Centrowitz wins bronze in 1,500 at world championships
Matthew Centrowitz (right) poses with gold medalist Asbel Kiprop (center) and silver medalist Silas Kiplagat after their 1,500-meter final at the IAAF World Championships Saturday. (REUTERS)
Former Broadneck star Matthew Centrowitz used his patented late kick down the final straightaway to win the bronze medal in the 1,500-meter race at the IAAF World Outdoor Track and Field Championships Saturday in Daegu, South Korea.
The 21-year-old senior at Oregon crossed the line in 3 minutes, 36.08 seconds, finishing behind Kenyans Asbel Kiprop (3:35.69) and Silas Kiplagat (3:35.92).
Centrowitz, of Arnold, Md., is the youngest American to ever medal in the event, and he was the youngest runner in the field.
“I’m still trying to figure it out,” Centrowitz told USA Track & Field. “Taking that victory lap, I didn’t think it was real. It was a tough race and it was similar to the semis with a little tactics in there being involved. It just came up to not giving up that last 200 meters.”
Centrowitz — the reigning NCAA and U.S. champion in the 1,500 — won his semifinal heat Thursday in 3:46.66.
In Saturday’s race, Centrowitz ran through the bell lap in the middle of the pack, but he kept the leaders in his sights, and his late kick allowed him to pull into third before reaching the line.
That kick was enough to defeat two-time Olympic medalist Bernard Lagat at the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in June, but it couldn’t get him past the two Kenyans at the head of the pack Saturday.
“They went so hard with 350 to go,” Centrowitz said. “Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t cover them. It was so hard, they were so fast. Each 50 [meters] was just one more guy, one more guy, then I found myself in almost medal position and l kept digging down.”
During his days at Broadneck, Centrowitz enjoyed the most prolific high school distance running career in the area — and arguably the state. He set the high school mile record at the prestigious Penn Relays, won three state cross country titles and a number of track titles, and he was named The Baltimore Sun's Male Athlete of the Year as a senior in 2007.
