After winning both the 1500 meter and 5,000 meter titles at the 2007 World Championships in Osaka, Japan, Bernard Lagat set his sights on a gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. At Osaka he became the first athlete to double in the 1500 and 5,000 at a world championship meet.
The Kenyan-born Lagat had become a naturalized U. S. citizen in 2005, and was ready to win gold for his newly adopted country. An injured Achilles tendon left him with no medals at Beijing. His next target was the recently completed 2009 World Championships at Berlin.
Unfortunately, his fellow Kenyans and many other African runners were not happy with his becoming a U. S. citizen, and showed their displeasure in the 1,500-meter run at Berlin, purposely blocking in Lagat against the rail when it came to final finish. Ten runners had a chance to win in the final stretch. Lagat had to fight his way away from the rail and still finished 3rd in 3:36.20 to claim the Bronze Medal.
Yusuf Saad Kamel of Bahrain won in 3:35.93, and Deresse Mekonnen of Ethiopia was runner-up in 3:36.01. Two Kenyans followed Lagat. There were 8 Africans among the 12 runners (not including Lagat); such is the state of middle and long-distance running in world competition.
Lagat was spiked in the prelims of the 5,000, but ran in the finals anyway with a bandaged leg and ankle, picking up the Silver Medal, and almost beating Ethiopian Kenenisa Bekele, who won in 13:17.09. Both Lagat and Bekele ran the last lap of the 5,000 in 53 and change.
For one brief, fleeting moment, Lagat pulled ahead in the stretch but Bekele’s foot speed was better as Lagat was nipped by 24-hundredths of a second, finishing in 13:17.33. For the record, Bekele is 27, and Lagat is 34, 7.5 years older.
America’s middle distance runners have not had many moments to celebrate. Former University of Oregon star Galen Rupp, a favorite of American fans, is an example.
Rupp ran a season-best 27:37.99 in the 10,000 meters, but finished 8th and was 51 seconds behind Kenenisa Bekele, who won in 26:46.31. Bekele became the first runner to double in the 5,000 and 10,000 at a world championship meet. While Lagat and Rupp did not win gold at Berlin, other American competitors did.
Among the men, Christian Cantwell won the shot put, Dwight Phillips the long jump, Hardee Trey the decathlon, Kerron Clement the 400-meter hurdles (47.91), LaShawn Merritt the 400 meters (44.06), and the American 4×400 relay team won in 2:57.86 with Angelo Taylor, Jeremy Wariner, Kerron Clement and LaShawn Merritt.
Among the women, Brittney Reese won the long jump, Allyson Felix the 200 meters (22.02), Sanya Richards the 400 meters (49.00), and the American 4×400 relay team won in 3:17.83 with Debbie Dunn, Allyson Felix, Lashinda Demus and Sanya Richards.
Jamaica’s Usain Bolt proved his 2008 Beijing Olympic world-record wins in the 100 and 200-meter dashes were no fluke. Bolt lowered both of his world records by taking the 100 in 9:58 (becoming the first man to ever run under 9.6) and the 200 in 19.19 (becoming the first man to ever run under 19.2).
Is Usain Bolt THE greatest sprinter of all time? Well, yes, without a doubt. His only doubters might be the runners he beat on the way to the records.
About the Author
Read more of my football coverage, including:Check out “Ed Bagley’s Top 25 Poll” for Week 4?you get rankings plus humor.”College Football Wrap-Up – Week 3 – Dream Season Ends for Southern Cal, Brigham Young, Utah and Georgia Tech”"Dawgs Show Their Fangs, Washington Upsets 3rd-Ranked USC Trojans, 16-13″http://www.edbagleyblog.comhttp://www.edbagleyblog.com/Sports.html
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Read more of my football coverage, including:Check out “Ed Bagley’s Top 25 Poll” for Week 4?you get rankings plus humor.”College Football Wrap-Up – Week 3 – Dream Season Ends for Southern Cal, Brigham Young, Utah and Georgia Tech”"Dawgs Show Their Fangs, Washington Upsets 3rd-Ranked USC Trojans, 16-13″http://www.edbagleyblog.comhttp://www.edbagleyblog.com/Sports.html
Use and distribution of this article is subject to our Publisher Guidelines
whereby the original author’s information and copyright must be included.
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An adventure story that takes you around the country through track meets and vacations. The greatest love story ever told. A heart transplant story. Most of all, a walk with God in his Universal understanding. Members Of The Universal Class, Meet One Of You is based on a true story of a young man that was scarred very early in life, who set out to grasp the wonders of it. In the second grade, I was retained even though I had the grades to pass. Being a minority in a predominately white school, the administration told my mother, that based on my attitude, I would be retained at some point in life and that the earlier, the better. I set out to have a universal understanding of all subjects. I came to the understanding that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link and tried to master all courses of the educational institutions in America. This base filtered into my social life. I wanted to be all I could be. By the twelfth grade the community created an award, ‘The Black Educators N.A.S.D. Award (the first and only time it was presented). Also in the twelfth grade I had excelled in sports to where I anchored the fastest mile relay team in the country and had found my wife-to-be (the greatest love story ever told). This book is the development of a child based on this incident, which has led me to a life-time marriage with my wife (the cheerleader), training with and coaching world record holders and Olympic Champions, obtaining degrees and educational experiences from all parts of America, employment with one of the top ten companies in the world and involvement in Civil Rights that led to an invitation to the White House. It is also and most of all, a Testimony of how God delivered me through a heart transplant operation. Please enjoy as you read. The Author
