BEIJING — It has been 40 years since an American won a medal in the 1,500 meters at the Olympics, when Jim Ryun took silver in Mexico City. Unless you count the man representing Kenya who took silver four years ago, that is.
Having secretly become a U.S. citizen three months earlier, Bernard Lagat finished .12 of a second behind Morocco’s Hicham El Guerrouj in a thrilling kick to the finish in Athens.
Now Lagat hopes to become the first American to win the Olympic 1,500 meters in 100 years.
Lagat won the 1,500 and 5,000 for the U.S. at last year’s world championships and is the second-fastest 1,500-meter runner (3 minutes, 26.34 seconds) of all time. Only El Guerrouj has run the “metric mile” faster — by less than a second — and he retired in 2004.
America’s hope to break a century long dry spell was born in Kenya’s Rift Valley and grew up idolizing Kip Keino, the trailblazer who beat Ryun in Mexico City and paved the way for his country to become dominant in distance running. But anyone who thinks Lagat became an American citizen four years ago for the sake of athletic or commercial convenience hasn’t heard him express his feelings for America.
“It means a lot to me,” Lagat says. “I feel pride to represent the United States. I felt enormous pride last year, winning two golds for the United States (at worlds). I wanted to make the best out of my running career, to be a role model for young athletes.”
Lagat, 33, was born in the village of Kapsabet and grew up on his family’s farm, running a mile and a half to school in the morning and back in the afternoon. Sometimes he would see Patrick Sang, a great Kenyan steeplechaser, doing his morning workouts.
After studying at Jomo Kenyatta University near Nairobi, Washington State recruited him to run. He moved to Pullman and won the 1999 NCAA 5,000-meter championship. He won a bronze medal in the 1,500 in the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
Lagat had many memorable battles with El Guerrouj, whose sweep of the 1,500 and 5,000 in Athens was the first in the same Olympics since the great Paavo Nurmi did it in 1924. Now Lagat hopes to do the same here — as he did at world championships last year.
“When I did that, I surprised myself, ‘Wow! I have done what El Guerrouj has done!’ ” said Lagat, who radiates a wide-eyed innocence despite his age. “It’s no longer that I look at what El Guerrouj did in 2004, it is what Lagat did in 2007. I am trying to compete with myself, and that gives me more confidence.”
The quarterfinal round of the 1,500 will be held Friday, with the final set for Tuesday. The 5,000 semifinals are Wednesday, the final next Saturday.
All three men representing the U.S. in the 1,500 were born elsewhere. Lopez Lomong, the U.S. flag bearer at the opening ceremonies, is from Sudan. Leonel Manzano, who just graduated from the University of Texas, moved to the U.S. from Mexico when he was 4.
Lagat lives in Tucson with his wife and 2-year-old son, Miika. His coach is James Li, a native of China who ran for the Beijing Institute of Physical Education. Li coached Lagat at Washington State and coaches now at the University of Arizona.
“My life in Tucson is a simple one,” Lagat said. “I stay home, my wife stays home with me and my son. There’s no time daddy’s not around. The only time I’m not around is when I go for training. When I take my son to the playground, nobody knows who I am, and I like that.”
He says he runs for his wife and his son, but also with a sense of obligation to his adopted country.
“My duty now, to represent the United States, is not just wearing the uniform,” Lagat said. “It is about going out there and running with your heart, with your mind and your soul to make sure you do your best for the country.”
John Meyer: 303-954-1616 or jmeyer@denverpost.com
