08.30.07
quotes from Men’s 1,500 meters at world championship
Men’s 1,500 meters, finals
Bernard Lagat (Tucson, Ariz.): It feels great to be a champion, representing the United States. I’ve waited since 2004 for this. I can never be happier than this right now. My coach James Li is a master of laying out strategy. He came out to my hotel room and said that you have the speed and the experience, and that’s the most important thing. He said that you know what to do. I was thinking about relaxation the whole way through during the race. This race is for William Lagat, my brother-in-law and number one fan who passed away. (talking about positioning during the race) I wanted to be in the top three up until the last fifty meters. I was thinking to myself in the last fifty, ‘I think I’m going to win this, but I didn’t want to celebrate just yet’. I’ve never been like this–I’ve always been a silver medalist. (on the 5000 meters) Tonight, I am going to celebrate with my son, my wife, my coach, and my manager, but tomorrow it’s back to business.
Alan Webb (Reston, Va.): I just got beat by everybody. I got myself in trouble last time by staying back, so why get in trouble again. That didn’t work, so I’ll be in the front. That didn’t work either. At one point, I thought I was doing a pretty good job. Somebody took over for me halfway through. I felt pretty good. When the real game time went, I just couldn’t do it. (On winner Bernard Lagat) Congratulations. It’s his first world title. He’s been around the sport for a long time. My hat goes off to him. I was doing so awesome until this week. It was a colossal breakdown. I’ve changed nothing really. I thought I had more left than I did. I wish I could learn a lesson from that, but I learned nothing. I got nothing out of it. If I wanted to get seventh, I would have run for seventh and gotten seventh, or whatever the hell I got. I didn’t come to get seventh, I came to get first. I didn’t.
Bernard Lagat (Tucson, Ariz.) won the first gold of his storied career - and the first World or Olympic 1,500m medal for the U.S. since 1908 - Wednesday at the 2007 IAAF World Outdoor Track & Field Championships at Nagai Stadium.
One of the finest and most consistent middle-distance runners of his generation, Lagat
had won two Olympic medals, was second at the 2001 World Outdoor Championships and won a World Indoor title at 3,000 meters while competing for Kenya. But a gold medal on the World Outdoor or Olympic level had eluded him. On Wednesday, the American record holder who became a U.S. citizen in 2004 - and who was cleared to compete as an American just one day before competition - celebrated his first championship competition in a Team USA jersey with a decisive win in the men’s 1,500 meters.
The race shaped up as a U.S.-Kenya duel. 2007 world leader Alan Webb bolted to the lead at the gun, with Shedrack Kibet Korir of Kenya on his shoulder. After passing 400 meters in 58.63 seconds, the leaders of the cohesive pack settled into Webb, Korir, Lagat and Asbel Kiprop of Kenya. Kiprop took the lead with two laps to go, passing 800 meters in 1:58.08, followed by Webb and Lagat. With the pack still relatively tight at the bell, it was Kiprop and Webb, running side-by-side, followed by Lagat in third with Korir on his inside shoulder in fourth.
Coming down the stretch, defending champion Rashid Ramzi of Bahrain made a run at the lead as Webb and Lagat came around the outside. Coming from two meters back, Lagat sprinted cleanly to the front and went on to win in 3:34.77. It was Team USA’s first gold medal in the event ever at World Outdoors, and the first gold medal of any kind since 1908, when Hall of Famer Mel Sheppard won the Olympic title. Ramzi was second in 3:35.00 and Korir third in 3:35.04. Spent, Webb ended eighth in 3:35.69. Lagat will get no time to savor his win, however. He competes in the first round of the men’s 5,000 meters on Thursday.
