U.S. Olympic Distance Team Has High Hopes in Beijing

August 14, 2008 By Ryan Lamppa, Running USA wire - The 2008 U.S. Olympic distance team - led by two-time Olympic 1500 meter medalist Bernard Lagat and 2004 Olympic Marathon bronze medalist Deena Kastor - is perhaps the best and most complete group of U.S. runners for the Summer Games ever. The Beijing team has veterans such as Lagat, Kastor, past Olympians Jen Rhines, Abdi Abdirahman, Shalane Flanagan, Anthony Famiglietti and Dathan Ritzenhein and rising stars such as Ryan Hall, Kara Goucher, Matt Tegenkamp, Galen Rupp, Jenny Barringer and Anna Willard .

In Athens 2004, the Team USA won two "surprise" distance Olympic medals - Kastor's marathon bronze and Meb Keflezighi's marathon silver, and if the 2008 U.S. distance contingent improves upon that medal number against tough competition from the Kenyans, Ethiopians, Japanese and Chinese, few if any would be surprised as the United States has added more depth and outstanding performances since the Olympic success of Kastor and Keflezighi.

The following includes the 2008 U.S. Olympic distance team and event summary for the Summer Games hosted by Beijing, China. The track and field competition - held in the National Stadium or "Bird's Nest" - starts on Friday, August 15 (the women's 10,000 meters is the first track final) and ends Sunday, August 24 (the men's marathon is the last track final). The women's 3000 meter steeplechase will make its Olympic debut in Beijing.

MEN
3000 Meter Steeplechase (8:24.60 / 8:32.00, Olympic "A" and "B" standards) - Final, Monday, August 18
Olympic Record (8:05.51), Julius Kariuki, Kenya 1988
World Record (7:53.63), Saif Shaheen, Qatar, 2004
U.S. Record (8:08.82), Daniel Lincoln, 2006

Last American gold medal (Horace Ashenfelter, Helsinki 1952)
Last American medal (bronze, Brian Diemer, Los Angeles 1984)

Anthony Famiglietti, 29, New York, NY
PR: 8:17.91 '04 College: Tennessee '00
2002 USA Steeplechase champion; 2001 World University Games Steeplechase gold medalist; 2004 Olympian in the steeple

Billy Nelson, 23, Longmont, CO
PR: 8:21.47 '08 College: Colorado '07
Earned Beijing berth with Olympic "A" standard at Olympic Trials as runner-up

Josh McAdams, 28, Orem, UT
PR: 8:21.36 '07 College: BYU '06
2007 USA Steeplechase champion and Pan Am Games champion; 2006 NCAA champion in the event

5000 Meters (13:21.50 / 13:28.00) - Final, Saturday, August 23
Olympic Record (13:05.59), Said Aouita, Morocco, 1984
World Record (12:37.35), Kenenisa Bekele, Ethiopia, 2004
U.S. Record (12:58.21), Bob Kennedy, 1996

Last American gold medal (Bob Schul, Tokyo 1964)
Last American medal (gold, Bob Schul, Tokyo 1964)

Bernard Lagat, 33, Tucson, AZ
PR: 12:59.22 '06 College: Washington State '99
2007 World champion at 1500 and 5000 meters in Osaka; two-time Olympic 1500 meter medalist (2000 - bronze and 2004 - silver); will also attempt 1500 / 5000 double in Beijing; first Olympic team as a U.S. citizen (native of Kenya)

Matt Tegenkamp, 26, Madison, WI
PR: 13:04.90 '06 College: Wisconsin '05
4th at 2007 World Championships 5000m in Osaka; fastest U.S. 2 mile time (8:07.07)

Ian Dobson, 26, Mammoth Lakes, CA
PR: 13:15.33 '05 College: Stanford '05
A member of three World Championship teams (2005 track and 2005-06 cross country); Team Running USA member

10,000 Meters (27:50.00 / 28:10.00) - Final, Sunday, August 17
Olympic Record (27:05.10), Kenenisa Bekele, Ethiopia, 2004
World Record (26:17.53), Kenenisa Bekele, Ethiopia, 2005
U.S. Record (27:13.98), Meb Keflezighi, 2001

Last American gold medal (Billy Mills, Tokyo 1964)
Last American medal (gold, Billy Mills, Tokyo 1964)

Abdi Abdirahman, 31, Tucson, AZ
PR: 27:16.99 '08 College: Arizona '99
10th 2000 Olympics 10,000m (27:46.17); also Olympian at 10,000m in 2004

Galen Rupp, 22, Portland, OR
PR: 27:33.48 '07 College: Oregon '09
U.S. Junior record holder at 3000m, 5000m and 10,000m

Jorge Torres, 27, Boulder, CO
PR: 27:42.91 '07 College: Colorado '03
2006 USA 10,000 champion

Marathon (2:15:00 / 2:18:00) - Final, Sunday, August 24
Olympic Record (2:09:21), Carlos Lopes, Portugal, Los Angeles 1984
World Record (2:04:26), Haile Gebrselassie, Ethiopia, 2007
U.S. Record (2:05:38), Khalid Khannouchi, 2002

Last American gold medal (Frank Shorter, Munich 1972)
Last American medal (silver, Meb Keflezighi, Athens 2004)

Ryan Hall, 25, Big Bear Lake, CA
PR: 2:06:17 '08 College: Stanford '06
Second fastest American all-time in the marathon; Olympic Marathon Trials record (2:09:02); U.S. marathon debut record (2:08:24); 2005 NCAA 5000m champion; Team Running USA member

Dathan Ritzenhein, 25, Eugene, OR
PR: 2:11:07 '07 College: Colorado '04
2004 Olympian at 10,000 meters; 2001 World Junior Cross Country Championships bronze medalist

Brian Sell, 30, Rochester Hills, MI
PR: 2:10:47 '06 College: St. Francis '01
9th World Championships Marathon in 2005 at Helsinki, Finland

WOMEN
3000 Meter Steeplechase (9:46.00 / 9:55.00) - Final, Sunday, August 17
Olympic Record (debut event)
World Record (9:01.59), Gulnara Galkina, Russia, 2004
U.S. Record (9:22.73), Jenny Barringer, 2008

Last American medal (debut event)

Anna Willard, 24, Ann Arbor, MI
PR: 9:22.76 '08 College: Michigan '07 / Brown '06
2007 NCAA 3000m Steeplechase champion; former U.S. record holder

Lindsey Anderson, 23, Ogden, UT
PR: 9:30.75 '08 College: Weber State '07
2007 NCAA 3000m Steeplechase runner-up

Jenny Barringer, 21, Boulder, CO
PR: 9:22.73 '08 College: Colorado '09
2006 & 2008 NCAA 3000m Steeplechase champion; U.S. record holder

5000 Meters (15:09.00 / 15:24.00) - Final, Friday, August 22
Olympic Record (14:40.79), Gabriela Szabo, Romania, 2000
World Record (14:11.15), Tirunesh Dibaba, Ethiopia, 2008
U.S. Record (14:44.80), Shalane Flanagan, 2007

Last American gold medal (not yet)
Last American medal (not yet, best U.S. finish 9th by Lynn Jennings '96; in 3000m, Cindy Bremser 4th '84)

Kara Goucher, 30, Portland, OR
PR: 14:55.02 '07 College: Colorado '01
2007 World Championships 10,000m bronze medalist at Osaka

Jen Rhines, 34, Mammoth Lakes, CA
PR: 14:54.29 '08 College: Villanova '96
Also Olympian in 2000 (10,000m) and 2004 (marathon); Team Running USA member

Shalane Flanagan, 27, Pittsboro, NC
PR: 14:44.80 '07 College: North Carolina '04
U.S. record holder in 5000m and 10,000m; 2004 Olympian at 5000m

10,000 Meters (31:45.00 / 32:20.00) - Final, Friday, August 15
Olympic Record (30:17.49), Derartu Tulu, Ethiopia, Sydney 2000
World Record (29:31.78), Wang Junxia, China, 1993
U.S. Record (30:34.49), Shalane Flanagan, 2008

Last American gold medal (not yet)
Last American medal (bronze, Lynn Jennings, Barcelona 1992)

Shalane Flanagan, 27, Pittsboro, NC
PR: 30:34.49 '08 College: North Carolina '04
U.S. record holder in 5000m and 10,000m; 2004 Olympian at 5000m

Kara Goucher, 30, Portland, OR
PR: 31:17.12 '06 College: Colorado '01
2007 World Championships 10,000m bronze medalist at Osaka

Amy Begley, 30, Beaverton, OR
PR: 31:43.60 '08 College: Arkansas '01
Earned Beijing berth with Olympic "A" standard at the Olympic Trials

Marathon (2:37:00 / 2:42:00) - Final, Sunday, August 17
Olympic Record (2:23:14), Naoko Takahashi, Japan, Sydney 2000
World Record (2:15:25), Paula Radcliffe, Great Britain, 2003
U.S. Record (2:19:36), Deena Kastor, 2006

Last American gold medal (Joan Benoit, Los Angeles 1984)
Last American medal (bronze, Deena Kastor, Athens 2004)

Deena Kastor, 35, Mammoth Lakes, CA
PR: 2:19:36 '06 College: Arkansas '96
2004 Olympic Marathon bronze medalist; U.S. marathon record holder; also Olympian in 2000 (10,000m); Team Running USA member

Magdalena Lewy Boulet, 35, Oakland, CA
PR: 2:30:19 '08 College: University of California - Berkeley '97
Native of Poland became U.S. citizen on September 11, 2001.

Blake Russell, 33, Pacific Grove, CA
PR: 2:29:10 '05 College: North Carolina '97
1999 Pan Am Games 5000m bronze medalist; same coach as Joan Benoit: Bob Sevene

2008 Olympic Schedule of Distance Events
Beijing, China, August 15-24

Subject to change; times are local Beijing time (12 hours and 15 hours ahead of EST and PST, respectively)

Friday, August 15
8:25pm - 3000m Steeplechase women 1st round
10:45pm - 10,000m women final

Saturday, August 16
9:20am - 3000m Steeplechase men 1st round

Sunday, August 17
7:30am - Marathon women final
9:30pm - 3000m Steeplechase women final
10:45pm - 10,000m men final

Monday, August 18
9:10pm - 3000m Steeplechase men final

Tuesday, August 19
7:35pm - 5000m women 1st round

Wednesday, August 20
8:15pm - 5000m men 1st round

Friday, August 22
8:40pm - 5000m women final

Saturday, August 23
8:10pm - 5000m men final

Sunday, August 24
7:30am - Marathon men final

For more information, visit: USATF.org or www.nbcolympics.com/trackandfield
and www.runningnetwork.com/read_feature/special-coverage-beijing...