PULLMAN, Wash. -- Bernard Lagat, a Washington State graduate and Cougar Athletics Hall of Fame member, will compete at his fifth Olympic Games at the 2016 Rio Games next month.
Lagat was one of seven current or former Cougars who compete at the US Olympic Track & Field Trials in Eugene. Additionally, WSU had assistant coaches competed at the USA Trials and the Canadian Trials.
Lagat's 2016 Olympic Trials had a tough start as the two-time medalist in the 1500m (bronze medal at 2000 Sydney Games, silver medal at 2004 Athens Games) attempted to run the 10,000m race for the second time in his life. He dropped out after running two-thirds of the race, explaining the heat and fast pace of the early race took a toll. Lagat, age 41, told the press after the 10k final that he would rest and recuperate and be ready to race in the 5000m. July 4 he finished fifth in the men's 5k first round with a time of 13 minutes 48.36 seconds. In the July 9 final, the 2016 Pac-12 T&F Team of the Century member came from sixth place going into the final lap to win in a time of 13:35.50. His 5k seed time coming into the Olympic Trials was 13:14.97, which was fourth-best among the 20 runners. Lagat attributed his success to continuing to train with young guys and his coach, former Cougar cross country coach, James Li, with a "genius" strategy to run the race.
Sunday, July 10, WSU assistant coach Angela Whyte finished third in the women's100m hurdles at the Canadian Olympic Trials in Edmonton, Alberta. Whyte's time was 13.06 seconds but earlier this year the 36-year-old ran a time of 12.95 seconds, which met the Olympic standard of 13.00. The Rio Games will be Whyte's third Olympic Games after a sixth-place 100m hurdles finish at the 2004 Athens Games and competing at the 2008 Beijing Games. She is one of just two women in the world to qualify for the IAAF World Championships in the 100m hurdles every year since 2001. Last winter, Whyte finished fifth place in the 60m hurdles at the 2016 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Portland.
The lone WSU undergraduate competing in Eugene was two-time Pac-12 men's 400m hurdles champion CJ Allen, a rising senior from Allyn, Wash. His first round time of 51.75 was 21st overall and did not qualify him for the semifinals.
"This meet was a great investment into the future for CJ. In four years when he is battling for an Olympic berth it will be important that it isn't his first Olympic trials," Wayne Phipps, WSU Director of Cross Country/Track & Field said. "CJ was very sick after NCAA's which affected our preparation. I think with that time off we just didn't have quite enough time to get him all the way back to his pre-NCAA fitness level. Making it to this meet and being one of the top 25 in the US in the 400m hurdles is still quite an accomplishment."
Also competing in the men's 400m hurdles was WSU alum and former USA National Champion, Jeshua Anderson. Anderson ran a first-round time of 50.09 (10th) and a semifinals time of 49.84 (8th). His Trials qualifying time of 48.88 was sixth-best of all competitors. In the intermediate hurdles final, Anderson finished sixth but was later disqualified for a lane violation.
Other Cougar alums with their USA Olympic Trials finishes: Thane Pierson, men's high jump, no height; Jesse Jorgensen, men's 800m first round, 1:49.91 - 29th; Collier Lawrence, women's 3000m steeplechase, 10:49.42 - 34th; and Blessing Ufodiama, women's triple jump, 13.27m/43-6 1/2 - 17th.
Another WSU assistant track and field assistant coach, two-time Olympian Brad Walker, competed in the men's pole vault and did not clear a bar. Walker just completed his first year of coaching the vertical jumps at WSU.
Lagat was one of seven current or former Cougars who compete at the US Olympic Track & Field Trials in Eugene. Additionally, WSU had assistant coaches competed at the USA Trials and the Canadian Trials.
Lagat's 2016 Olympic Trials had a tough start as the two-time medalist in the 1500m (bronze medal at 2000 Sydney Games, silver medal at 2004 Athens Games) attempted to run the 10,000m race for the second time in his life. He dropped out after running two-thirds of the race, explaining the heat and fast pace of the early race took a toll. Lagat, age 41, told the press after the 10k final that he would rest and recuperate and be ready to race in the 5000m. July 4 he finished fifth in the men's 5k first round with a time of 13 minutes 48.36 seconds. In the July 9 final, the 2016 Pac-12 T&F Team of the Century member came from sixth place going into the final lap to win in a time of 13:35.50. His 5k seed time coming into the Olympic Trials was 13:14.97, which was fourth-best among the 20 runners. Lagat attributed his success to continuing to train with young guys and his coach, former Cougar cross country coach, James Li, with a "genius" strategy to run the race.
Sunday, July 10, WSU assistant coach Angela Whyte finished third in the women's100m hurdles at the Canadian Olympic Trials in Edmonton, Alberta. Whyte's time was 13.06 seconds but earlier this year the 36-year-old ran a time of 12.95 seconds, which met the Olympic standard of 13.00. The Rio Games will be Whyte's third Olympic Games after a sixth-place 100m hurdles finish at the 2004 Athens Games and competing at the 2008 Beijing Games. She is one of just two women in the world to qualify for the IAAF World Championships in the 100m hurdles every year since 2001. Last winter, Whyte finished fifth place in the 60m hurdles at the 2016 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Portland.
The lone WSU undergraduate competing in Eugene was two-time Pac-12 men's 400m hurdles champion CJ Allen, a rising senior from Allyn, Wash. His first round time of 51.75 was 21st overall and did not qualify him for the semifinals.
"This meet was a great investment into the future for CJ. In four years when he is battling for an Olympic berth it will be important that it isn't his first Olympic trials," Wayne Phipps, WSU Director of Cross Country/Track & Field said. "CJ was very sick after NCAA's which affected our preparation. I think with that time off we just didn't have quite enough time to get him all the way back to his pre-NCAA fitness level. Making it to this meet and being one of the top 25 in the US in the 400m hurdles is still quite an accomplishment."
Also competing in the men's 400m hurdles was WSU alum and former USA National Champion, Jeshua Anderson. Anderson ran a first-round time of 50.09 (10th) and a semifinals time of 49.84 (8th). His Trials qualifying time of 48.88 was sixth-best of all competitors. In the intermediate hurdles final, Anderson finished sixth but was later disqualified for a lane violation.
Other Cougar alums with their USA Olympic Trials finishes: Thane Pierson, men's high jump, no height; Jesse Jorgensen, men's 800m first round, 1:49.91 - 29th; Collier Lawrence, women's 3000m steeplechase, 10:49.42 - 34th; and Blessing Ufodiama, women's triple jump, 13.27m/43-6 1/2 - 17th.
Another WSU assistant track and field assistant coach, two-time Olympian Brad Walker, competed in the men's pole vault and did not clear a bar. Walker just completed his first year of coaching the vertical jumps at WSU.