Leo Manzano, American Olympic Silver Medalist

Leo Manzano took the Silver and Matt Centrowitz
was a very close 4th in the Olympic 1500 meters
(photo: TrackAndFieldPhoto)

The resurgence of American Distance Running is alive and well. First, Galen Rupp runs the race of his life for the Silver Medal in the 10,000, and now Leo Manzano has matched him in the controversial Men's 1500 meter final.

Manzano stormed the last 100 meters at a furious pace to close on eventual winner, Alegerian Taoufik Makhloufi, finishing second in 3:34.79, 0.71 second away from Gold. 2011 World Championship Bronze Medalist, Matt Centrowitz, wasn't far behind in fourth. He would finish just behind Morocco's Abdalaati Iguider in 3:35.17.

Makhloufi has been the talk of the games, with his unbelievable finishes through the rounds, and once again in the final tonight. He's also been infamous for his brief exit from the games for not trying in Monday's 800 prelims.

Put Makhloufi's name into Twitter and you will see another reaction; one that sends you down the Rashid Ramzi rabbit hole. Time will tell if these allegations are founded or misguided.

Regardless of speculation, a 2,4 finish in the Olympic 1500 final is phenomenal for the United States. We didn't have anyone in the Olympic final in 2008! Now we are keeping the Kenyans off the podium.

Well done guys.

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Talking Trials: Stacked 1500's lead the final day at Hayward

There could be more carnage in the stacked 1500 finals today
(photo: TrackAndFieldPhoto)

This is the tenth 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.

Talking through the Men's and Women's 1500 finals can be difficult. The second you think you know who's in and who's out, you find a reason to slot someone else in for the spot. As I've overheard many times this week "that's why they run the races." That statement couldn't be truer.

The Women will go first and five have the Olympic A Standard (4:06.00), with a three within a second of it. That first group includes 2012 World Champion, Jenny Simpson, 2009 World Championship Bronze Medalist , Shannon Rowbury, defending US Champ Morgan Uceny, 2010 US Champ, Anna Willard and two time Olympian at 800 meters, Alice Schmidt. A strong and well-accomplished group that will be tough to crack. Those that have run under 4:07 include Katie Mackey, Brenda Martinez and a reinstated Gabriele Anderson. All three have the wherewithal to mix it up for a spot on the team, yet one will have to push the pace for the standard. That's where it gets tough.

Gabe Jennings looked better than anyone in the prelims and semis in 2008, yet needed the standard. He had no choice but to skew from his traditional racing style and go for the mark. It was a windy day and frankly, no one was going to run what was necessary for Jennings to advance. The final would be won by Bernard Lagat in 3:40.07, far off the then Olympic A Standard of 3:36.60 (it is now and even more difficult 3:35.50). After pushing the pace early, Jennings would finish last in 3:47.92.

So Mackey, Martinez and Anderson will have to work to make the pace honest, as I don't see anyone from the A group doing that. Notorious front runner, Christin Wurth-Thomas, would have been up to the task, but unfortunately she's out with injury. I feel like Uceny, Rowbury are Simpson are the three that will go to London, but I think Gabe Anderson may podium. Whether she'll get the standard or not? That's where it will get exciting.

It's a similar situation on the guys side; half the field has the standard and half doesn't. Jordan McNamara and Will Leer have looked as good as anyone, yet neither have the standard. Will a Craig Miller or a John Mickowski push the pace to go for the A? That could be the strategy even for some with the A, as Leo Manzano, David Torrence, Andrew Wheating and Robby Andrews and 2011 World Championship Bronze Medalist have proved they can close around 52 seconds; sometimes faster. Who can take the sting out of that kind of speed?

I like Torrence, Manzano and Centro out of the group, but it wouldn't surprise me in the least bit if it went Andrews, McNamara, Wheating or any variety of the top eight guys in the final. Tune in this afternoon on NBC to find out.

Brooks took to the skies over Hayward
(photo: instagram)

At the track yesterday, only the Men's 110 Hurdles and the Women's 200 were finals. Both will send excellent teams to London and the 200 press conference had to be emceed by USATF's Jill Geer to prevent "clown questions" from journalists trying to get the scoop on the 100 controversy, which will be solved today (meeting at noon pacific).

Off the track, someone at Brooks Running had the savvy to fly a plane over Hayward Field with a banner that said "Run Happy." Apparently Nike was none too pleased and according to David Monti, Brooks employees "got their credentials pulled" over the stunt.

On the Carolina's front, Greensboro's Calesio Newman ran strong and advanced to the Men's 200 Final, which will be the last event on the track today. Read the article I wrote about him in the Greensboro News & Record here.

And unfortunately, this was last night out, as I'll be taking a redeye back to North Carolina after the trials close this evening. I'll recap more in another post, but the experience has been truly amazing. This sport has the best people involved and Eugene has put on an excellent event. I truly hope they host again in 2016.

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Battle Royale: Rupp/Lagat duel leads USA Indoor Championships

Does Rupp have enough to get by the master?
(Photo: TrackAndFieldPhoto)

The USA Indoor Track and Field Championships kick off Saturday and the distance race of the meet will certainly be the showdown between Bernard Lagat and Galen Rupp. They'll close out Saturday night at 8:05pm Mountain Time in an event in which Lagat owns the American Record (7:32.43); the 3000 meters. Both should qualify for the World Indoor Championships in Istanbul, Turkey from March 9-11, as the top two in each event will qualify, if they have hit the standards.

Both are fresh off breaking each other's American Records in recent weeks; with Lagat besting Rupp's 5000 Record and Rupp trumping Lagat's 2 Mile Record just hours later. It should be a two man show, but Lopez Lomong could make things interesting, as he makes his first indoor appearance in an event over 800 meters this year (where he ran 1:47).

Right before the Men take the stage, the Women will square off in another duel of sorts for 3000 meters. The favorite has to be Jenny Simpson, but Sara Hall may give her a run for her money, as she beat her to the line in Boston (after Simpson faded from going out hard). Hall also is coming off a national Cross Country title, so her confidence will be high.

On Sunday (at 2:15), the first distance event will be the Men's 800. Last year's winner, Duane Solomon, leads the field in his indoor season debut. The New York New Jersey Track Club has the next three qualifiers in Michael Rutt, Tevan Everett and Christian Gonzalez, while the unattached (sponsors take heed) Mark Wieczorek rounds out the top five. It'd be nice to see Wieczorek take the win and secure some sponsorship before his outdoor bid to make the Olympic Team. He'll have his hands full in doing so!

Sara Hall will know how to lean
this weekend if needed

30 minutes later, the Men's 1500 will go off. Leading the field is Daegu Bronze Medalist, Matt Centrowitz. Centro looked awesome in the Wannamaker Mile at the Millrose Games, but will have to execute brilliantly again to hold off Leo Manzano, Garrett Heath, Russell Brown, Jeff See (who won last year) and Galen Rupp, who will look to double up after the 3000 Saturday night.

The Women's 1500 field will hit the track next in a Jenny Simpson/Sara Hall rematch. Also, the sharp Brenda Martinez will look to continue her excellent season by facing these two mainstays. The Women's 800 will follow with Phoebe Wright looking to repeat. Erica Moore and Latavia Thomas look to be her top competition as Maggie Vessey has opted out of the event.

The event will be broadcast (via tape delay) Sunday on ESPN at 7:30pm Eastern. Also, everything that isn't on TV will be streamed live via RunnerSpace.com. Flash Results will have live results starting Saturday and here's a link to the newly re-designed USA Indoor Championships homepage. Oh, and make sure you wear the right uniform.

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Thanks to Splitcaster for sponsoring the blog this week. If you haven't used this app before, it's awesome. I used it during Aisling Cuffe's National 2 Mile Record last year and think anyone who goes to track meets will love it. Also, if you're interested in sponsoring writing about running (and other great sites like TrackFocus, Track Superfan, Paul Merca and the House of Run podcast) in the future, check out The Relay Network.

The Run Down: Top 10 Moments in American Distance Running this weekend

Sara Hall gets her first Cross Country title in a lean

What a great weekend it was in track and field. There was a ton of hype leading up to it with the Cross Country Championships and multiple indoor meets. It's hard to only have a top 10, as I am sure I missed some big performances, but here's a few highlights.

10. Kim Conley outkicks Lisa Uhl to run 8:57.62 at the Husky Classic

9. Oregon's Trevor Dunbar and Parker Stinson run big 5000 PR's (13:36 and 13:39, respectively)

8. Jenny Simpson outkicks Shannon Rowbury to win the Wanamaker Metric Mile in 4:07.27

7. Sally Kipyego leads Washington's Katie Flood to a pair of 4:28's (and World leaders)

6. Ryan Hill outkicks Diego Estrada to run one of fastest collegiate 3000's ever (and fastest ever by an American collegian)

5. Bobby Mack kicks from 800 out to win second national title in a year (and first cross title)

4. Matt Centrowitz wins the Wanamaker Mile and leads Miles Batty to a new Collegiate Record

3. Sara Hall outkicks Molly Huddle for first national title at the USA Cross Country Championships

2. Galen Rupp essentially solos the American 2 Mile Record in Fayetteville, Arkansas

1. Bernard Lagat gets American Indoor 5000 Record and leads Lawi Lalang to the Collegiate Record and Edward Cheserek to the High School Record in the process

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Battle Royale: Matt Centrowitz to make pro debut in Boston this weekend

Centro is back

There are two big indoor meets next weekend, the USA Track and Field Classic in Fayetteville, AR and the Millrose Games in New York City. It's a shame they are both held on the same day, but let's face it, that's unfortunately kind of how Track and Field operates. This week, it's all about beantown. Boston is one of my favorite cities and potentially where I'll be for the next year or so (I'll know in the next six weeks). I'll also be running the marathon again in April, if I can stay healthy of course. Cross your fingers for me.

Saturday will be the professional debut of Mr. Matt Centrowitz. After executing a near-perfect race in Daegu to gain a bronze medal in the World Championship 1500, he'll have his hands full. He's racing a stacked Men's 3000 with US Open Mile Champ and Daegu 1500 Silver Medalist, Silas Kiplagat, British miling superstar (representing New Balance), Andy Baddeley, USA Running Circuit Champ, Ben True, jack of all distances, Ben Bruce and last year’s 3000 winner (over Mo Farah), in a race he ran with only one shoe, Ethiopia’s Dejen Gebremeskel. If Centro can pull this one out, we'll know he's in top form early. Update: Southern Utah's Cam Levins will be joining the fun as well!

Matt Scherer, pacing with the stars

There are two other featured distance events at the meet; the first being the Women's 800. This will feature New Balance's Maggie Vessey, Georgetown star Maggie Infield, US Open 800 Winner, Fantu Magiso, Canada’s Nicole Sifuentes and high school star, Ajee Wilson, who will be competing against the pros for the second straight week. No telling what kind of shape Vessey is in yet, but she is the class of the field.

The final featured distance event of the night is the New Balance Men's Mile. This event is the one that's gonna put butts in the seats. American superstar and 10,000 record holder, Galen Rupp, will likely receive top billing, but the man whose name you will hear non-stop in the promotion of the London Olympic Games will be Mo Farah. Farah is coming off a career year that culminated with a Gold in the 5000 in Daegu, and will be looking to build off that in Boston. Not to be forgotten is New Englander, Russell Brown, who came to Boston last year and won in front a gathering of friends and family. Also in the field is rising star and "bullet with the mullet," Ireland's Ciaran O'Lionaird. O'Lionaird burst onto the scene last year after a slew of 1500 PR's that landed him in the World Championship final. He's now training with Farah and Rupp in Portland, with Alberto Salazar. He could surprise everyone. Just announced were Kenya's Haron Keitany and Daniel Kipchirchir Komen to further add spice. Finally, Matt Scherer will be doing the pacing, as it looks like he's trying to fill the rabbiting void that David Krummenacker has held over the past few years. No word on if Krum is retiring or just waiting for outdoors, but Scherer better be ready to stay in front of these horses!

Some highlights of the non-featured, but still very exciting events will be Tirunesh Dibaba in the Women's 2-Mile, Anna Pierce vs. Morgan Uceny in the Women's 1000 and Shannon Rowbury taking on Meseret Defar and New Balance poster girl, Jenny Simpson, in the Women's 3000. Not sure why they don't combine the 3k and 2 Mile, but that's how it goes!

All the information you could need on the event is at http://NBIndoorGrandPrix.com. The meet starts Saturday at 5pm eastern and will be shown on tape delay on ESPN2 this Sunday at 2pm eastern. Flash Results will have the live results if you don't want to wait for the broadcast.

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The Run Down: Brie Felnagle and Jon Grey win USATF National Club Cross Country Championships

Former Tar Heel (and current Adidas runner), Brie Felnagle, ran a very strong last 2k yesterday to win the 2011 USATF National Club Cross Country Women's Championship in Seattle, Washington. Felnagle, who now trains with her former high school coach, Matt Ellis, in nearby Tacoma, WA, broke away from a strong group that contained runner-up and Division II national champion, Neely Spence, Brooks' Katie Follett and NYAC's Julie Culley. Her time for the 6k course was 19:54, 4 seconds ahead of Spence. Team Rogue Elite, out of Austin, TX, won the Women's club championship.

On the Men's side, former William and Mary standout (and now Team USA Minnesota member), Jon Grey, ran away from the field early to take the 10k title in 29:38. Last year's winner, Aaron Braun, was the runner-up in 29:48, and led McMillan Elite, out of Flagstaff, AZ, to a repeat club championship. A surprise late entry was new pro, Matt Centrowitz, who ran a very strong fourth. In his post-race interview, Centro said he'll be transitioning out of base training to getting ready for the indoor season soon. Also somewhat of a surprise was Trevor Dunbar, who recently transferred to the University of Oregon (from Portland). He finished fifth, just behind Centro, but didn't mention anything about his transfer in his post-race interview. Touchy subject? He ran with his former state championship team from his sophomore year of high school. Pretty cool.

Full men's results are here and watch the men's race by clicking here.

Full women's results are here and watch the women's race by clicking here.

More information (including Masters results) is located at the USATF page here

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Daily Daegu Recap

"Worlds" were quite exciting this summer in Daegu, South Korea. This page serves as the index for the "Daily Daegu" series of articles that previewed and recapped the 2011 Track and Field World Championships.

Day 1: Women's Marathon starts the party tonight

Published on August 26, 2011

This post is a preview for the first event of the 2011 Track and Field Championships, the Women's Marathon.

Day 2: Kenyan Women dominate and is Kenenisa Bekele back?

Published on August 27, 2011

This post was a recap of the Kenyan domination in the Women's Marathon and a preview of the Men's 10,000 and the Men's 800 prelims.

Day 3: Bolt false starts, Eaton finishes fast

Published on August 28, 2011

The highlight of the day was Usain Bolt being disqualified for false-starting in the 100. Also, Ibrahim Jeilan outkicked Mo Farah for the Gold in the 10,000, as Kenenisa Bekele failed to keep pace.

Day 4: Is Day 4 Nick Symmonds time to shine?

Published on  August 29, 2011

Symmonds goal towards a podium finish was today. Prelmins continued for the Women in the 1500 and the 5000. 

Jenny B does it!

Day 5: Jenny B fights in the 1500, but should she come back to the Steeple?

Published on  August 30, 2011

Highlights were David Rudisha winning Gold and Jenny Simpson fighting hard to make the final in the Women's 1500. The Men's 1500 heats also began.

Day 6: Bernard Lagat's quest for Gold starts today

Published on  August 31, 2011

Highlights were previews for the Men's 5000 prelims, the Women's 800 semis and the Men's 1500 semis.

Day 7: Jenny Simpson digs for Gold!

Published on September 1, 2011

The big news was pre-race favorite, Morgan Uceny, going down in the final of the Women's 1500, but Jenny Simpson surprising with a big kick for the Gold Medal.

Day 8: Maggie Vessey powers into Women's 800 Final

Published on September 2, 2011

Highlights were Maggie Vessey edging out Jenny Meadows for a spot in the 800 final and the Women's 5000 final.

Centro take the podium

Day 9: Matt Centrowitz surprises with Bronze Medal

Published on September 3, 2011

The highlight for Americans was Matt Centrowitz kicking home in 51 seconds over the last 400 to earn a Bronze Medal. Also, Usain Bolt took Gold in the 200.

Day 10: On the last day, Mo Farah gets his Gold

Published on September 1, 2011

The big highlight was Men's 10,000 Silver Medalist, Mo Farah, redeeming himself and winning the Gold in the 5000. Also, Abel Kirui, of Kenya, dominated the Men's Marathon.

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Daily Daegu: Matt Centrowitz surprises with Bronze Medal

Matt Centrowitz did big things in 2011

From NCAA Champion to surprise USA Champion to World Championships 1500 Bronze Medal, it's been quite a season for the University of Oregon's Matt Centrowitz. Once again, Centro executed an excellent race plan in getting to the podium in Daegu. New Zealand's Nick Willis took the early lead at right about 3:45 1500 pace and Centro tucked in right behind, not giving up the rail. The proved to be an excellent tactic in the semis and it proved the same in the final. When the group behind him began to charge, he maintained his composure and began to kick with 250 to go. He closed harder than anyone in the final 100, looking super smooth in his shifting of gears and rolling past everyone but Kenyan favorites, Asbel Kiprop (Gold) and Silas Kiplagat (Silver) to finish a strong third in 3:36.08. What a way to finish an excellent season.

The field saw a lot of Bolt's back tonight

The Women's 4x400 team matched the Men with another Gold, and Danielle Carruthers took the Silver and Dawn Harper the Bronze in the Women's 100 hurdles (aka the Sally Pearson Party). The Usain Bolt show closed the night with an excellent win in 19.40. Walter Dix ran the second fastest time of his life in 19.70 for the Silver, while a hard charging Christophe "White Lightning" Lemaitre broke 20 for the first time, bringing home the Bronze in a French National Record of 19.80.

Day 9 kicks off tonight for us in America (and in the morning in Daegu) with the Men's Marathon at 8pm eastern. Once again, it will likely look like a Kenya vs. Ethiopia dual meet up front, but with a stronger Ethiopian contingent than on the Women's side. Watch out for NYC Marathon winner, Ethiopian Gebre Gebremariam, to sit and try to take it from one of the Kenyans at the end. Vincent Kipruto, Benjamin Kiptoo and Abel Kirui will lead the Kenyan assault against Gebremariam and countryman, Feyisa Lilesa.

The final session on the track kicks off at 6:40am eastern with the Men's 5000. This is an event that many distance fans have been waiting for. Is this Bernard Lagat's chance at Gold? Is this Mo Farah's chance at redemption? Can Galen Rupp run as smart and tactically as Matt Centrowitz, and sneak on the medal stand? Will Imane Merga throw anyone to the track? Lots of questions for the 5k, but it should be a good one. To make the medal stand, you better be ready to run a sub 4:00 final mile and possibly a sub 53 final 400 if it gets real tactical.

Next up is the final distance race of the championships, the Women's 800. This will be another excellent race as no one is quite sure which Caster Semenya will show up. If she runs like she did in the semis, it's over. If she runs like she has the rest of the season, it's anyone game. Jamaica's Kenia Sinclair  has had an excellent season, but barely snuck in. Same with Kenya's Janeth Jepkosgei. Can Maggie Vessey or Alysia Montano make the medal stand? They've surely got a great shot. If Vessey closes like she did in the semis, finishing second to Russia's Yuliya Rusanova, she should be in the cards. We'll know at 7:15am.

Closing it all out will be the Women's 4x100 at 7:35am and the Men's 4x100 at 8:00am. Can the Women and/or Men top Jamaica for Gold? Can both teams finish without dropping the baton? We'll know in less than 24 hours!

Watch the action unfold on Universal Sports.

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Daily Daegu: Maggie Vessey powers into Women's 800 Final

Vessey drops the hammer in the last 10
(TrackAndFieldPhoto)

Maggie Vessey got things started in the night session of Day 7 at Daegu by running a near perfect race in the semis of the Women's 800. Vessey glided by Great Britain's Jenny Meadows in the final meters to secure a spot in the final and thus eliminating Meadows, a medal favorite in the process. Her time was a quick 1:58.98 and was the slowest of the 8 qualifiers for the final. Alysia Montano sprinted into the final as well with one of the two time qualifiers. The other non-auto qualifier was Jamaica's Kenia Sinclair, another favorite. The final is going to be a good one, but watch out for Caster Semenya. As I mentioned on Twitter this morning, it looks like she's been sandbagging. Her final 200 in the semis was lightning fast. If she unleashes something like that in the finals, it will be a fight for Silver.

The Women's 5000 was a hard fought battle between the Kenyans and Ethiopians, specifically the eventual winner, Vivian Cheruiyot, her teammate, Sylvia Kibet (Silver) and Ethiopia's Meseret Defar (Bronze). The only competitor to break up the Kenya/Ethiopia dual meet was our own Lauren Fleshman, who dug deep and kicked down Ethiopia's Genzebe Dibaba in the final steps, for a very respectable 7th in 15:09.25 (one place better than she finished at USA's). Amy Hastings didn't have it today, but for a marathoner to even make the 5000 Final at Worlds is quite the accomplishment.

In the sprints, Usain Bolt, Walter Dix and Christophe Lemaitre look like the medal favorites in the 200, where Veronica Campbell Brown took Gold in the Women's 200 Final, with Carmelita Jeter taking Silver and Allyson Felix taking Bronze. The Men's 4x400 Relay had to work for it, but in the end, LaShawn Merritt used a miler's sit and kick tactics and powered home on the last straightaway to secure the American Gold.

Day 8 has the Men's 50k Race Walk in the morning and then gets fired up on the Track at night (or the early morning Stateside). The fun starts at 7:15am eastern with the Men's 1500. Matt Centrowitz has surprised with his calm and veteran-like demeanor in qualifying for his first World Final. Should we really be that surprised though? Centro has proved to be an excellent rounds and tactical race runner. The final should see how good he really is. A medal shouldn't be out of the question, and at minimum, he should be there in the mix with 200 to go. He'll have quite the competition, with Kenyan favorites Asbel Kiprop ('08 Olympic Gold Medalist) and Silas Kiplagat ('11 World Leader), as well as Nick Willis ('08 Silver Medalist), Mehdi Baala ('08 Bronze Medalist), plus many others, including the most improved, and most beloved, "Bullet with the Mullet," Ireland's (via Florida State) Ciaran O'Lionaird. Check out Flotrack's prediction contest as well.

Closing out Day 8 will be three sprint races. The first is Women's 4x400 Relay at 7:40am. Can they match the Men's Gold? Next up is the Women's 100 hurdles at 8:00am, where they have to run the semis 1:45 beforehand. Closing out the day at 8:20am will be Mr. Bolt vs. the World in the Men's 200 final. Walter Dix looked great in the semis, but can he stay within a few tenths of the king? We'll see. He may not have to if Bolt "false starts" again.

Follow along at Universal Sports!

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Daily Daegu: Jenny Simpson digs for Gold!

Goldeneye! (TrackAndFieldPhoto)

Who woulda thunk it? Jenny B. Simpson ran a near perfect race to take the Gold Medal in the Women's 1500 at the 2011 IAAF World Track and Field Championships today and has never looked better. Unlike the semi, she bode her time, worked her way through the pack smoothly, and slowly changed gears starting around 250 to go. Only 250 before that, she navigated her way through the massive pileup that claimed Morgan Uceny's chances at the podium. For as much as I have wanted Jenny B to go back to the Steeple, I couldn't be happier. When you have a Gold Medal, you can do what you want!

In the night session, Bernard Lagat and Galen Rupp looked great in the 5000 semis. Both should make some noise in the final, with Lagat being one of the favorites, with England's Mo Farah. All three Americans looked great in the Women's 800 prelims and advanced automatically to the semis as well.

In the 1500 semis, Matt Centrowitz ran perfectly to win the first heat, without exerting too much energy. He didn't get off the inside rail for much of the race and stuck when necessary. He has had an incredible year so far, winning NCAA's, USA's and now truly being in contention for a medal in the finals. He'll have his hands full with Asbel Kiprop, Silas Kiplagat, Nick Willis and others, but many strong contenders were bounced, including Leo Manzano, who looked to have pulled something with about 50 to go.

The Men's Steeple went almost to plan with Ezekiel Kimboi winning and dancing it out, leaving teammate Brimin Kipruto the Silver and France's Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad the Bronze (over countryman Bob Tahri). After this, Broughton High alum, Jesse Williams struck Gold in the High Jump and Lashinda Demus got equal Gold in the 400 Hurdles.

Day 7 is a little light on distance events, but does have the Alice Schmidt, Maggie Vessey and Alysia Montano in the Women's 800 semis at 6:25am Eastern Friday morning, as well as the Women's 5000 Final at 7:25am. Amy Hastings and Lauren Fleshman will take aim at a strong field with high hopes!

Check out the action on Universal Sports!

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Daily Daegu: Bernard Lagat's quest for Gold starts today

Farah will look to spin Silver in to Gold in the 5000
(TrackandFieldPhoto)

Day 6 at Daegu kicks off tonight at 9:05pm Eastern with the Men's 5000 semis. The top 5 out of each heat qualify for the final in addition to the top 5 times after that. Galen Rupp and Bernard Lagat are in heat 1, with Kenya's Isiah Koech and Thomas Longosiwa, Ethiopia's Dejen Gebremeskel, Australia's Buster Mottram and Collis Birmingham, plus host of other excellent athletes. Kenenisa Bekele was supposed to be in heat 1, but apparently is not running. Andrew Bumbalough, who replaced teaammate Chris Solinsky on the team, is in heat 2 with Ethiopia's Imane Merga, Kenya's Eliud Kipchoge, Ireland's Allistar Cragg (via Mammoth TC), Australia's Ben St. Lawrence and some guy named Mo Farah, who will be looking for redemption. Rupp and Lagat should get through to the finals, but Bumby's gonna have his hands full. It will be a great experience for him at minimum for what's to come. No pressure is good.

The Women's 800 meter prelims go off at 10:40pm. Maggie Vessey goes off in heat 1 (with favorite Jenny Meadows). Alysia Montano goes off in heat 3 (with Janeth Jepkosgei). And finally, Alice Schmidt goes off in heat 4 (with Caster Semenya). All three should have a pretty easy time getting through to the semis, with Montano facing the hardest competition (4 other competitors sub 2:00 this year in her heat).

After an American night's rest and an afternoon's rest in Daegu, the night (Daegu)/morning (America) session will get going at 6:55am with the Men's 1500 Semis. Frenchman Mehdi Baala's protest was successful and he has been advanced to the first heat of the semis and will join Matt Centrowitz, Silas Kiplagat, Amine Laalou, Yusuf Kamel and others in a top 5 go automatically situation. The next 2 times will advance to the finals as well. Leo Manzano is in the second heat, with Asbel Kiprop, Nick Willis, Daniel Komen, Deresse Mekonnen and Irishman Ciaran O'Lionaird. Expect a tough, but doable run for Centro and expect Manzano to cruise through to the final.

Staying one step ahead of Kenya
(TrackAndFieldPhoto)

Next up is the Men's Steeple final at 7:25am. No Americans involved. It will be exciting to see Kenya's Brimin Kipruto coming off a .01 second miss of the World Record, against countryman Ezekiel Kemboi, and the two Frenchmen,  Bob Tahri (Mehdi Baala's training partner) and Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad (Mehdi Baala's sparring partner).

Finally, the Women's 1500 final goes off at 7:55am. Can the Americans get a medal, or possibly two? I would think so. Morgan Uceny has been incredible all year and has looked flawless in the prelims. Jenny Simpson has showed some bite in the prelims and has a furious kick from time to time. Their hands will be full with all the usual suspects involved, but Shannon Rowbury got the bronze in 2009, so they have a great chance to make it happen.

Follow along on Universal Sports and UniversalSports.com and check the results on the IAAF's Daegu page.

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Daily Daegu: Jenny B fights in the 1500, but should she come back to the Steeple?

Simpson threw down multiple moves to
make the final (TrackAndFieldPhoto)

Day 4 was the last busy day before the Day 5 off day (save the Women's 20k Race Walk). The action got started early with the Women's 5000 semi-finals. Amy Hastings ran strong enough out of Heat 1 to get a time qualifier, while Lauren Fleshman left nothing to chance by throwing down a major move with 250 to go to secure a big enough cushion to coast into the finals with an auto qualfier. Hard to believe she was just 8th at USA's. American Record holder, Molly Huddle, wasn't so lucky as she put up a good fight, but her injury and subsequent loss of training ultimately kept her out of the final. She'll be back next year.

The Men's 1500 heats were almost as exciting with Daniel Komen taking a huge lead in heat 1 to secure his entry to the semis, while U of O's Matt Centrowitz securing the final automatic qualifier in that heat. The second heat brought some drama as Frenchman, Mehdi Baala, tripped and went down with 100 to go. The French are protesting, but as of now, he hasn't been passed to the semis. Andrew Wheating's year full of injury ended in this heat, as he just didn't have a kick left. Like Huddle, he'll be ready to dance next year. Amine Laalou won heat 3 with Leo Manzano getting in off time and former Florida State Seminole, Irishman Ciaran O'Lionaird, channelling the power of the mullet and bursting into the final automatic qualifying slot of the heat. What a few months O'Lionaird has had. Going from a poor showing at NCAA's, to an excellent 6 second PR of 3:34 in the 1500, signing a professional contract with Nike and making the World semis in an event that may not even be his best.

Lauren Fleshman, riding dirty (TrackAndFieldPhoto)

The Women's 1500 semis were competitive as multiple time American Champ, Shannon Rowbury, came in next to last, while Morgan Uceny cruised in second, securing an auto-qualifier. Jenny B. Simpson had to fight like crazy, but had that one last move when it counted, to bolt into the lead and finish a comfortable second, making the final.

The Men's 800 went pretty much to plan with David Rudisha toying with the field and Yuriy Borzakovskiy nearly stealing the Silver from Abubaker Kaki with his well honed tactics. Nick Symmonds gave it quite a ride, but didn't have enough left down the home stretch to sneak onto the podium. His 5th place finish isn't what he wanted, but certainly a solid showing and more fuel for the London fire that he'll begin building this fall.

The Women's Steeplechase was fast with Russia's Yuliya Zaripova taking the win in 9:07.03 and Tunisa's Habiba Ghribi taking the silver in 9:11.97. What you probably didn't realize is Jenny B. Simpson's 9:12.50 in the 2009 World Championships would have netted her the bronze today. Unless she comes in top 5 in the 1500, she should give serious thought into returning to the Steeple for London. Her protege, Colorado's Emma Coburn, had a tough race, but finished a strong season as the NCAA Champion, USA Champion and a finals qualifier at Worlds. Not too shabby! (Also, Anna Peirce's 9:22 PR would have been good enough for 5th and she's not at Worlds).

Finally, the Men's 400 went from being possibly LaShawn Merritt's return to glory, to the youth gone wild show, with Grenada's Kirani James sneaking past Merritt in the final meters (a la Mo Farah in the 10,000) to take the Gold. The only tougher loss for Merritt would be one where the IOC outlaws him form competing in London next year. We'll know the answer to that by the end of September.

With Day 5 being a quiet day, I'll preview Day 6 tomorrow!

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Daily Daegu: Is Day 4 Nick Symmonds time to shine?

Symmonds has been hot in Daegu so far
(TrackAndFieldPhoto)

Day 3 at Daegu ended in a flourish, with Americans Carmelita Jeter and Jason Richardson both claiming gold medals. Jeter continued to dominate in the 100, while Richardson has seemingly come out of nowhere in the past month in the 110 hurdles. While he was helped by Dayron Robles' DQ and pushing on Silver Medalist Liu Xiang, Richardson ran his best at the right time and was rewarded for it. Allyson Felix's doubled was thwarted by Amantle Montsho, but a Silver at the World Championships is nothing to sneeze at. Jillian Camarena-Williams also took home Bronze in the Shot Put. A great day for American sprinters, hurdlers and throwers!

But that's not what I generally cover here. The only distance event of Day 3 was the Men's Steeplechase and our boys didn't look so good. As I said on twitter yesterday, "the American Steeple contingent could use a Fam injection on the men's side and some Simpson/Pierce on the women's." Emma Coburn is the only American in either final and she looked great. But hopefully we can get stronger before London next year.

Day 4 brings on lots of distance fun as the Women's 5000 heats start up at 9:20 eastern tonight with Amy Hastings, the injured Molly Huddle and the white hot Lauren Fleshman gunning for the finals. After that, we'll get to see the Men line up in the 1500 prelims. Coming off a big win in London, Leo Manzano will be ready to go, with collegian Matt Centrowitz and Andrew Wheating bringing their Oregon flair to the line.

The American morning session of Day 4 kicks off at 7:35am eastern with the Women's 1500 semis, where all 3 ladies are still alive. At 8:00am, Nick Symmonds will take aim at the medal stand in a stacked 800. David Rudisha is a heavy favorite for Gold and Abubaker Kaki the same for Silver, but the bronze is wide open and Symmonds appears ready to bring it home. Watch out for a dual between Symmonds and 2004 Olympic Champion, Yuriy Borzakovskiy, for that last spot on the podium. Next, at 8:20am, Emma Coburn will finish her excellent season in the Women's Steeplechase final. Closing the night will be the next leg of the LaShawn Merritt redemption tour. After two excellent performances in the rounds, he looks to be the favorite to bring home the Gold in the Men's 400.

A very exciting night and day ahead after an exciting morning for us Americans!

You can watch on television and online via Universal Sports. Results are on the IAAF's Daegu site.

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The Run Down: Manzano, Wheating and Centrowitz get A-Standard in Paris 1500

In a field with 19 competitors, there wasn't much room for error today at Areva Paris. Luckily, all three Americans (and Bernard Lagat) achieved the A-Standard for guaranteed entry to the World Championships in Daegu, Korea. Amine Lalou led a strong field in 3:32.15, with Bernard Lagat finishing on the podium (3rd) in a season best time of 3:33.11.

The Americans competing in Daegu finished in 3:33.66 (Leo Manzano, 6th), 3:34.39 (Andrew Wheating, 9th) and 3:34.69 (Matt Centrowitz, 11th). The standard is 3:35.00 and the 3:34.69 is a big PR for Centrowitz. Official results are here

Also of note, Shalane Flanagan narrowly missed the American Record in the 5000, finishing in 4th in 14:45.20 (Molly Huddle's record in 14:44.76).

The event will be broadcast tonight at 8pm (with the American broadcast team) on Universal Sports.

Official Men's 1500 results:

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