It is stunning to watch people on these boards perform all sorts of logical acrobatics to discredit Centro.
The guy did not walk up to Rojo and say, "I'm going to get gold." Rojo asked a leading question that went along the lines of this: "with two medals already, has you mentality in these championships changed in such a way that you are going for gold."
Centro answered yes. And if he had said "no," the outrage on this board would have been a sight to see.
More important, though, is that it's just wrong to think that at the elite, championship level, a better PR (by 2-3 seconds) instantly and necessarily equates to a better championship finish. Because when you run 3:28, you are running in an entirely different manner than when you are in a championship; you are striving to HOLD a fast pace rather than deliver a fast finish that will maximize your position against everyone else's.
As a result, the "best" runners tend to be the most physically fit--a quality that PRs approximately measure. But PRs rarely reflect how an athlete reacts to the drastic changes of pace that characterize championship racing.
Centrowitz is a runner whose abilities have suited him to championship racing over DL racing. This is a unique set of skills that should be celebrated, rather than derided as a weakness or as secondary to DL racing. And the fact that Centrowitz has optimized this skill set to get 3rd, 4th, and 2nd in previous championships is a tremendous and indeed entirely logical reason to think he has a reasonable shot against Kiprop, Manangoi, and company.