BERLIN | Putting the disappointment of the Beijing Olympics out of his mind is not an option for American distance runner Bernard Lagat.
The two-time world champion in 2007 is hoping for a 1,500-5,000 repeat in Berlin, and bad memories from 2008 could drive him to the top of the podium this year.
“I always have to not forget Beijing, because if I forget Beijing it’s like I’m not really realistic even about myself,” Lagat said Friday, a day before the start of the world championships. “It was the biggest disappointment in my life.”
Lagat won the silver medal in the 1,500 for his native Kenya at the 2004 Athens Olympics and took bronze in 2000, but he didn’t even reach the final in 2008.
“I trained well and I wanted to win… but then I got injured,” Lagat said, referring to his Achilles tendon injury. “There were so many frustrations leading into the games.”
And more after it.
“A lot of people now know Bernard did not get to the finals in the 1,500, but they don’t know why,” Lagat said. “Now I’ve been able to train well. I took my time off; my Achilles healed very well.”
The men’s 1,500-meter qualifying starts Saturday, and Lagat said he has been training at 100 percent leading into the competition. That’s better than when he entered into the last worlds, in Japan in 2007.
“When I prepared for Osaka, I did exactly what I was doing now, but I had problems with my stomach,” he said. “I took some medication which actually messed me up. … This year, I’m good. There’s no problems.”
To get ready for this event, Lagat did some racing at 800 and 1,000 meters - short distances for a 1,500-5,000 man. He said he was doing that for fitness, but also for another reason.
“There’s a lot of tactical things that go into the 800,” he said. “I was trying to run just in case something like that happens in the 1,500.”
Lagat and the rest of the American team at this year’s worlds will be competing at Olympic Stadium, the home of the 1936 Games. It was in Berlin more than 70 years ago when Jesse Owens won four gold medals and showed up the Nazi government’s racist ideologies.
To remember Owens’ great achievement, the U.S. team will compete with the initials “JO” on their uniforms.
“Jesse Owens… opened a lot of doors - not only for the U.S. athletes, but also for the world,” Lagat said.
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