U.S. Track Trials | Former WSU runner Bernard Lagat wins 5,000, takes aim at double

EUGENE, Ore. — Bernard Lagat said he took every word seriously when he recited the oath that made him a U.S. citizen. Maybe that's why the smile was so wide when he finally became an U.S. Olympian, as well.

Lagat won the grueling 5,000 meters Monday night at the U.S. Olympic track and field trials, taking the next step on a journey that began in the sands of his native Kenya and reached its high point on a college track in Eugene, Ore.

"This is a dream come true," said Lagat, a former Washington State runner, who won in 13 minutes, 27.47 seconds. "This is very special running tonight. Now, I'm part of the USA going to Beijing. I'm very excited."

Lagat beat Matt Tegenkamp by more than 2 seconds, then turned around and hugged him at the finish. Later, Lagat donned the cap given to all new Olympians, waved the American flag and took a bow, smiling through it all.

Lagat was the headliner on a night that also included an impressive wrapup by Bryan Clay in the decathlon and a Washington native easily winning the women's javelin.

Kara Patterson of Vancouver, Wash., won the women's javelin by 2 feet with a throw of 191 feet, 9 inches. Patterson, 22, a former Skyview High School standout who was the Big Ten champion at Purdue, made her first Olympic team.

Clay made his second straight Olympics with a personal-record score of 8,832. That marked the best score by an American in 16 years, the best in the world in four years, and beat Dan O'Brien's Olympic trials record.

"From the get-go, I said, 'This is what I'm going to do, these are the marks I'm going to put up,' " Clay said. "I don't care if it's headwinds, tailwinds. I don't care how I'm feeling. I'm going to make it happen today, and that's what I did."

Lagat secured one Olympics berth and will compete later this week in the 1,500 — his better race. When he heads to China in August, he hopes to win the gold medal that has eluded him in two previous Olympic trips.

And he hopes to win it for America, the country he adopted four years ago.

"The best thing that could happen for me is winning the gold for the United States," Lagat said in an interview this spring. "Being an American is not something I'm going to take lightly. When I took that oath, I meant every piece of it."

No American has won the 5,000 since 1964, and no U.S. runner has ever won the 5,000 and the 1,500. Lagat has not yet decided if he'll go for the double or concentrate on the 1,500, where he has won silver (2004 in Athens) and bronze (2000 in Sydney) but has yet to stand on the top step of the podium.

He became the first runner to win both last year at the world championships in Osaka.

Ian Dobson finished third and also will go to Beijing. Adam Goucher dropped out late in the race, meaning the chances of a husband-wife distance pairing is slim. His wife, Kara, is expected to make it in the 10,000, but Adam is only a provisional entrant in the men's 10,000.

In the men's 400 semifinals, Jeremy Wariner and LaShawn Merritt gave a preview of their final, coming up Thursday.

Racing side-by-side, Wariner finished in 44.66 to beat Merritt by .10 seconds and set aside a loss last month to the man who could prove to be his main rival.

Neither man was hyping this race as much of anything — only a warmup for bigger things to come.

"I think all Merritt and me were trying to do was just qualify, and make sure we get a preferred lane," Wariner said. "We both qualified 1-2, so it's going to be interesting to see how the lineup is come Thursday. But we'll be ready."

It figures to be a two-man show when they meet Thursday in the finals, though you didn't have to work hard to see them go at it on this night, either — even though the air was thick with haze and smoke due to winds blowing northward from the forest fires in California.

Wariner has said he thinks he has a good shot at Michael Johnson's world record of 43.18 seconds at some point this summer.

In the women's 400, Sanya Richards advanced easily out of the semifinals, keeping her Olympic hopes alive after missing the world championship squad last summer because of illness.

Richards is taking medicine to treat a disease that causes lesions in her mouth, and has been told by doctors to keep her stress level low to prevent flare-ups.

That was no problem on this night. She sprinted to a huge lead and pretty much jogged the last 50 meters but still finished in 50.75 seconds to make it to Thursday's finals.

"I thought if I would've pushed that one in, I might've been 49-low," Richards said. "I felt really strong. I'm going to save that run for Thursday."

Patterson's best javelin throw of 191-9 beat runner-up Dana Pounds (189-9) and third-place Rachel Yurkovich of Oregon (185-1). American record holder Kim Kreiner was fourth (183-5), but will make the trip to Beijing with Patterson because Pounds and Yurkovich have not met the Olympic qualifying standard.