men's Steeple
(photo: TrackAndFieldPhoto)

The Men's Steeple has been looking for a new star since Anthony Famiglietti's reign and it looks like they may have two. Evan Jager, of the Jerry Schumacher group, has learned the event fast and is going to be a force internationally. His 8:17.40 in only his fourth steeple ever shows the kind of promise he has and the potential to compete with the east Africans for years to come. Donn Cabral was in his Princeton uniform during the prelims, and then a new Nike kit during the final. And luckily for Nike, he delivered with a runner up finish, making the London team. I ran into him later at the Wild Duck Cafe and he couldn't have been happier. He "donned" his Team USA sweats, while being surrounded by many of his college friends who had come out west to watch him compete. What a rush. Kyle Alcorn rounded out the team and left it all on the track; literally. Possibly a P&J sando. Watch the race here.

The Women's Steeple final concludes the evening tonight and if Emma Coburn doesn't win, I'll be shocked. She's extremely smooth and is likely a year away from challenging Jenny Simpson's American Record of 9:12.50. There's a big group behind her that will contend for those last two spots, including her Colorado teammate, 2012 NCAA National Champion Shalaya Kipp, 2010 NCAA Champion Bridget Franek, Delilah DiCrescenzo, Sara Hall, Stephanie Garcia and a steadily improving Ashley Higginson. The easy money would be on Kipp and Franek, but anything can go wrong in the steeple. We'll see later. Buckle up!

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