Photo above by www.photorun.net: American Bernard Lagat (3:34.77) touches gold in the Men's 1500m. Alan Webb is behind runner in green shorts (Tarek Boukensa of Algeria, 5th in 3:35.26), upper left corner

Four American women advanced in qualifying rounds during Wednesday's competition: Treniere Clement and Erin Donohue qualified for Friday's Women's 1500m semifinals; Shalane Flanagan and Jen Rhines will race in Saturday's 5000m final.

Distance Stars Continue to Make Brilliant Contributions to Team USA
Michelle Perry (Santa Clarita, CA) won her second straight world title and 32-year-old Bernard Lagat (Tucson, AZ) won the first gold of his storied career - and the first World or Olympic 1,500m medal for the U.S. since 1908 - Wednesday at the 2007 IAAF World Outdoor Track & Field Championships at Nagai Stadium.

One of the finest and most consistent middle-distance runners of his generation, Lagat had won two Olympic medals (1500m bronze and silver), was second at the 2001 World Outdoor Championships and won a World Indoor title at 3,000 meters while competing for Kenya. But a gold medal on the World Outdoor or Olympic level had eluded him. On Wednesday, the American record holder who became a U.S. citizen in 2004 - and who was cleared to compete as an American just one day before competition - celebrated his first championship competition in a Team USA jersey with a decisive win in the men's 1,500 meters.

Alan Webb Post-Race Media Interview
Updated 8/31/07, from Larry Eder, ATF

The next afternoon, Alan gave several of the track geek media a straight and honest interview that showed a student of the sport, a young man who is retrospective and a middle distance runner who has seen the quality of the World Championships middle distance finals. His comments after a disappointing race for him, Alan Webb shows that he understands the challenges that face him.

How did you feel after the race?

Webb: The emotions were intense. I felt that this was first time, that I had a legitimate chance to be up front, and to win. That is my ultimate goal, to win World Championships title.

Tell us about the race?

Webb: Looking back on it, I felt I ran very well tactically. Physically, I was not quite there, for a few different reasons, but it all sums, up, to (laughs), it just was not my day, as hard as I wanted it. I am confident to know that Olympics is only a year away, Berlin is two years away..a little easier to swallow that Beijing is one year away.

Read more of the Alan Webb interview from Larry Eder, American Track & Field, for the Running Network

Photo below by Drew: Alan Webb leading the Men's 1500m final with Bernard Lagat at the AT&T USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in June. Alan won his third national 1500M title with a meet record time; Bernard Lagat placed third while doubling in the Men's 5000M.

Veteran Racer Bernard Lagat Timed His Move Flawlessly
The race shaped up as a U.S.-Kenya duel. 2007 world leader Alan Webb (24) of Reston, VA bolted to the lead at the start, with Shedrack Kibet Korir of Kenya on his shoulder. After passing 400 meters in 58.63 seconds, the leaders of the cohesive pack settled into Webb, Korir, Lagat and Asbel Kiprop of Kenya. Kiprop took the lead with two laps to go, passing 800 meters in 1:58.08, followed by Webb and Lagat. With the pack still relatively tight at the bell, it was Kiprop and Webb, running side-by-side, followed by Lagat in third with Korir on his inside shoulder in fourth.

Coming down the stretch, defending champion Rashid Ramzi of Bahrain made a run at the lead as Webb and Lagat came around the outside. Coming from two meters back, Lagat sprinted cleanly to the front and went on to win in 3:34.77. It was Team USA's first gold medal in the event ever at World Outdoors, and the first gold medal of any kind since 1908, when Hall of Famer Mel Sheppard won the Olympic title. Ramzi was second in 3:35.00 and Korir third in 3:35.04. Spent, Webb ended eighth in 3:35.69. Lagat will get no time to savor his win, however. He competes in the first round of the men's 5,000 meters on Thursday.

IAAF World Championships Men's 1500m Final

Place 	Bib 	Athletes            	Time 			
1 	1113 	Bernard LAGAT 	USA 	3:34.77 				
2 	408 	Rashid RAMZI 	BRN 	3:35.00 SB 		
3 	773 	Shedrack KORIR 	KEN 	3:35.04 				
4 	769 	Asbel KIPROP 	KEN 	3:35.24 PB 		
5 	306 	Tarek BOUKENSA 	ALG 	3:35.26 				
6 	312 	Antar ZERGUELAINE ALG 	3:35.29 				
7 	505 	Arturo CASADO 	ESP 	3:35.62 				
8 	1154 	Alan WEBB 	USA 	3:35.69 				
9 	583 	Andrew BADDELEY GBR 	3:35.95 				
10 	879 	Nicholas WILLIS NZL 	3:36.13 				
11 	404 	Belal ALI 	BRN 	3:36.44 				
12 	509 	Sergio GALLARDO ESP 	3:37.03 				
13 	510 	Juan HIGUERO 	ESP 	3:38.43 				
14 	808 	Youssef BABA 	MAR 	3:38.78 		

Bernard Lagat's Second 1500m Win of the 2007 Season
Photo at left by www.photorun.net: On Friday, August 3 at the Norwich Union Super Grand Prix in London, Bernard Lagat powered off the final turn to win the men's 1500m in 3:35.71 for his first win over the distance this year.

Quotes from USATF after the 1500m Final
Bernard Lagat: It feels great to be a champion, representing the United States. I've waited since 2004 for this. I can never be happier than this right now. My coach James Li is a master of laying out strategy. He came out to my hotel room and said that you have the speed and the experience, and that's the most important thing. He said that you know what to do. I was thinking about relaxation the whole way through during the race. This race is for William Lagat, my brother-in- law and number one fan who passed away. (talking about positioning during the race) I wanted to be in the top three up until the last fifty meters. I was thinking to myself in the last fifty, 'I think I'm going to win this, but I didn't want to celebrate just yet'. I've never been like this; I've always been a silver medalist. (on the 5000 meters) Tonight, I am going to celebrate with my son, my wife, my coach, and my manager, but tomorrow it's back to business.

Alan Webb: I just got beat by everybody. I got myself in trouble last time by staying back, so why get in trouble again. That didn't work, so I'll be in the front. That didn't work either. At one point, I thought I was doing a pretty good job. Somebody took over for me halfway through. I felt pretty good. When the real game time went, I just couldn't do it. (On winner Bernard Lagat) Congratulations. It's his first world title. He's been around the sport for a long time. My hat goes off to him. I was doing so awesome until this week. It was a colossal breakdown. I've changed nothing really. I thought I had more left than I did. I wish I could learn a lesson from that, but I learned nothing. I got nothing out of it. If I wanted to get seventh, I would have run for seventh and gotten seventh, or whatever the hell I got. I didn't come to get seventh, I came to get first. I didn't.

Photo by Drew, below: Shalane Flanagan took early control and cruised to victory in the Nike women's 5000m (14:51.75) at the AT&T USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in June

American Women Qualify for 5000m Final
American record holder Shalane Flanagan (Pittsboro, NC) moved into Saturday's final of the women's 5000m by placing fifth in her semifinal in 15:07.47, while two-time Olympian Jennifer Rhines did the same in the second semi, placing fifth in her race in 15:14.30. Michelle Sykes (Winston-Salem, NC) was ninth in the first heat in 16:01.06 and did not advance.

Quotes from USATF

Shalane Flanagan (Pittsboro, NC): I'm excited! It pretty much went to plan. I felt good with a couple of laps to go, and I figured I'd go for it. If I didn't make the top five, at least I'd come out with a fast time. I locked into that fifth position and made sure that no one was around. Kara (Goucher) started the ball, and I'm trying to carry her momentum the rest of the week. I felt I learned a lot from watching the 10k, with all the jostling, and if I could conserve as much energy as possible early, the better.

Jen Rhines (Mammoth Lakes, CA), with husband/coach Terence Mahon in photo below by Drew after her 5000m race at Indianapolis: I didn't think that it was going to be as fast as the other heat with all the kickers in our heat. I thought I could get that fifth spot, and that's what I did. I floated to the outside during the race to stay out of trouble. I was confident in my last 1000 meters. I thought that if I executed my last kilo, I'd make the final. It's a relief to make the final. I'll just go and give it all I have.

American Women Advance in 1500m
Two women will appear in the 1500m semifinals on Friday. Four- time NCAA All-American Erin Donohue (Haddenfield, NJ) ran a spirited race in this morning's qualifying, placing sixth in Heat 2 in 4:10.89 seconds. In Heat 3, national 1500m outdoor champion Treniere Clement (Knoxville, TN) found an opening in the pack with 300 meters to go and finished second in 4:10.85. Christin Wurth-Thomas (Springdale, AR), who placed 10th in Heat 1 in 4:20.21, will not advance.

Quotes from USATF

Treniere Clement: My goal was to make it back and that's what I did. I watched the men's races and I knew it would be like that. My coach and I worked on a lot of negative splitting- -going out slow and coming back really hard. I feel I'm prepared. Coach said if you ran inside, there will be an opening. You just got to know your surroundings, wait until it opens and make your move. I tried to stay calm. It was hard to. The opening came late in the race, in the last 300m. There was a group that went and I just tried to stay in contact. I tried to kick as hard as I could in the last 100m. I feel really good. It builds up my confidence.

Erin Donohue: The leader was at about 70 (seconds) at the quarter and I was at 71, 72. I got going at the end. I was hurting but I made sure I got the top six and made it through. I have been really confident in workouts and training going in. I just knew with 300m to go, I had to take a look around and see where I needed to be. I'm going to work on recovering, run the same way and put myself in position to dig down and see what I have left.

Christin Wurth Thomas: I didn't go out and run aggressively. I kind of let them run away from me. That's something I have been working on. I didn't feel good out there, but that's no excuse. I should have been more competitive. I thought I was ready. I got out there and it was hard.