Weekend roundup, May 1st: Lagat runs stellar 1200 DMR leg at USA vs the World...
Lagat narrowly led Morocco’s Mohammed Moustaoui after the initial, 1200m leg in 2:48.30. Michael Tinsley opened up a big lead in the first half of the second, 400m leg, but Morocco’s Marouan Maadadi closed late, and Australia’s Sean Wroe surged to second, just a step behind Tinsley’s 46.13 split.
Duane Solomon ran the 800m third leg in 1:46.31, and Australia’s Lachlan Renshaw was nearly even with him going into the final leg. USA Red’s Russell Brown and Australia’s Jeff Riseley were alone in the lead for the final 1,600m leg, but a slowing pace enabled Morocco’s Amine Laalou and USA Blue’s Leo Manzano to close the gap 1,000m in. On the final lap, Manzano made a bid for the lead but fell back, leaving Brown, Laalou and Risely to battle it out. In the last 60 meters, Laalou prevailed, winning in 9:17.48, with Riseley finishing second for Australia in 9:17.56 and Brown third in 9:18.09. Laalou split 3:53.08, with Riseley posting 3:56.66 and Brown 3:57.36.
Morocco's final time was 9:17.48, with Australia's squad second in 9:17.56. The USA Red team was third in 9:18.09, with Manzano's USA Blue fourth in 9:20.24.
Afterwards, Lagat said to USA Track & Field, Before the line, the Kenyan guy told me I’m used to pacing the 1200m, so I said OK, I’m going to follow you. I followed him and I felt really good. Coming into the 800m, I was thinking to myself, 1 to go. I’m feeling so good. I wanted to run at least 2:50. I was thinking about the Kenyans all the time. We need to beat them.
The full USATF release can be read here.
In Des Moines, Rainier Beach HS grad Ginnie Crawford finished third in the invitational 100 meter hurdles race at the Drake Relays.
Former Michigan standout Tiffany Ofili was a mild upset winner, running 12.66 to derail Des Moines native Lolo Jones, who ran 12.80.
Crawford finished at 12.87.
Full results from all events at the Drake Relays are available here.
At the St. Mastin's Invitational in Lacey, Seattle Pacific's Brittany Aanstad took the national division 2 lead in the javelin with a toss of 151 feet even (46.02 meters).
“It's really just having the confidence and knowing it's going to be a good throw,” said Aanstad (Lake Stevens, Wash./Lake Stevens HS), whose previous best this season was 148-8 just last Friday (April 22) at the Oregon Relays in Eugene. “I'm really excited about it. It was on my first throw, and usually, my first throw is a cautious one just to set the pace.”
Western Washington University's Michael Hoffman (Jr., Bellingham/Sehome) was a double-event winner, taking the men's discus with a NCAA Division II provisional national qualifying mark of 162-10, He also took the hammer with a distance of 185-8.
Complete results are available here.
In Spokane, Seattle University athletes set four school records at the Duane Hartman Invitational on the campus of Spokane Community College.
Rachel Purcell in the 200 (26.29), Emily Walters in the long jump (18-3/5.56m), the 4 x 100m relay squad of Obradovich, Purcell, Bergmann & Lout (49.00), and Bethany Richards in the shout put (38-6.25/11.74m) all set new school bests Saturday.
The Seattle University release is available here.
NOTE: USA Track & Field, the Drake Relays, and the sports information offices of Seattle Pacific, Western Washington, and Seattle University contributed to this report.
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