Joseph Chirlee Posts Olympic A Standard In 10k With 27:43.96

Press Release
May 31, 2012

(Wageningen, Netherlands) Joseph Chirlee of Colorado Springs took one more shot at improving his chances to make the 2012 U.S. Olympic team and his tenacity payed off when he nabbed the Olympic A standard in the 10,000-meters at the Tartletos Loopgala in Wageningen, Netherlands, Wednesday night.

Chirlee, who competes for the U.S. Army and is stationed at Fort Carson, finished fourth in a field of 19 that saw four under the Olympic A mark of 27:45.00, including Chirlee's 33-second personal best performance of 27:43.96. Under cool conditions, the field marched through 3,000-meters and 5,000-meters at 8:19 and 13:50, respectively, before speeding up with Ali Hassan Mahboob of Bahrain taking the win in 27:21.40.

Earlier in the season, Chirlee barely punched his ticket for the U.S. Olympic Trials with a trials B mark and then-best of 28:16.36, ranking him the 17th fastest American for the year, but only 23rd for the trials qualifying window. With only a maximum of 24 athletes accepted into the U.S. Olympic Trials 10,000-meter field, not only did Chirlee's performance in the Netherlands guarantee his qualification for the U.S. trials, it has also put him in contention to make the U.S. Olympic team for the London Summer Olympic Games.

With only the top three at the U.S. Olympic Trials who have also bettered the Olympic A Standard of 27:45.00 being selected for the U.S. team for London, Chirlee is now in a small pool of nine contenders who have that mark. Ranked 5th in the U.S. for the year now, his challenge is simply to finish in the top three, regardless of time. The U.S. Olympic Trials will be held in Eugene, Oregon, June 21 - July 01, with the 10,000-meter final being held the evening of Friday, June 22nd.

Chirlee, a naturalized citizen, is a member of the U.S. Army's World Class Athlete Program (WCAP) and trains under the direction of the American Distance Project, a Colorado Springs based non-profit dedicated to the development of American distance runners.

Complete results can be found at: http://www.tartletosloopgala.nl/wordpress/

 

About the American Distance Project

The American Distance Project  (ADP) is a Colorado Springs based non-profit dedicated to the development of American distance runners to compete with the best in the world. The ADP is coached by Scott Simmons and Renato Canova. For more information, visit the ADP's website at www.AmericanDistanceProject.com

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