MATT MF CENTROWITZ

Incredible result. The Centrowitz troll (or superfan if you prefer) sure was right.

Incredible result, but f***ing 3:50? Seriously. That's horrendous. NO ONE wanted to try to push it - ever, at any time during the race?

I don't know how to feel. Glad USA won gold, but in a time slower than the MILE?! Insane. Horrible group effort. EVERYONE thought they could rely on their kick? I thought Mahk had him.

RIO DE JANEIRO — With every stride in his run to gold, Matthew Centrowitz kept thinking someone would try to come get him. He knew what the competition was going to do; when they liked to time their moves, when they were likely to go for broke.

But as he entered the last lap of the 1500 meters, Centrowitz had been in the lead for so long — practically from the start — that everything in his game plan pretty much went out the window.

“I’m like, ‘All right, now we’re getting to the later stages in the race, and I can’t give this lead up,’ ” he said. “We’re going into the last lap so might as well wind up from here. I just kind of went for it.”

Went for it, he did. And as a series of challengers engaged him over the final 400 meters — including the two previous Olympic champs — Centrowitz kept finding enough to brush them back and won America’s first gold medal in this event in 108 years.

Though it was a surprise result in one sense, Centrowitz is no stranger to major finals: He is a two-time World Championships medalist (bronze in 2011, silver in 2013), the reigning world indoor champion and the fourth-place finisher from London in 2012. And he couldn’t have felt better about his preparation for this race, including in Rio where he stayed outside the athletes’ village and had a chef prepare meals to try to keep his surroundings as normal as possible.

“I was a different athlete four years ago,” he said. “I came in with a different mindset. I’m in great shape, so I just wanted to run to my capability. It wasn’t a redemption thing from London. It was just about being the best I could on this day.”

And he was the best, both physically and tactically. He led almost wire-to-wire in a slowly paced race — his winning time of 3:50 was the slowest in decades and almost 15 seconds slower than his fourth-place finish in 2012 (3:35.17).

Though Centrowitz had prepared himself to close fast, he took the opportunity to grab the lead when it was presented to him going into the first bend. Things unfolded perfectly from there. Kenya’s Asbel Kiprop made a run at him, but he couldn’t sustain it. Taoufik Makhloufi of Algeria, the gold medalist in 2012, made a field-circling move with 300 meters remaining but couldn’t pass Centrowitz in the stretch.

He ran a World Record time... Sadly it was Dibaba's world record time for the Women's 1500... Most pathetic 1500 in the history of the Olymics.

I don't care how slow the effing race was! They all came after him, Kiprop and the whole gang, and he beat their A$$$$! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

And that's all that matters.

Centro GOLD BABY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

so overated so sloww4w wrote:

He ran a World Record time... Sadly it was Dibaba's world record time for the Women's 1500... Most pathetic 1500 in the history of the Olymics.

DId Dibaba close in 50?

Congrats and hooray to Centro and the US. Excellent tactic. Without any doubts the other favourites are hopping mad about their run.

Congratulations Centro, brilliant race!

3:50.0 wrote:

3:50.01 LOL .... HS slow time

HS school slow time? You must have meant the 50.62. Yah, pretty slow for a high school 400m time.

Run Doctor wrote:

If he's half black so am I

I will howl in laughter if they bust him along with the rest of the dopers from OP.

Let's not forget in the past year his coach has some strong evidence supporting his potential doping of athletes.

Oh how things change when a Yank wins.

You are all such hypocrites

Run Doctor is PMSing hard tonight

scorpion_runner wrote:

CEntro is clearly mixed, being half black, and looks more black than white. But that is neither here nor there. He beat the dopers at their own game.

end of story.

You are an ignorant racist with your facts wrong. I know both of his parents. Now, tell me which one of them is 100% black?

Huh? Didn't think so. Now give me your evidence that either parent is even part black. And even if they were, what's wrong with that, you racist?

ROTC can run wrote:

Run Doctor wrote:

A doper like all the black athletes

Oh sorry I forgot white Americans are not dopers

You are all racist pigs

He's half black, you retard.

You are a racist idiot.

HipsterDoofus wrote:

scorpion_runner wrote:

CEntro is clearly mixed, being half black, and looks more black than white. But that is neither here nor there. He beat the dopers at their own game.

end of story.

Where's his mother? Wondering why she's not there with Centro, Sr.

Beverly is home in Maryland watching on TV. Is that okay with you? I see her in Eugene nearly every year.

Remember. Centro was the one who was front running. I would be willing to bet good money that at least a handful of runners were running back in the pack and thinking they were were the smart ones.

Cray33 wrote:

What I really need to know is is he doing a post-race workout?

+1

He may have gotten the evening off this rare time.

As to other comments, was this a miserable race? Yes. For all but Centrowitz. Why the others let this go this way, only they know. Mo ran similarly (but perhaps faster last 1500?) as did Viren way back in 1976. I hate these slow races personally, but all of them have the right to pass.

kiowavt wrote:

Cray33 wrote:

What I really need to know is is he doing a post-race workout?

+1

He may have gotten the evening off this rare time.

As to other comments, was this a miserable race? Yes. For all but Centrowitz. Why the others let this go this way, only they know. Mo ran similarly (but perhaps faster last 1500?) as did Viren way back in 1976. I hate these slow races personally, but all of them have the right to pass.

If any other runner in that race didn't like the pace, what stopped him from going to the front and going faster. Nothing. Nada.

Distance runners are often said to be more intelligent than the average person or average athlete, but seems like every single one of them thinks they are going to be the one to outkick the entire field once the real racing begins. That's just not realistic. If you aren't one of the very best kickers, devise another plan!

I remember when U.S. marathoner Khalid Khannouchi DNFed at the 2001 Worlds, he gave the excuse, "The pace was too slow." Huh? RUN FASTER! It's not like you were boxed in during the marathon!

Eye-opening how willfully ignorant some of this crowd is behaving. Comments about time are really missing the point. Last night something happened that hadn't happened in a long long time. We know centro's dad and watched jr through hs and college, etc. This should be something we all could be happy about... The amount of name-calling and racial comments really does give perspective on the priorities of some people.

PS: comments about doping are fair game, as they seem to be about all medallists (especially those in the NOP stable).

CentroGOLD!! wrote:

I don't care how slow the effing race was! They all came after him, Kiprop and the whole gang, and he beat their A$$$$! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

And that's all that matters.

Centro GOLD BABY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is right on. That was a killers row of bad ass 1500m guys in that race.

No one told them to follow.

Here was Centrowitz plan.

If they go out fast, be in the top 3.

If they go out slow, be in the top two.

He broke from the start, to the rail, he waited for someone to pass him, no one would, or did.

And as we all know, he never gives up his position in a race, if it's taken, he adjusts and gets back where he wants, immediately.

5+years of knowing how to race this race, and getting better at it, and the little dude with wheels just grabbed the GOLD.

You poor sports and racists can have an angry sleep now.

It was awesome!! He took the lead, had a plan and ran the last in 50.x to take the gold. All the PEDs in the world don't change the fact he beat them at the Olys. There are ALL on and he won. Hope you get paid some good money for the 4 years.

Where the hell are all the midget guido doping posts??????????????