Centro skipped nationals to get 7th place in Europe

Let's face it: There is very little prestige in winning USA distance championships. We've had decades of winners who can't make a WC final. Centro has been a rare exception. Let him race when and where he feels the need to race.

To the guy who called him a one trick pony: when your trick is winning medals, you don't really need a second trick.

Well said. People bashing a guy for trying to be a better runner. You don't get better by running away from a field of runners. you get better by going against the best. Maybe ALL US athletes should stay home and only run in the USA, that is basically what some here are suggesting. Sacrifice their development in order to grow the sport at home. Ludicrous. But this is an age old argument usually put forth by lesser runners or their coaches trying to improve their own lot by making the best runners expose themselves too often. Silly stuff. If you got the chops you run against the best. you owe nothing to the domestics below you.

Centro is quite possibly the most boring US 1500m elite man of the last 15 years. What appeal does he possibly have to offer us? None.

Webb- fastest US high schooler ever. Was the great US hope for the mile for years. You hate him or love him but you had to admit he was entertaining.

Leo- been around for a long time. 2x NCAA champ who has made a great transition to the elite circuit. He races with courage and you never know which Leo you're going to get, the good or the bad, with him, which to me is exciting.

Lopez- has the "lost boy" appeal. He is always fun to watch just because it seems like people count him out a lot but he is always there in the hunt.

Rupp- similar to Webb. Record breaker as a high schooler who is now kind of the next white hope for 5k-10k. You either love him or hate him but he is always there making headlines.

Solinsky- raced with fire and passion. He's on the comeback trail now which is always fun to watch with any runner.

Centro races with no heart and shows no emotion. He's a white dude who is damn good but there is nothing there that makes me interested in rooting for him or following him. Every time I see results from him it's just like 'meh' when with most other Americans it's much different. I just don't see anything fun or exciting from him, which in my opinion is what this sport needs.

Centro should have competed at USATFs. But not in the 1500. He should have faced Lagat in the 5000 or raced the 800.

WeJo cannot truly believe what he is saying, can he? If so he needs to move to a Totalitarian nation where everyone is forced to do exactly the same lock step as is insisted upon by the rulers. Good on Centro for having the will and smarts to do what is best for him and his running career. And while we are talking about the measly 7K payouts at Sacramento, what else can we expect? Tell me when has Sacramento ever reported a profitable meet where USATF gets after meet profit-sharing? So long as these meets go to self-serving venues (Eugene as the exception) there will never be serious money available to the athletes.

Sorry Brojos, Diamond League races are not a dime a dozen. I'm a hard core track fan and the Diamond league is pretty exciting to me.

The USA champs are fine, but let's face it, in an off year they DO NOT MATTER AS MUCH by definition. It's just a fact.

Matt Centro can run his own life and set his own priorities. If any top athlete wants to skip the USA champs in an off year I support them. Gives some up and comers a big change and I dig that too.

Wejo Says: Track and Field news not rank you as highly if you don't show up. Track should not just be about times but titles

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So, he comes out of the closet. Wejo has been a big Rupp fan all along and now he finally admits that he likes the strategy of getting titles over times (something Rupp gets both of by the way). Six straight titles certainly meets Wejo's criteria for the best.

BTW, does Wejo even have a clue about USATF insurance? I doubt it, as most athletes use that insurance only to supplement what their own insurance doesn't cover during training or during a USATF certified competition.

Marta L wrote:

...

Centro is a one-trick pony. Loads up on the sauce for World Champs and kicks desperately to get 2nd/3rd/4th...

Wouldn't that be like a 3 trick pony?

Ken Count wrote:

Marta L wrote:

...

Centro is a one-trick pony. Loads up on the sauce for World Champs and kicks desperately to get 2nd/3rd/4th...

Wouldn't that be like a 3 trick pony?

You have to admit, Centro seams to step up his game for world championships while getting schooled the rest of the year. In fact he has never shown, outside of those races themselves, the ability to get championship medals. You can call it race savvy, but couldn't you say that about the Turkish chicks, and before that the Russian chicks as well?

Look, stop being a hater and accept that while the Russians, East Germans, Finns, Kenyans, Ethiopians, Moroccans all needed drugs to obtain Olympic and World Champs glory, our distance runners did it by training harder and using underwater treadmills.

another (former) oregon duck wrote:

Yeah but he was 3:32 in a 3:31 race. Considering his lengthy illness this winter, the fact that he was able to pull this together is testament to how much of competitor he is.

This is by far the fastest time by an American this year. Maybe by late August his form will have come around more to be in a true 3:30 chase.

"Lengthy illness" ROTFL

The USATF championship is a bush league event compared to Diamond League. If an American gets into a DL meet, he should go, period. How does it reflect on US track when all the elite races have zero Americans in them? What does being US champ mean in that context?

What is the rationale for arguing that he should have run the USAs?

REALLY? Who cares who he dates and when you're young, you (hopefully) date a lot. Newsflash tricky dicky: most pro athletes in all sports "date" a lot. You gotta be kidding me with this post ... just guessing, you're age 12 or 65.

WeJo doesn't understand how the TFN ranks work. It's about titles and competition. Lausanne is more competitive than USATF so Centro stood slightly more to gain in the TFN rankings than winning the titles.

I don't get why everyone is so uptight about Centro not going to USAs. We have an American that can medal at an Olympic final. He needs to do what is best for himself and if he thinks its racing in Europe then he should do it.

Most of the guys I run with don't even care about USA titles.

That's just crazy.

Once you get to a certain level, there are two events which matter in track: the olympics and world champs. In that order.

Centro is now at that level. All his meets should be about helping to prepare for running at that level. Running at USA's is just not the same as running against the top Kenyans. If you want to prepare to win or place hight at the real events, then you need to run against the best. That is the best preparation.

If he can still run USA's, then fine, but it would be too much to run USA. Then take the trip to Europe, get time adjusted, then run Lausanne just a few days later.

Face it, USA's really don't mean all that much. Who is going to remember that Leo won in '14? Not me. Of course, I won't remember that Centro placed 7th in Lausanne, but that is just a better race to run for his development as a top runner.

Nicole Blood and Sarah Penny.

Agreed with your thought , You get money from USATF you run the US championships. No stipend no obligation.

Titles do play into the rankings at T&F news always have.

Maybe a better choice for him would have been to run the 800 at the champs.

All that said , athletes at Cenrto's level don't need a USATF stipend , money would better served for the developing athletes needing money just to survive and develop into the sport. Those elite stipend dollars would be helpful for travel money for emerging athletes.

Centro now has best mile and 1500 in US.