The FloTrack Euro train rolls on to our next stop in Northern Italy for Tuesday’s Lignano Meeting, which features some of America’s youngest pros getting their first taste of the European circuit. While not quite up to the caliber of a Diamond League lineup, Lignano should provide the perfect setting for future stars such as Eric Jenkins (3,000m) and Alexa Efraimson (1,500m) to set PR’s against legit competition. Each will be coming off disappointing U.S. Championship performances, but have otherwise had stellar 2015 seasons. 

[Editor's Note: we didn't think Jenkins' 7th place finish at USAs was too shabby, but the man himself called it a disappointment]
 

For those athletes looking towards August’s IAAF World Championships, Lignano will be just another stepping stone as they hope to build themselves into peak form for Beijing. Nick Willis is one such athlete, and he’ll run his first 1,500m race since March on Tuesday. 

 

Regardless of where everyone is at in their seasons, racing is racing, and a solid mix of seasoned vets and young guns should make for a very entertaining show in Italy. If Paris taught us anything, we should expect the unexpected. 

 

Here’s what to watch at Lignano: 

 

Men’s 1,500m  

New Zealand’s Nick Willis is far and away the most accomplished name in this field, having run 3:29 a year ago in Monaco and of course owning an Olympic silver medal from Beijing. Willis has raced sparingly in 2015, perhaps to ensure that he’s well rested for World Champs, but his fitness shouldn’t be in question as he uses Lignano as a tune-up for the all-star 1,500m in Monaco on July 17th.

 

The 32-year-old showed excellent form by finishing runner-up to Ben True in the adidas Grand Prix 5,000m on June 13th, a sign that his strength and finishing speed are in a good spot. That race was very tactical (13:29), but he very nearly won against a field of men with much stronger 5K credentials, not too bad for a miler. Willis will definitely be the guy that everyone keys off of in Lignano. 

 

Bowerman TC’s Dan Huling will look to get pulled along by Willis to a quick time, and he enters with a 3:38 season-best. Huling just raced on Saturday in the Paris steeple, and he’ll be working on his speed in Lignano with the long-term goal of making his first World Champs final later this summer. He was seventh in Paris in 8:15.21. 

 

Men’s 3,000m

Former Oregon superstar Eric Jenkins has had an outstanding 2015 season, and he’ll look to stay hot in just his second race as a professional. The 23-year-old signed with Nike after finishing up his career in Eugene, and was a respectable 7th in the 5K at USAs against a very deep field in his pro debut. Jenkins himself wasn’t satisfied with that performance, but now the two-time NCAA champion will have the perfect opportunity to rebound with some new PRs in Europe. 

Watch Jenkins do his pre-meet routine the day before Lignano:

Jenkins has a 3K best of 7:44.91 from this past indoor season, a mark that left him just .22 off Galen Rupp’s Oregon school record. He didn’t get any other chances to run a “fast” 3K while at Oregon, and he should be ready to fly on Tuesday in his first all out effort in quite some time. Low 7:40s is not unreasonable for Jenkins tomorrow. 

Standing in Jenkins way from picking his first pro win will be two-time Olympian Collis Birmingham. The 30-year-old has a 3K PR of 7:35.45 from 2012, and most recently ran 13:17 to finish eighth in the Pre 5K. The Aussie also has a top 10 finish at the 2013 World XC Championships to his credit, so Jenkins will certainly have his hands full in Italy. 

 

Women’s 1500m 

18-year-old Alexa Efraimson surprisingly failed to advance out of the 1500 rounds at USA’s, but there have been flashes in 2015 of the incredibly bright future she surely has. Her 4:03.39 1500m at the Prefontaine Classic on May 30th took more than a second off Mary Cain’s American junior record, and now the teenager will get her first taste of European racing in Lignano. 

 

Efraimson will face a very solid field in Italy. Kenyan Viola Jelagat is a sub-4:00 1500 runner, and has a 4:01.41 season’s best from Rome. The 31-year-old just missed a medal in the 5,00m at the 2013 World Championships, finishing fourth.

 

Coming off a surprising 3rd place finish in the 1500 at USA’s, Kerri Gallagher will be chasing the IAAF standard (4:06.50) in Lignano. The 26-year-old set her 4:08.70 PR in the prelims at USA’s, and is confident that a quicker pace from the start will result in her punching her ticket to Beijing. Robby Andrews successfully “chased” last week, now it’s Gallagher’s turn.

We spoke to Gallagher as she prepared to chase the IAAF standard: 

2013 World Championship qualifier Cory McGee will also be in this one, as will Arkansas’ Dominique Scott, who should destroy her 4:12 PR on Tuesday. Scott finished second in both the 5K and 10K last month at NCAAs.  

FloTrack will have archived race footage from the 2015 Lignano Meeting in Italy! Check back tomorrow for all the action.