Rich Kenah was the last man from the U.S. to medal in the 800 in the IAAF World Track & Field Championship. Kenah came home from Athens with a bronze medal in 1997. Nick Symmonds was 13. Now, Symmonds is fresh from his fourth straight U.S. 800 title and ready to break Team USA 14-year streak of futility in the 800 at the world level.
The Oregon Track Club Elite/Eugene star beat a good field Sunday in the USA Championships in trademark fashion, blowing the doors off in the final 100 meters to win in 1 minute 44.17 seconds. That puts him fourth in the world this season. Now we'll see if he can mix it up with the likes of David Rudisha, Abubaker Kaki and David Mutua. Rudisha and Kaki have both run faster this year than Symmonds' personal record, 1:43.83.
But anybody who saw how far Symmonds came in the three weeks between the Prefontaine Classic and Sunday's tour de force, will have to at least acknowledge he has a chance to reach the medals podium at the August world championships in Daegu, South Korea.
"I've been telling everybody I'd trade a U.S. title for a medal in Daegu, but I'd like to have both," Symmonds said. "I've got the first out of the way. I'm on the team. But, really, we're just going to go back up to altitude and start training again. A U.S. title feels phenomenal. But it's going to a feel bitter sweet if I make it to the worlds don't come home with a medal.
"It's about time for people in the Oregon Track Club to start bringing medals home."
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