How can anyone dislike Lagat?

Okay, that's kind of awesome by Lagat. Hopefully they both do make the podium!

I was actually going to start a thread about Lagat's class. The man is an extremely gracious athlete.

I wish we could exchange half of our population for 150 million Bernard Lagats.

Lagat is very much an American, and yes he is a great runner.

However I still have a huge problem with his lies and deceit regarding his nationality at the 2004 Olympics. He was an AMERICAN running in a Kenyan vest.

and this one from the same article:

Lagat knows Webb will take something away from his less-than-stellar performance.

"It was one of those races where you try to employ (a strategy) and it doesn't work,'' Lagat said. "He'll learn from what happened. You're going to see a different Alan in the finals.'

The whole 2004 citizenship deal was a little shady to me, but as far as I'm concerned Lagat had to pick sometime to come to the U.S. There's always going to be a major event that people will call you out for changing nationalities unless you sit out... and honestly I don't think not running is in Lagat's blood. He's a competitor.

God I'm pumped though. The old and the new both in the finals to the World Championships. Running for the United States. I haven't trained seriously for two years, but seeing things like this make me want to get out the door and go at it again. Go Lagat! Go Webb!

Nobody really does...........

Yeah, but he couldn't have run if he'd told everyone about the switch. Jason, even you would at least *think* about it before you gave up your chance for an olympic gold because of some stupid rule. Sure, you shouldn't be able to compete for another country at the drop of a hat, but the guy had been living in this country for YEARS.

I agree he *should* have been forthcoming about his new citizenship. But wasn't it a matter of public record?

Also, I'm sure there have been other instances of American citizens competing for other countries in international competition (perhaps even Olympics).

Michael Sylvester.

Silver medal, basketball, 1980 Summer Olympics.

The only American to medal in Moscow (dual citizenship with Italy).

Thanks, that's the sort of situation I was envisioning.

webby wrote:

I wish we could exchange half of our population for 150 million Bernard Lagats.

I wish we could exchange half our population for 15 Bernard Lagats. Class act.

He seems very approachable from the videos I've seen of him. The NBC special where he showed his house and neighborhood, didn't know he was that much of a WSU fan. Obviously he graduated from there so I thought he'd be supportive, but he had like the big blanket/banner thing, and WSU trinkets. It's cool, he's american to me.

You people are to concerned about your "Americanism". We are living in a global environment where people are migrating around the world.

The guy is a decent hard working bloke trying to be the best athlete he can be and make the best life he can for himself.

He must feel torn between the country that he was born in and the country that he has chosen to live in so whether he runs for Kenya or the USA to me makes either decision perfectly acceptable.

The fact he has chosen to run for both countries suggests he is trying to balance his loyalties and I dont see any problem with that.

If I were gay or even just bi-curious, I'd do Bernie Lagat in a heartbeat. Warm guy, nice smile, his original hair...

As far as dual citizenship goes...

JAmerican Jews compete for Israel all the time

The Greek Baseball team in Athens was essentially American

Mary Pierce competes for France..A bunch of Swimming medalists for other countries were essentially American...these people never get any critics abou tdual citizenship...although personally I think dual citizenship should be outlawed in the United States. You are either Americanor you are not. Lagat chose to be so and Americans should welcome him..

NATURALIZED AMERICAN= AMERICAN

DUAL CITIZENHIP= TREASON

It boggles the mind how smallminded some of you are. There is nothing "treasonous" about dual citizenship and if you expand your brains a little bit you can see all kinds of reasons it might be advisable - including marriages between people of different nations and situations in which someone is based in another country for work purposes for years on end.

Lovin it wrote:

You people are to concerned about your "Americanism". We are living in a global environment where people are migrating around the world.

You should take that up with the IOC, which separates competitors by country in the first place. Perhaps one day we will all live in a global community with one government and one culture. Until then, Americans are concerned with Americanism, French people are concerned with "Frenchness", Kenyans are concerned with "Kenyanism", etc.

Lagat has to drop this whole Kenya dropping in interview stuff...he always manages to do something to remind people that he is kenyan originally.