08.25.07
Goucher makes history
Goucher makes history
While the 1-2 finish in the shot was not unexpected, Goucher’s medal was a stunning achievement for the former NCAA champion from the University of Colorado who was making her first appearance at World Outdoors. Although Goucher (Portland, Ore.) had the ninth-fastest personal best in the field, her racing savvy and closing speed earned her America’s first World Outdoor medal in the 10 km, besting a pair of fifth-place finishes by Hall of Famer Lynn Jennings. Goucher took the bronze in a season-best time of 32:02.05, behind defending 10,000m and 5,000m world champion Tirunesh Dibaba of Ethiopia (31:55.41) and Elvan Abeylegesse of Turkey (31:59.40).
The race was a tactician’s dream as the entire pack stayed tightly bunched through 5 km, passed in a conservative pace of 16:29.24 as runners to their measure of each other as well as the heat.
Shortly after half way, the pack slowly began to string out, but quickly bunched up again 19 minutes into the race. The pack eventually began to thin slightly as Goucher stayed near the front, Olympic marathon bronze medalist Deena Kastor (Mammoth Lakes, Calif.) was in the middle and 2005 USA Champion Katie McGregor (St. Louis Park, Minn.) was near the back of the pack.
Goucher moved into second place with seven laps to go but fell to as low as fourth with 800m remaining. The Alberto Salazar-coached Goucher remained in fourth with one lap to go but surged into second, ahead of Joanna Pavey of Great Britain and Kimberley Smith of New Zealand, whom she had been dueling all race long. Entering the final straight, Goucher was well clear of Pavey, who finished fourth in 32:03.81. Among Americans, Kastor was sixth in 32:24.44, and McGregor was 13th in 32:44.76. A jubilant Goucher then toured the stadium track on a victory lap, carrying the American flag.
