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April 29, 2013
The Penn Relays - College Championship
In the Men's Distance relay, with legs of 1200m, 400m, 800m, and 1600m, Ethiopia, who's 400m runner was tripped up, Bereket Desta, got up and fought back as Aman Wote took the lead in the final bend to get the win by .69 seconds.
Bernard Lagat, a native Kenyan, has had one of the most decorated careers of any American distance runner to date.
After graduating high school in Kenya, he traveled to America to attend Washington State University. While there he was a multiple time All-American and a three-time NCAA individual champion (indoor mile and 3000, and outdoor 5000).
He first came to international fame at the 2000 Sydney Olympics where he took 3rd in the 1500m run representing his native Kenya. In the final Lagat ran a 3:32.44 to secure his bronze medal.
At the 2001 World Outdoor Championships in Edmonton, Canada, and still representing Kenya, Lagat medaled yet again in the 1500, this time running a 3:31.10, good enough for 2nd place.
His first gold medal in professional international competition would come at the 2002 IAAF World Cup, where he ran away from the field to take home gold, crossing the line in 3:31.20.
In 2002 Lagat took second in the 1500m at the Indoor World Championships in Budapest to Frenchman Driss Maazouzi. His time of 3:42.62 was only .03 seconds behind Maazouzi.
2003 would prove to be a tumultuous year for Lagat. Before the 2003 World Outdoor Championships, Lagat dropped out of the games after trace amounts of EPO were detected in his system. His B sample would eventually come back negative, wiping his name clean, but taking away a chance of medaling at that yearâÂÂs Championship competition.
In 2004, Lagat again represented Kenya at the Athens Olympic Games, where he finished 2nd in the 1500 to current world record holder in the mile, Hicham El Guerrouj.
Then, in March of 2005, Lagat announced that he had become a naturalized American citizen the previous year. After serving a short ban from international championship competition, Lagat would be allowed to represent America in any and all running endeavors.
Lagat kicked off his American running career with style, running an American record in the indoor mile at Fayettville, Arkansas, finishing the race in a smooth 3:49.89. En route to that record he would also set the indoor 1500 meter record, coming through the metric mile mark in 3:33.34.
The first year Lagat was able to represent the United States, 2007, he came out guns hot. At that yearâÂÂs World Outdoor Championships in Osaka, Lagat followed in Hicham el GuerroujâÂÂs footsteps by completing the 1500/5000 meter double, taking away gold in both.
His first Olympic Games as an American were in 2008 at Beijing. Again, Lagat qualified in both the 1500 and 5000. He failed to qualify for the final in the 1500 and only ran to a 9th place finish in the 5000 meter run.
Lagat would go into the 2009 World Championships with a target on his back, as both the reigning world champ, and one of the oldest competitors in the field. Despite this, Lagat was able to run 3:36.20 in the 1500 for 3rd place and 13:17.33 in the 5k for 2nd place.
Though Lagat never dipped under the radar, 2010 was a breakout year for him. During the Reebok Boston Indoor Games, Lagat broke the American record for the indoor 5k, surpassing Galen RuppâÂÂs time by more than seven seconds and crossing the line in 13 minutes 11.50 seconds. In June of 2010 Lagat broke the American record in the outdoor 5000 meter run after his performance at the Bislett Games in Oslo after blitzing a 12:54.12. A little over a month later he lowered the 5000 meter record yet again by running a 12:53.60 at the Monaco diamond League meet.
Throughout his years competing in the US, Lagat accumulated seven Wanamaker Mile victories at the historic Millrose Games. In 2010 he broke Eamonn CoghlanâÂÂs record of seven Wanamaker victories by notching his eighth by running a 3:56.34 and defeating 2008 Olympic gold medalist, Asbel Kiprop.
2012 has had a few highlights for Lagat so far. During his indoor season he bested his American Record for the indoor 5k when he crossed the line in 13:07.15 at the Millrose Games.
His outdoor debut came at the 2012 Prefontaine Classic where he and 19 other competitors toed the line. Lagat showed his age a little bit after a sub-par performance, âÂÂonlyâ running to a 3:54.14, fourteenth place finish.
