Men's Steeple

            Fourteen athletes advanced to this afternoon's men's steeplechase final. All of the favorites advanced, although not without incident. The top four finishers in each heat advance automatically, while the next six fastest between the two heats also go on. Steve Slattery, who came in with the top qualifying time (8:15.69) left things to chance in a loaded first field. He finished fifth and had to wait for the second heat before knowing whether he was in the final. Brian Olinger, the second-fastest entry (8:19.29) barely advanced as well. He was the 14th of 14 qualifiers. He just beat out Thomas Brooks, last year's third-place finisher.

            Now in the final, however, anything can happen. The nature of the event lends itself to unpredictability and the Men's steeple could perhaps be the most wide-open race of the trials. Absent from competition is Dan Lincoln, the current American-record holder. He had to undergo achilles surgery earlier in the year, so he will not be back to defend his Olympic trials crown. Last year, Lincoln was fifth in a huge upset. Josh McAdams tore into the lead off of the last water barrier and to take the win, leading two unheralded runners with him, Aaron Aguayo and Tom Brooks. Aguayo did not start the prelims, leaving McAdams, the defending national champion as the only member of the 2007 world championship team. Sure to figure in the final outcome of the race is Anthony Famiglietti. Even though he comes in as the fifth-fasted qualifier, he is probably the favorite. Famiglietti was an Olympian at the distance in 2004 and has represented the U.S. at several international championships. He had a notable year in 2006 when he focused on other distances for the season, choosing to save his body some of the wear and tear caused by the steeple. He lowered his personal-bests dramatically. He also released a documentary that year, "Run Like Hell", which chronicled his career and life as a professional athlete. With the dvd and his personality he has obtained nearly cult-status among track fans.

            As difficult as it is to predict the outcome of any steeplechase event, much less one lacking so many contenders, Famiglietti and McAdams are likely to make the top-3. Slattery, despite the fast time, tends to be fairly inconsistent, as his prelim demonstrated. Two young athletes could end up mounting the stiffest challenges to the well-established "Fam" and McAdams. Kyle Alcorn of Arizona State and Billy Nelson of the University of Colorado dueled to the line in the NCAA Championships this year, with Alcorn winning by just .59 seconds. Both athletes have since signed with Nike. To qualify, in addition to placing well, they would have to run under the Olympic A-standard of 8:24.6. Slattery, Olinger, McAdams and Famiglietti are the only athletes in the final who have already earned the standard. If this were any other event, the favorites with the standard could be content to let the pace dawdle, but the steeplechase is like no other event in track. A crowded field makes going over barriers all the more dangerous. Look for the race to be fast while the athletes with the A-standard try to string out the field and other challengers push for a-standard pace.

Additional Notes...Slattery mentioned being short on adrenaline after his preliminary. He had been in Eugene for over a week, watching his wife, Sara Slattery, compete in the 10,000m and 5,000m...During the collegiate season, Alcorn ran the fastest 1600m split among the field in the Distance Medley Relay at Indoor Nationals and took his team from far back to second. He then won the 3,000m indoor title in dominant fashion. He disappeared for a time during the outdoor season before winning the NCAA-title, but he said the disappearance was to prepare himself for the Olympic trials...Nelson looks to join his Colorado teammate, Jenny Barringer, on the team for Beijing. Barringer qualified for the steeplechase with her third place finish on thursday...Despite not making the final, Jonathan Pierce is likely to remember these trials fondly. He proposed to his girlfriend, Anna Willard, and then watched her win the Trials in an American record.

 -Contributed to Flotrack by Ben Raphelson