TORRENCE POISED FOR BREAKTHROUGH AT USA CHAMPIONSHIPS
By David Monti
(c) 2010 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved - used with permission

DES MOINES, IOWA (26-Jun) -- Coming out of the final turn of his preliminary heat in the men's 1500m yesterday at the USA Outdoor Championships here, David Torrence gently accelerated into the homestretch.  With 5000m Olympian Matt Tegenkamp on his left, Torrence shot several glances over his right shoulder to make absolutely sure he would finish at least second, advancing him to Sunday's final.

"I bided my time, I stayed relaxed and tried to stay out of trouble," the 24 year-old Torrence explained yesterday.  "There was a little bit of jostling in there, you know?  As usual, it was a technical race."

Although Torrence delivered those words with the confidence of a seasoned pro, he could not hide his excitement of having made his first ever final at a USA Outdoor Championships.  This year marked his fifth appearance at these championships, and in the last two years --including the 2008 Olympic Trials-- he missed advancing to the final by just one place.

"I've gone to U.S. Champs since 2006, and each year I was the first one not to qualify in my heat, or not to qualify overall time-wise," Torrence admitted.  "So that's been kind of like a big, I guess, like a hex, like a monkey on my back you know?  It's kind of, it's always there.  I haven't made a final at USA's.  That's like the #1 step to being a professional runner, you know?  In this meet, I haven't always been that great."

Torrence, who lives in Oakland, Calif., and runs for the Bay Area Track Club and Nike, had a solid, but not outstanding, NCAA career at the University of California at Berkeley under coach Tony Sandoval.  In his senior year in 2008, he finished sixth at the Pac-10 meet in the 1500m, second at the NCAA West Regional meet, and just tenth at the NCAA Division I Championships.

Shoe companies ignored Torrence, but the New York Road Runners extended him an invitation for the 2008 Continental Airlines Fifth Avenue Mile on the recommendation of Olympic marathoner Magdalena Lewy Boulet who was an assistant coach at Cal.  He finished tenth in a 13-man field wearing a white, sleeveless undershirt which he had adorned with a black Magic Marker.  He still hadn't broken 3:40 for 1500m.

Torrence got some respect when he won the USA Indoor Championships at 3000m in 2009, but that accomplishment still wasn't good enough to earn him a sponsorship.  In April of last year he entered an invitational mile at the Mt. SAC Relays where the winner would receive a modest sponsorship from Puma, the shoe and apparel company which sponsors Usain Bolt.  Torrence won that race in 4:01.13, but turned the sponsorship down, hoping he could find a better deal, later.  A few weeks later, he won the USA road mile championship in Minneapolis, coming from fifth position at half way, and pocketed $14,000 in prize money and time bonuses for breaking four minutes.  He began to get noticed.

"What I liked about David was watching him win at the U.S. Indoor Championships in Boston," said Ray Flynn of Flynn Sports Management, which signed a management contract with Torrence last May.  "He showed a lot of spirit.  I thought this kid's got something.

Flynn landed a Nike deal for Torrence and brought him to Europe where he had a breakthrough race at the KBC Night of Athletics meeting in Heusden, Belgium, getting his 1500m personal best down to 3:38.39 in the "B" heat.  Torrence, who was now being coached by John Cook, Shannon Rowbury's coach, was starting to develop the confidence of a winner, an athlete who deserved respect on the starting line.

"This season's kind of been, like, a real breakthrough year for me," Torrence, who lowered his 1500m personal best to 3:35.81 in New York City two weeks ago at the adidas Grand Prix, said yesterday.  "I've got good training under my belt: consistent, healthy.  I came into this U.S. Champs a lot more confident, a lot more sure of myself and knowing that, OK, I belong no matter what.  There's no reason why I shouldn't be in the final.  There's no ifs, ands or buts about it; I'm in."

In Sunday's final, Torrence will face, amongst others, Olympians Leo Manzano and Lopez Lomong, men with greater international credentials and faster personal best.  He's till a longshot to win the title, but he's confident that if the race comes down to the last 100m that he's got the speed to challenge for the win.

"You know what?" Torrence replied when asked if he had the closing speed to win the race, "I think I do.  I always thought I was a longer kick type of guy, and go 600 meters out and bring it home like a long drive.  But, that never works for me.  It's always wait for the last 100, or just go hard and maybe just get it at the line.  I'll be focused on closing this year."

Like all milers, Torrence lives for the thrill of launching to victory on the back of a strong kick.  Is there any better feeling than rounding the final curve, turning on the speed and kicking to the win?

"There really isn't, there really isn't," said Torrence, his eyes widening.  "You know, I actually haven't had too many of those experiences but when I do it's one of the best feelings in the world.

ENDS