CENTROWITZ BACK ON TOP AT USATF OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS
By David Monti, @d9monti
(c) 2018 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved
DES MOINES (23-Jun) -- One year ago in Sacramento, Calif., reigning
Olympic 1500m champion Matthew Centrowitz walked slowly off of the track
at Hornet Stadium after finishing second in the 1500m at the USATF
Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Beset by both injury and illness
in the months leading up to the race, the combative four-time national
outdoor champion wasn't at full strength, and was just relieved that he
had qualified for another national team.
"Today, third is as good as first," Centrowitz said at the time. "But,
also disappointed that I couldn't win it."
But here in Des Moines today, Centrowitz once again showed his class now
that he is at full health. Starting out at the back of a very
competitive 1500m final, Centrowitz took stock of the race, reacted
wisely to all of the key moves, then overpowered ten men who were right
on his heels in a mass sprint to win his fifth national 1500m outdoor
title (to go along with his two indoor titles) in 3:43.37
"He always makes running look much easier than it is," marveled his Nike
Oregon Project teammate Eric Jenkins who finished third in 3:43.74.
But Centrowitz's view of the race was more critical. When the contest
opened up on the backstretch in the penultimate lap Centrowitz said he
was caught out of position.
"I actually found myself in a really bad position," Centrowitz told
reporters. "With 700 to go I was out in lane three, probably like in
eighth, seventh or something, and I had to go around a lot of guys."
Centrowitz kept his cool, worked his way to the front and was sitting in
third at the bell.
"I just tried to stay relaxed 'cause I knew that homestretch was going
to be windy, that last 100 meters. I wanted to save a little extra
something for there."
That last 100 became a massive fight for position with no room for
error. Centrowitz was in the right spot in the center of the track and
was able to complete a 53.4-second circuit to put the race away. Behind
him, the next 10 men finished in the span of just 79/100ths of a second,
including Izaic Yorks who got second (3:43.63). Yorks said he has been
working on being more aggressive and holding his position.
"I've always been on the side of being a little more timid," explained
Yorks. "I've really worked on being more aggressive, being a little bit
better holding your ground and position."
With the sting of his disappointment from last year still on his mind,
Centrowitz felt grateful to have such a good performance today.
"I don't take these national titles for granted," Centrowitz said.
"Even with an off-year with no Olympic or world championships." He
added: "I think at this point in my career I want to keep checking off
boxes and leave my mark in the 1500 in the U.S."
In the women's metric mile, the fans in Drake Stadium were treated to
showdown between two Iowa natives, Jenny Simpson (Webster City) and
Shelby Houlihan (Sioux City). Simpson, 31, last year's IAAF World
Championships silver medalist, had won the last four national 1500m
crowns. Houlihan, 25, has four USA indoor titles, but has never won on
the big oval. At last month's Prefontaine Classic, Houlihan won the
race in a career best time of 3:59.06, and Simpson finished third. It
was a fan-favorite rematch.
Today, both women were at the back of the pack through the first lap,
content to let the race play out and to keep an eye on each other.
Indeed, with two laps to go they were in 11th and 12th place, respectively.
The pace did not get going until Houlihan's Nike Bowerman Track Club
teammate Kate Grace threw in a powerful surge just after the bell for
the final lap was rung. Grace was chased by Brenda Martinez, Simpson,
and Houlihan. With 200 meters to go, Grace was still leading with
Simpson second and Houlihan third and gaining ground, but seemingly not
fast enough. Going into the homestretch, she was still behind Simpson.
"The last, like, hundred I was, like, you just got to pull even, then
hopefully have a little kick the last 50," Houlihan said in her
post-race interview. "I was just hoping that she wouldn't be able to
respond to that."
Indeed, Houlihan went by Simpson with authority to break the tape in
4:05.58 to Simpson's 4:06.21. Grace was third in 4:07.04. Martinez was
unable to finish.
"I never felt like I really had it because I know she's a fighter, and
she's probably right behind me," said a relieved Houlihan.
Simpson, who has been the dominant American miler since winning the
world title in 2011, was disappointed, but satisfied with how she raced.
"People will go on and debate on whether I made the right choice to
leave it down to a kick, but I thought going hard from the gun or from
far out was the most predictable thing I could do, and it came down to
who had the better kick." She added: "I'm totally bummed but I guess I
have a lot of practice at losing as well as winning."
Simpson's good friend and fellow University of Colorado alum Emma Coburn
fared better today in the final of the women's steeplechase. In a
replay of last summer's IAAF World Championships, where Coburn won gold
and Courtney Frerichs silver, Coburn held off her top rival to collect
her seventh national steeplechase title in a stadium record 9:17.70.
Frerichs finished second in 9:18.69, while Mel Lawrence got third in
9:33.30.
Neither woman reacted when Katy Kunc went out hard from the gun, and
both stayed near the front of the chase pack until Kunc was caught with
five laps to go. The pace stayed level for the next three laps, and
with two laps to go Coburn and Frerichs pulled away to fight it out for
the win. Coburn ran the penultimate lap in 67.6, the squeezed out a
64.5 for the final circuit, a pace Frerichs couldn't match.
"I came into it thinking just run relaxed, then the last, somewhere
between three laps to go and 700 to go, really make a shift and go
hard," Coburn told Race Results Weekly. "I knew Courtney is really good
at hanging tough, especially when we're slowly squeezing it down. I
just thought, I'm going to shoot out like a cannon and try to drop her."
Frerichs was ready for Coburn's move, and had hoped to cover it.
"I felt really good going into that last lap," Frerichs told the media.
"It's just what we wanted. I wanted to be there with 400 to go." She
added: "I just need to keep working on that faster pace."
Middle and long distance action continues on the final day of these
championships tomorrow with finals in the men's and women's 800m and
5000m, and the men's steeplechase.
PHOTO: Matthew Centrowitz wins his fifth national outdoor 1500m title at
the 2018 USATF Outdoor Track & Field Championships at Drake Stadium in
3:43.37 (photo by David Monti for Race Results Weekly)
PHOTO: The lead pack of the women's 1500m final at the 2018 USATF
Outdoor Track & Field Championships at Drake Stadium (front row, left to
right, Kate Grace, Jenny Simpson, and Brenda Martinez; second row,
Shelby Houlihan (partially obscured) and Lauren Johnson (photo by David
Monti for Race Results Weekly)
PHOTO: Emma Coburn is chased by Courtney Frerichs in the penultimate lap
of the women's steeplechase final at the 2018 USATF Outdoor Track &
Field Championships at Drake Stadium (photo by David Monti for Race
Results Weekly)