As Madonna once sang,
"Don't go for second best
Put your love [of the 1500m] to the test
So if you want [a World Championship medal]
[Be bold and aggressive]
Express yourself."

Photo above by Drew: A relaxed Alan Webb explained his mistake to media in the prelim heat at the AT&T USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in June, "I need to race more aggressively [in the final] on Sunday."











While Alan Webb might not have a hotline to Madonna, he does know that the 1500m final is going to be a big fight requiring a full display of self-confidence. The other men in the final are also talented and hungry.

Note: The final for the Men's 1500m will be Wednesday morning in the USA, 10:05 pm Wednesday evening in the IAAF World Championship's host city of Osaka, Japan. Follow the action online at IAAF or subscribe to live coverage at WCSN. Updates will be posted later at Running Network.

Results will be posted HERE

The progress so far, as reported by USATF . . .

The Men's 1500m Final Will Include Alan Webb & Bernard Lagat
Team USA will have two men in Wednesday's 1500m final for the first time since 1987, but American 1500m record holder Bernard Lagat (Tucson, AZ) and mile American record holder Alan Webb (Reston, VA) qualified in very different ways on Monday, August 27. In Heat 1, Lagat, a two-time Olympic medalist (while a Kenyan citizen), sprinted well clear of the field in the final stretch to win comfortably in 3:42.39. Running in the faster of the two heats, Webb came from last place off the curve to make a frantic sprint to fifth place in Heat 2, earning the final automatic qualifying spot and finishing in 3:41.08.

Quoted after the Men's 1,500m Semifinal:

Bernard Lagat: The race went OK. It went the way I wanted it. I didn't want to get into trouble today, running from the back all the way. At some point I got boxed in. I had to get myself out of it. I managed to get out and run the last 200 meters really hard. (The pace) didn't really matter to me. I knew it was terribly slow. I wanted to run the way it is.

Alan Webb: I wasn't aggressive enough at the start. I had to do something I don't like doing, being in the back the whole time. It almost cost me a spot in the final. That's why you don't do that. I knew I was really close. I tried to count the guys. The last 50m, I tried to stay as relaxed as I could. It was hard and there was so much going on. I just didn't want to get left out.

The first round of qualifying heats for the Men's 1500m were held on Saturday, August 25. USATF reported:

2007 world leader Alan Webb easily advanced to Monday's semifinals of the men's 1,500m, running 3:40.73 to place second in the first heat. 2001 World Outdoor silver medalist Bernard Lagat, competing as an American for the first time on the world stage, also advanced by placing third in Heat 3 in 3:41.68. Leonel Manzano (Austin, TX) was 13th in Heat 2 (3:45.97) and did not advance.

1500 Metres - Men Semi-Final Results

Heat One
Place  	Bib  	Athlete  	  Country  	Time 
1 	1113 	Bernard Lagat 	     USA 	3:42.39 Q 
2 	306 	Tarek Boukensa 	     ALG 	3:42.88 Q
3 	769 	Asbel Kiprop 	     KEN 	3:42.99 Q
4 	583 	Andrew Baddeley      GBR 	3:43.03 Q 
5 	879 	Nicholas Willis      NZL 	3:43.34 Q
6 	822 	Mohamed Moustaoui    MAR 	3:43.39
7 	536 	Mekonnen Gebremehdin ETH 	3:43.41
8 	510 	Juan Carlos Higuero  ESP 	3:44.15 q 
9 	680 	Sajad Moradi 	     IRI 	3:46.21
10 	772 	Daniel Komen	     KEN 	4:02.95
11 	808 	Youssef Baba 	     MAR 	4:16.23 q 	.
. 	556 	Mehdi Baala 	     FRA 	DQ



Heat Two
Place  	Bib  	Athlete  	Country  	Time
1 	408 	Rashid Ramzi 	     BRN 	3:40.53 Q
2 	312 	Antar Zerguelaine    ALG 	3:40.79 Q
3 	505 	Arturo Casado 	     ESP 	3:40.83 Q
4 	404 	Belal Mansoor Ali    BRN 	3:41.01 Q
5 	1154 	Alan Webb 	     USA 	3:41.08 Q
6 	509 	Sergio Gallardo      ESP 	3:41.14 q
7 	773 	Shedrack Kibet Korir KEN 	3:41.15 q
8 	827 	Juan Luis Barrios    MEX 	3:41.17
9 	431 	Kevin Sullivan 	     CAN 	3:41.27
10 	703 	Christian Obrist     ITA 	3:42.93
11 	745 	Fumikazu Kobayashi   JPN 	3:43.64
12 	793 	Mohammed Shaween     KSA 	3:44.54

Photo above by www.photorun.net: Alan Webb flew to his first major 1500m track victory on Friday, July 6 in Paris, France at the Meeting Gaz de France, a Golden League event.