2016 U.S. Olympic Team Trials

Olympic Trials 1500m Preview: Will the Favorites Find the Podium?

Olympic Trials 1500m Preview: Will the Favorites Find the Podium?

MEN Matt Centrowitz Centrowitz's progression toward this year's U.S. Olympic Trials has been all too familiar.In the spring of 2012, Centrowitz was a studen

Jun 29, 2016 by Taylor Dutch
Olympic Trials 1500m Preview: Will the Favorites Find the Podium?

MEN


Matt Centrowitz 


Centrowitz's progression toward this year's U.S. Olympic Trials has been all too familiar.

In the spring of 2012, Centrowitz was a student at Oregon training as a professional under coach Andy Powell when he hit his knee on a table and was forced to get surgery just three months before the Trials. After an exhausting and ultimately successful altitude boot camp with Nike Oregon Project coach Alberto Salazar, Centrowitz made his miraculous return to the Trials, where he placed second and made his first Olympic team.

2016 has presented similar challenges for Centrowitz. After winning the World Indoor Championships 1500m title in March, Centrowitz suffered a stress reaction in his left leg, and had to sit out the majority of the outdoor season. Also similar to 2012, Salazar managed to bring Centrowitz back into fighting shape. He opened up with an impressive double at the Portland Track Festival on June 12, where he ran 1:47.69 in the 800m and returned to clock 3:41.39 in the 1500m. Last Thursday, in his final race before the Trials, Centrowitz unleashed his signature kick to take down a loaded field in 3:37.81 at the Stumptown Twilight meet. The races were encouraging signs for his chance at making a second Olympic team.

Watch Centrowitz's race at Stumptown in this week's Tasty Race of the Week:


Robby Andrews


After finishing fourth at the World Indoor Championships in March, Andrews took time to focus on training, and only recently ran his first outdoor 1500m of the season at the adidas BOOST Boston Games. He clocked 3:37.52, his fastest outdoor opener since 2012.

Before his race in Boston, Andrews shared his biggest racing regret with the Dream Mile competitors—the 2012 Olympic Trials final—where he let nerves get the best of him, and finished fifth.

Four years later, Andrews reined in his pre-race jitters, and the results have shown. He made the final at the 2015 World Championships and 2016 World Indoor Championships, and seems more than ready to take on the field in Eugene, Oregon.



Leo Manzano


2012 Olympic Trials champion Manzano has endured a difficult Olympic year. He suffered from pneumonia, and switched from coach John Hayes to Ryan Ponsoby—the same coach who guided him to an Olympic silver medal in 2012.

Despite the challenges, Manzano has been steadily regaining health and fitness. As seen from his six international championship team berths, Manzano has demonstrated he can show up in big-time situations, so don't count him out.


Ben Blankenship, Izaic Yorks, Colby Alexander


Several other formidable opponents have risen through the ranks to challenge the top three projections, including Oregon Track Club's Blankenship, recent Washington grad Yorks, and recent up-and-comer Alexander. Two weeks ago at Princeton, Alexander ran the fastest mark this year of athletes declared in the field—a personal best of 3:36.26.

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WOMEN


Jenny Simpson vs. Shannon Rowbury


The women’s Trials race will provide another gritty showdown between Jenny Simpson and Shannon Rowbury in their second meeting of the year.

2015 was pivotal for the women’s 1500m. Not only did Genzebe Dibaba break the world record, but Rowbury broke Mary Decker's American record in the same race last July at the Monaco Diamond League meet by running 3:56.29 for third overall. Simpson helped push Rowbury through the line as she finished right behind her in 3:57.30. At the World Championships that summer, Simpson and Rowbury experienced mixed results. Rowbury finished seventh and Simpson unfortunately lost her shoe in the middle of the race. The 2011 world champion ended up 11th overall.
2012 Olympic Trials (Day 10): Shannon Rowbury (2nd) and Jenny Simpson (3rd) in the 1500 Meter
2016 has been entirely different for Rowbury and Simpson. Rowbury earned bronze in the 3000m at the World Indoor Championships in Portland, and continued her outdoor season with a 2:05 800m/4:06 1500m double at the HOKA ONE ONE Middle Distance Classic and went on to post a 4:04 for 10th at the Prefontaine Classic.

In the same race at Prefontaine, Simpson finished fourth in a season’s best of 4:01. Prior to that, she opened up her season at Drake Relays, where she ran a then-world lead of 4:06, and got sixth in 4:04 at the Shanghai Diamond League meeting.

Simpson and Rowbury have proven that they should be considered favorites to make the team, but the third and final spot will be an exciting showdown between several athletes.


Morgan Uceny


2012 Olympic Trials champion Morgan Uceny showed glimpses of her 2012 self when she won the Furman Elite 1500m in 4:03, the second-fastest time run by an American (declared in the field) this year. In the four years since tragically falling in the 2012 Olympic final, Uceny hasn’t run close to her personal best of 4:00 until this year. Could Uceny finally make her comeback to international dominance?

Watch Uceny's Furman 1500m race below: