Where Your Dreams Become Reality
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Where Your Dreams Become Reality |
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Jonathon Riley and Shayne Culpepper Win 3000M USATF Indoor Titles By David Monti (c) 2005 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved Correction: In yesterday's story from Boston, I mistakenly wrote that Jim Harvey is Amy Rudolph's coach. Harvey coaches Rudolph's fiancée, Mark Caroll. Ray Treacy is Rudolph's coach. BOSTON (26-Feb) -- Despite thin fields in some events, the U.S. Indoor Championships produced some exciting distance races today, especially the men's 3000m. On the last of 15 laps, the race had come down to just two athletes: two-time defending champion, Jonathon Riley --the athlete who was a high school star in nearby Brookline before going on to Stanford University-- and last year's third place finisher, Bolota Asmerom. At the bell, Riley surged into the lead, but Asmerom wouldn't let him go so easily. Rounding turn four on the last lap, Asmeron shot around on the outside and was nearly able to overtake his rival, but Riley got over the line first in 7:53.73, just 8/100ths ahead of Asmerom. (click here for splits and results from the men's 3k) "I definitely had the advantage coming from behind," said Riley who let Asmerom take the pace most of the race. "It wasn't an easy race by any means." A few minutes earlier, only five women took the track for the 3000m, meaning that 60% of the field would make the podium. Shayne Culpepper, the defending champion and World Indoor bronze medalist at the distance last year, ran most of the race in second place, before taking the lead --and command of the race-- on the second to last lap. She went on to easily defend her title in 8:55.57, about two seconds up on second place Amy Rudolph. "Very short, and very sweet," is how she described her indoor season which both began and ended here today. "That's exactly what I needed." (click here for splits and results from the women's 3k) Rudolph, who was entered in the 3000m at 3:49 p.m. and the 1500m at 4:20 p.m., had wanted to run both events, but her coach, Jimmy Harvey, decided against it. "It was my idea," said Rudolph of the double, but then admitted that she eventually agreed with Harvey to only do the first race. "I need to look farther down the road," she added. "I did OK; I'm in a lot better time shape than that." Running her first race since August, Jen Toomey dispatched with the field in the 1500m, and defended her title, convincingly. Last year, she became the first woman to ever win the U.S. indoor 800m and 1500m titles in the same championships. This year, she only ran the longer event. "I think I can handle a lot harder pace," Toomey said of her modest 4:13.25 effort. "It was a very comfortable pace for me." She said that she had her 2005 season all mapped out and labeled her race here today "a good start." Treniere Clement finished second (4:14.20), while Tiffany McWilliams was a disappointing sixth. Scott McGowan was an upset winner in the men's 1500m, prevailing over both Rob Myers and Charlie Gruber. Off of a slow pace in the middle of the race, McGowan had shaken off all but Myers rounding turn three on the last lap. He then glanced up at the giant television screen and saw that he had a convincing gap, and simply eased away to finish first. "It couldn't have played out any better for me," said McGowan. "It's been two years since I've had injury problems and I've been able to increase my mileage." In women's 800m qualifying, Hazel Clark breezed through the first round to advance to tomorrow's final. She won heat 2 easily in 2:05.45, leading the entire race. "I came here really just to tune up for outdoors," said Clark who last won the U.S. indoor title in 2000. She also said that it was important for the top athletes to support the national championship, saying she had come to "give the fans something to see." Kameisha Bennett won the first heat, and posted the fastest qualifying time of the day: 2:03.85. Alice Schmidt, the former University of North Carolina star, was the other important athlete who advanced. In men's 800m qualifying, Kevin Hicks won a homestretch battle with Joel Legare in heat 1 to get the first automatic qualifier: 1:47.98. "It was a great battle," said Hicks, who runs for Florida A&M. Richard Smith won the second of three heats by passing race leader Jebreh Harris on turn three. In heat three Gered Burns of SUNY Albany took the pack through the first 400m, and had nearly a 10 meter lead at the bell. But coming out of turn four, Burns tied up and Fred Sharpe and Derrick Peterson got by him on the outside. Sharpe won in 1:49.29 to Peterson's 1:49.37. Burns was the fastest man in all three heats who didn't advance. "Coming around the back turn I could hear them coming," said Burns who finished third in 1:49.49. "I was already tied up by them." The meet concludes tomorrow with the men's and women's 800m the only middle or long distance events on the program. Splits from LetsRun.com below Men's 3k Splits and Results 400 63.9 Matt Gabrielson in the lead 800 2:08 1k 2:39 1200 3:10.9 Gabrielson still in the lead 1600 4:14.8 Bolota Asmeron in the lead 2000 5:19.5 Pack down to 5 Asmeron, Riley, Gabrielson, Dan Wilson and Luke Watson 2400 6:23.7 Bolota and Riley clear of everyone else 2800 7:25.3 Riley takes the lead at the bell 3000 7:53.73 Men 3000 Meter Run
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World: W 7:24.90 2/6/1998 Daniel Komen, KEN
American: A 7:39.23 1/27/2002 Tim Broe, adidas
Meet: M 7:42.81 3/5/1994 Moses Kiptanui, Kenya
Name Year Team Finals
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Finals
1 Jonathon Riley Nike 7:53.73
2 Bolota Asmerom Nike 7:53.81
3 Luke Watson adidas 7:57.23
4 Matt Gabrielson Reebok 7:58.04
5 Fernando Cabada Virginia Intermont 8:00.27
6 Dan Wilson Asics 8:05.34
7 Mike Donnelly Nike 8:07.99
8 Donald Sage The Farm Team 8:14.21
9 Thomas Morgan Unattached 8:25.93
Women's 3k splits and Results Women 3000 Meter Run
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World: W 8:29.15 2/3/2002 Berhane Adere, ETH
American: A 8:39.14 3/7/2001 Regina Jacobs, Nike
Meet: M 8:40.45 2/23/1990 Lynn Jennings, Nike
Name Year Team Finals
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Finals
1 Shayne Culpepper Nike 8:55.57
2 Amy Rudolph adidas 8:57.42
3 Lauren Fleshman Nike 8:59.93
4 Amy Mortimer Reebok 9:15.58
5 Sharon Dickie Unattached 9:16.69
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