He's already the best football player in the US, so the fact that when he stepped upon the British Isles he would automaticly be the best football player.
If you are tying to show me how smart you are by making the point that the Brits call soccer, football, then yeah you are right. But....if I were going to talk about soccer I'd call it soccer.
With two great kickers in the race should Bernard Lagat ask for a fast pace. Last year as a teenager Augustine Choge not only ranked #2 in 1500 in the world ranking but was one of the few athletes to beat Bernard and Kenenisa in the same season.
Birmingham 17 Feb
17:00 Men’s 3000m: MO FARAH’S training partner, Chris Thompson, faces an intimidating field in the penultimate event of the day. Kenyan-born American Bernard Lagat, who recently beat Craig Mottram at the Millrose Games, is in a field that also includes Commonwealth 5000m champion Augustine Choge, leading Ethiopian Markos Geneti and 2004 Olympic 1500m medallist and 2001 world 1500m indoor champion Rui Silva.
Bernard Lagat new INDOOR American Record was a sit and kick affair. He allowed his chief competitors to set the pace and outkicked them in the last 100m.
7:32.43 is the record now out of Matt T's reach? Only 3 men have run faster indoors: Haile, Daniel, and Kenenisa. Bernard seems to definitely be in shape where if he needed he could have broken 7:30 indoors. His future could be GREAT at 5000m if he decided to make that his priority!
Bernard Lagat, Alan Webb, Chris Lukezic, Said Ahmed, Gabe Jennings,and maybe Lopez Lomong will be competing for a spot on the 2007 U.S World Championships 1500m team. Who do you think will make the U.S 1500m team?
Lagat, Webb, Symmond
Why is Bernard Lagat holding onto the 1500m like it's STILL his best event? He was repeatedly thrashed* last year against the top Kenyans (*in GP meets he won 2 out 9 races).
Over the last 2 years in the 3000m/5000m he has lost once race in over NINE attempts at 3000m/5000m beating just about every big name including Kenenisa Bekele, Eliud Kipchoge, Isaac Songok, etc!
In the Pre meet last week Bernard got dusted by Daniel Komen who isn't even the best 1500m Kenyan. Augustine Choge beat 3 out of 4 meeting last year and 1 for 1 this year.
So what hope does Bernard Lagat have in the 1500m and why doesn't his coach tell him to move up to the 5000m?
NO. HE JUST GOT BEAT BY ALAN WEBB. A REAL AMERICAN!
BERNARD HAS NO KICK ANYMORE.
Lagat is always slow during early season meets. Watch him run 3:29-3:31 in Europe.
Agreed. Lagat ran 3:51 last year at Pre. By my watch that puts him ahead of schedule. I will agree though that this years WC may be his last big shot at the 1500. I think his best chance for a gold would probly be at the 5000.
Start out slow what does that mean, Augustine Choge started out 3:31 last month and by your logic that means he will get faster like Lagat (who started off much slower). Bernard Lagat is still an outstanding 1500m runner but he is no longer #1 or 2 caliber and thus should move up to the 5000m.
Last year he win only 2 out 9 circuit or GP races in the 1500m. In the 3000m/5000m he has WON 8 out 9 and beat the superstars of the 5000m event! His last chance to win a 1500m World/Olympic GOLD was win he lost to Hicham by less than a stride.
i have thought for a long time that lagat is running the wrong event in osaka, he is obviously still world class miler and has got good chances of winning the 1500 in osaka but his finishing speed at the end of a 5k is better than anyone including bekele.
Just look at his 12.59 at crystal palace last year the last lap was close to 51 i think and this was despite him not going all the way through the line or 7.32 indoor 3k at birmingham last year the last lap . Chances are that the 5k in osaka wont be fast enough to burn lagat off (i.e 12.50 - 12.55) and so i dont see anybody who would do him for speed over the final lap. i know he is big on a world title over 1500 but i think the double is a good idea because the 5k is after the 1500 and his 1500m training will hold him in good stead for the 5k if its a typical championship race. if he does double and the 5k doesnt work out - then he hasnt lost anything because it would not have been to the detriment of his main aim- the 1500m
in 2010 Bernard Lagat
AMERICAN RECORDS
5000m indoors........13:11.50i
3000m.................7:29.00 first American under 7:30
5000m................12:54.12
Accomplishments
Gold Medal...........World Indoor Championships
2 National titles....3000mi and 5000m outdoors
some posters call him old and selfish. Well whatever it is working and well as every single distance runner would love to have half of the season "Old and Selfish" Bernard just had in 2010.
Hmmmmm, definitely more USA athletes need to strive to be like the "old and selfish" AND VERY SUCCESSFUL Bernard Lagat!!!
In the short time since he started actually running for the United States Bernard has become the best current 1500m/5000m runner. You can' count the Olympics in which he ran for Kenya even though he was a U.S Citizen; however, he has redeem himself though his American Records and titles.
Accomplishments he gained since he started running strictly for U.S.A. Name another American in the last TWO decades:
Won an Outdoor 1500m title (2007)
Won an Indoor 3000m title (2010)
Won an Outdoor 5000m title (2007)
Bronze Outdoor 1500m (2009)
Silver Outdoor 5000m (2009)
1500m Outdoor AR
1500m Indoor AR
3000m Outdoor AR
5000m Indoor AR
5000m Outdoor AR
Heck lets stop kidding ourselves Bernard Lagat has become the BEST AMERICAN 1500m-5000m runner EVER!!!!
Agreed. He is the greatest American middle distance runner ever.
Yes Bernard is the best American middle distance runner ever; however, he could have been the best 5000m runner ever in the world. Even though he won the 2007 1500m Outdoor title Bernard should have focused strictly on the 5000m event back in 2005. With the extra training and experience in the 5000m he could have run with and beaten anyone four-five years ago.
running a sub 13 minute 5000m with 51.94 last 400m to beat KENENISA BEKELE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2rHmSKqs2w&feature=related
Bernard Lagat could have been the best 5000m runner ever and not just the best American middle distance runner!
Another feather in his cap against a solid international field:
CONTENTIAL CUP
5000 Metres Final
04 September 2010 - 18:05Position Bib Athlete Team Country Mark . Points
1 629 BERNARD LAGAT Americas USA 13:58.23 . 8
2 544 Moses Ndiema Kipsiro Africa UGA 13:58.35 . 7
3 814 Bouabdellah Tahri Europe FRA 13:58.79 . 6
4 522 Edwin Cheruiyot Soi Africa KEN 13:59.04 . 5
5 515 Imane Merga Africa ETH 14:00.53 . .
6 702 Collis Birmingham Asia-Pacific AUS 14:00.60 . 4
7 843 Serhiy Lebid Europe UKR 14:00.73 . 3
8 842 Mert Girmalegesse Europe TUR 14:05.24 . .
9 618 Diego Alberto Borrego Americas MEX 14:19.58 . 2
Intermediate Bib Athlete nat Mark
1000m 618 Diego Alberto Borrego MEX 2:50.38
2000m 515 Imane Merga ETH 5:55.04
3000m 544 Moses Ndiema Kipsiro UGA 8:46.81
4000m 544 Moses Ndiema Kipsiro UGA 11:33.47
SillyBernard wrote:
Bernard should have focused strictly on the 5000m event back in 2005.
How can you say that? Maybe being up front in all those 1500s and 3000s is exactly what gives him the edge over those 'pure 5000' runners, and the ability to run last laps in sub 52?
I hope he can hold it together for 2 more years and win medals in London...
When Bernard Lagat focus on a particular part of the season he is one of the toughest to beat in the 3000m/5000m. Just look at his 3000m/5000m record since 2007; however, in 2008 he was injuried plagued and then bomb in the Olympics.
Only active runner who has better creditentals at 3000m/5000m than Bernard Lagat is Kenenisa Bekele. I think Keneneisa holds like 5 win-2 loses advantage over Bernard (one else come even close not even Tarkiu who have something like 7 loses- 3 wins against Bernard).
London 2012
BERNARD LAGAT (USA) wins Olympic 5000m Gold 12:51.01
Galen Rupp (USA) 12:53.79
Chris Solinsky (USA) 12:53.91
Bekele will focus primarily on the 10000m and open the door for a USA sweep in the men's 5000m. NO JOKE!
Bernard Lagat has become the best American middle distance runner ever; however, he will need one or two more medals or records to become best American overall distance runner ever!
For the last f'ing time fanboy quite saying galen will run this, galen will run that blah blah blah. The shit is getting annoying. And I doubt the times will be that fast because everyone is too scared to make it a sub 13 race at the olympic level.