Men's 800 Meter Olympic Trial Championship

When I first learned that the 2008 US Track & Field Olympic qualifying meet was to be held in Eugene, OR, I thought to myself, "there are going to be some upsets on the track, with Oregon guys doing better than expected." Why? Because just as the Boston Garden has/had its leprechauns, which so scare the opposing teams that Detroit Piston coach Chuck Daly was quoted as saying in the 1980s that you had to win five games at Boston Garden to defeat the Celtics in the post-season; just as Yankee Stadium has its statues of Ruth, Gehrig and other greats beckoning on the pinstripers to victory, so Hayward Field in Eugene is so full of track "juice" and memories that the Oregon distance runners simply "outperform" themselves on that oval on big occasions. In a sense the result isn't "fair," because it is like having home-court advantage for the Oregon runners when the conditions are supposed to be "equal" for all. Indeed, the current debate in US Track & Field circles relating to the rigid rule that only the top three qualifiers at the Olympic Trials can go on to the Olympics (there are "injury" or "hardship" exemptions in other sports), takes on new significance when we realize that Hayward Field really does function as "home court" advantage for Oregon runners. This is not to denigrate the outstanding performance of Galen Rupp (originally from Central Catholic HS in Portland), who placed 2nd in the 10,000 meters and qualified for the Olympics (my step by step essay describing his amazing run at the Oregon twilight meet in 2005 is here). But it recognizes a fact that I will state quite unequivocally here: that the 2nd and 3rd placers (thus qualifiers) for the men's 800 meters were both Oregon runners, and thus helped by the crowd, but will, in my judgment, be eliminated quickly at Beijing. However, had two of the "veteran" 800 meter men qualified for this event, I think we would have a great chance at a near-sweep in Beijing. Let me explain.

The 800 Meter Men's Track Race

Here is a "YouTube" video of the event. It is a remarkable video. It introduces each of the finalists and then shows the race. Everyone expected Khadevis Robinson either to win or finish 2nd. For the past six years he has either been the best American or the second best at this distance. Just a few weeks ago, on the Hayward Field track at the Prefontaine Classic, he posted the best-in-the-US for 2008 time of 144.55. Another outstanding performer is USC's Duane Solomon, who ran a 145.71 at the NCAA's this year. Jonathan Johnson won the Olympic Trials in 2004, though he hasn't had the best season of late. Jebreh Harris has run a 1:45 in each of the last three years, with a personal record of 145.56. Lopez Lomong also "looked amazing" in the first round, according to this site. The three Oregonian runners in the competition were the "wild cards." Well, I suppose you shouldn't call Nick Symmonds, a graduate of Willamette Univ. in Salem (where I taught for several years) a "wild card." Ever since he won the NCAA Division III title a few years ago in 1:47 and change, he has been a terror, lowering his personal best to 145.01. Andrew Wheating, a sort of surprise finalist, is a true sophomore at the U of Oregon, and began running track only a few years ago. He hails from Norwich, VT, but has quickly adopted OR as his new home. He is 6'5'', a bit "goofy," in his own characterization, and recently posted a PR of 1:46 and change in Eugene. Lightly-heralded Christian Smith, running in Oregon from tiny Garfield, KS (about a hour from where I lived for six years in KS), rounded out the field.

The Race

When the field broke for the pole, the three "white guys," the Oregonians, were in 6th-8th place. Lumong and Robinson headed the field. Jonathan Johnson then came along to take the lead. After the bell rang, for the last lap, the field bunched goether. Christian Smith was along the inside, in about sixth place. Symmonds was in about seventh place hemmed in, seemingly, until the last turn. He got free, swinging to the outside, with a brutal closing kick to open up a 10-yard lead. Then Andrew Wheating, still hanging back in the pack, came from nowhere and began to run on the outside with his long legs striding and longer arms pumping. He looked to be the most suprised person of all when he pulled into second place. Finally, there was a mad dash for third place, with Christian Smith, running next to Khadevis Robinson, lunging for the finish line. Robinson, seeing the lunge, likewise threw his body on the track, and they both finished in a heap just beyong the tape. But Smith had leaped first, and finished third by .07 seconds. It was an Oregon sweep. The three Oregonians, who were in the last three places for the balance of the race, then all worked themselves to the front and won.

The Key

The key was the crowd. Of course, the kicks of Symmonds and Wheating were most remarkable, but when you are running at Hayward, you hear the rolling screams from the crowd as if it is a continuing "wave" that rises to a crescendo. Now, of course, every athlete hears the crowd, but the Oregonians know, as surely as they are running at Hayward field, that the people screaming for them are not just those in the crowd, but, as it were, a collective crowd of hundreds of thousands, linking back to the days of Bill Bowerman and Steve Prefontaine, echoing in every nook and cranny of the stadium, and secretly whispering to them, to Nick, to Andrew, and to Christian, "You can win. You can do it. We are all for you." And so, the three Oregonians won, when two of them weren't really expected to "show." Indeed, Christian Smith almost didn't make it into the original qualifying field, since he was ranked 31st, and only 30 got the invitation to compete.

But this was Hayward Field at its most outstanding. It simply propels Oregon athletes to do more than they are able to perform. Each of the three Oregonians sliced about one or more seconds from his personal best (Symmonds was .9 seconds). It was a performance for the ages. Yet, they won't be able to take this hype to Beijing. Perhaps there ought to be a way to "level" the playing field in the future.... But for now, it is all Oregon.

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