|
||
|
|
2004 OLYMPIC TEAM TRIALS—TRACK AND FIELD by Sam Grotewold
Sacramento, California, July 16—For a distance running fan, day six of these Olympic Trials was one of the most exciting evenings of the meet, with semifinal races in the men's and women's 1,500 meters, as well as the finals in the men's 5,000 and women's 10,000. In the first heat of the men's 1,500-meter semifinals, Kansas' Charlie Gruber made a furious charge at 900 meters to move from fifth to first with one lap to go. A blistering final 400, though, wasn't enough to hold off BYU's hard-charging Nathan Robison, who edged out Gruber for the win, 3:43.84 to 3:43.87. Jason Lunn, a favorite to make the team after finishing fourth in 2000, was third in 3:43.89. In the second semifinal heat, 2000 Olympian Michael Stember gave 21-year-old Alan Webb a self-assured stare in the final sprint, and outleaned him at the line to win the heat (3:39.74 to 3:39.92). Recent Ohio State University graduate Rob Myers was third in 3:39.96. Although Grant Robison's (no relation to Nathan) eighth-place finish (3:43.08) was not enough to qualify him for the final, he still has a chance at making the Olympic team, thanks to his Olympic "A" qualifying time in the event, run at a European meet last summer. If the top three in Sunday's final do not all run under the "A" standard (3:36.20) by August 9, Grant Robison will be on the Olympic team along with Webb, the only other athlete to hold the mark. In the women's 1,500, U.S. indoor champion Jen Toomey—who finished fourth in the 800 at the World Indoor Championships but failed to make the Olympic Trials final in that event—won the first heat in a pedestrian 4:14.53, leading Jenelle Deatherage, Sarah Schwald, two-time 5,000-meter Olympian Amy Rudolph, and 2000 fifth-place finisher Mary Jayne Harrelson into the final. In the second heat, Marla Runyan—who already has a spot on the Athens team with her second-place finish in the 5,000 in this meet—took the immediate lead, and held off late surges by Suzy Favor Hamilton (4:09.74) and Carrie Tollefson (4:09.87) to win in 4:09.63. Favor Hamilton stands a good chance of making her fourth Olympic team, thanks to her Olympic "A" standard run last year. Of the remaining women in the final, only Runyan has the Olympic "B" standard. The men's 5,000 meters promised to be one of the most interesting races of the Trials, because only one entrant—California's Jonathon Riley—holds the Olympic "A" standard. Matt Lane—fourth in the 5,000 meters at the 2000 Olympic Trials, narrowly missing a spot on the team—assumed the early lead. Lane, who before the race said that anything worse than finishing in the top three would be "a total failure," appeared focused and ready to cover any move made by one of his competitors in order to ensure his top-three finish. Meanwhile, the athletes figured to be Lane's biggest competition—Riley, 2003 USA 5,000-meter champ Tim Broe, and 2000 Olympian (running for Eritrea) Bolota Asmerom—ran in the fifth- through seventh-place spots. With three laps remaining, Asmerom took the lead with a surge that only Broe was able to cover successfully. Asmerom led Broe with Lane, Riley, Chad Johnson, and Mark Menefee trailing behind for the next circuit around the track. With 700 meters remaining, Broe threw down a huge surge, overtaking Asmerom as the trio of Broe, Asmerom, and Riley pulled away from Lane. Broe increased his lead all the way to the line, winning his second straight USA 5000-meter championship in 13:27.36. Riley (13:30.85) managed to catch Asmerom (13:32.77) in the final 100 meters for the second place position, with Lane again finishing at heartbreaking fourth in 13:33.51. "I knew with about six laps to go that I was feeling really good," Broe explained. "In fact, I kind of regret not going a little bit earlier and trying to get my [Olympic standard] time, but I came to win." Broe, who does not yet have the Olympic "A" (13:21.50) or Olympic "B" (13:25.40) standards, will have until August 9 to achieve the mark. If he runs the "B" standard, he will be the sole American representative in the 5000 meters in Athens. If he manages to run the "A" standard, 2.63 seconds off his personal best set in 2001, both he and Riley will be on the team. If Broe is unable to make either standard, then only Riley will be on the team for Athens. In the women's 10,000 meters, American record-holder Deena Kastor grabbed the lead in the first mile and never looked back, winning in 31:09.65, the second-fastest U.S. 10,000 ever (Kastor now holds the top three U.S. 10,000-meter times ever run). So dominating was her run that she lapped all of her competitors but two: second- and third-place finishers Elva Dryer (31:58.14) and Kate O'Neill (32:07.25). Kastor, who has already qualified for the Olympic team in the marathon, immediately declined her 10,000-meter spot after the race. "There was never a thought in my mind of doubling in the Olympics," Kastor explained. "The Olympics is about trying to win a medal, and I think my best chance to do that is in the marathon." Kastor's recusal puts fourth-place finisher Katie McGregor (32:33.87) on the team, provided she can achieve the Olympic "A" standard (31:45.00) by the August 9 deadline. "I really haven't thought past this race and about what's ahead," McGregor said afterwards. "I really wish I could have run faster, but I'll probably go over to Europe and give the 10K one more shot." If McGregor—who missed the "A" standard by 6.26 seconds with her 31:51.26 personal best earlier this spring—does not achieve the time, only Dryer and O'Neill will go to the Olympics. Saturday's track action will focus heavily on the sprints and hurdles, but New York Road Runners will bring you the story from the men's and women's 1,500-meter finals on Sunday, the final day of competition in the 2004 U.S. Olympic Team Trials—Track and Field.
|
