Posted: July 17, 2004

Athletics: Broe Wins Men's Olympic Trials 5000 Meters

U.S. 5000 team not set

By Steve Nearman, Running USA wire

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - (July 16, 2004) - What was clear when the men's 5000 meter final was over was that Tim Broe had won with a huge 800 meter kick. What is not clear is whether he earned a trip to the Athens Olympics next month.

"It's been a long four years since 2000, and I'm glad it all came together," said the 27-year-old Broe, who had ended up fourth just one place shy of a spot on the 2000 U.S. Olympic squad in the 3000 meter steeplechase. "I'm still not on the team quite yet. I have to get an 'A' or 'B' standard in the next couple of weeks" to make the team.

While it took Broe 13 minutes 27.36 seconds to determine the winner of Friday's race - his second consecutive 5000 meter USA title - it will take until August 9 to sort out the U.S. participants in the Olympics.

Jonathon Riley, the 25-year-old Stanford graduate, entered the final as the sole participant of an Olympic "A" standard, a 13:21.11 mark he posted at the Mt. SAC Relays on April 15. The "A" standard is 13:21.50.

He ended up second in 13:30.85 with Bolota Asmerom in third in 13:32.77.

"The only way I could guarantee a spot on the team was by winning, and that's awfully stressful," said Riley, who took eighth here in the 5000 meters at the 2000 U.S. Olympic Trials.

As it stands now, Riley will be the only competitor in Athens because he has the "A" standard. That is the easy part. Determining the rest of the 5000 meter team is not so simple.

If Broe can secure an "A" standard in his race in London in two weeks, both he and Riley will make the trip to Athens. If Broe gets the "B" standard of 13:25.40 and there are no other "A" standard-bearers from this race but Riley, then Broe will go to Athens alone and Riley stays home.

If Broe does not get even the "B" standard, then Riley goes to Athens alone.

However, since seventh-place finisher Jorge Torres (13:41.79) and 12th-place finisher Louis Luchini (13:50.64) were the only finishers who have the "B" standard, they too will be allowed to chase to an "A" standard before August 9.

"I know I am in 13:21 shape," said Broe, who sports a personal best 13:24.13 from 2001.

The season has not been easy up to this point for Broe, who was sidelined from surgery in October last year on a bone in his left foot, just three months after winning his first U.S. 5000 track title. The Alabama grad opted to move up to the 5000 meters to avoid the pounding of his specialty, the 3000 meter steeple. He broke his foot as a freshman in college in that event.

"At the beginning of the year, my goal was just to run without pain," said the Ann Arbor, Mich., resident. "Even six weeks ago, I was not sure I'd be here. I ran a bad race in Rome two weeks ago [13:35] and that shook my confidence a lot."

So he was complacent to sit back in the pack and let the race develop.

The lead changed constantly throughout the race, with Matt Lane initially taking the reins, Sean Graham then Brendan Rodgers passing the first mile in 4:18.15.

Eric Savoth took his turn leading the pack through Lap 5 and Broe finally moved up to fourth place, with Riley in sixth and all 16 competitors in the field still in contention.

Lane regained the lead before Asmerom, the 2000 Olympian for his former country Eritrea, took his turn at the helm, passing two miles in 8:44.99 (4:26.84).

By now, each of the leaders was keeping a 66 second pace per lap, with Broe and Riley lurking behind in the pack in third and fourth, respectively.

"I'm a leech, I know it," Broe said. "Everyone has a race plan, but my style is to sit back and watch. But I'm always in contact."

Mark Menefee then shot to the front with a mile to go, the very spot where Broe's coach Ron Warhurst suggested Broe make his move. "Coach Warhurst said to go with a mile to go, but I just didn't have the guts to go then," Broe said.

When Asmerom regained the lead with 1000 meters to go, Broe cruised with him past Menefee, with Riley in tow. With 800 meters remaining, Broe finally took the lead and threw in a 63.7 split on Lap 11.

But he could not shake Asmerom going into the bell lap. Down the backstretch, Broe began to gap Asmerom with a 57.99 split on Lap 12. Broe finally broke free at three miles (12:58.32), going into the last curve, and headed for victory. Asmerom was desperately trying to hold it together but was passed by Riley with 90 meters to go.

"Tim had a little more gas than I did," Riley said. "With 200 to go, I had used everything I had and I just tried to finish. With 800 to go, I felt great. With 600 to go, I was running out of gas."

In the final stretch, Broe said he had some flashbacks to 2000. "I was looking back, looking for shadows, I thought somebody was going to come around me, like Jonathon, but this time I timed it right," Broe said, whose time was sixth-best on the Olympic Trials all-time list, just 0.30 seconds off the stadium record by Adam Goucher here in 2000.

Once again, Lane would go home upset. "I'm severely disappointed to finish fourth for the second Olympic Trials in a row," said Lane, who was a distant fourth here four years ago in the 5000 but had run 13:27.06 [No. 3 U.S. time this year] at the Payton Jordan meet last month.

With the U.S. men's 5000 meter team unsettled, the next couple of weeks should be interesting and for some, bittersweet.

Men's U.S. Olympic Trials 5000 Meter Final - Alex G. Spanos Sports Complex - Sacramento, CA, Friday, July 16, 2004

1) Tim Broe, adidas, 13:27.36
2) Jonathon Riley, Nike, 13:30.85
3) Bolota Asmerom, Nike, 13:32.77
4) Matt Lane, Nike, 13:33.51
5) Mark Menefee, Hansons-Brooks, 13:37.68
6) Matthew Gonzales, New Mexico, 13:41.25
7) Jorge Torres, Reebok, 13:41.79
8) Chad Johnson, Nike, 13:43.24
9) Eric Savoth, Nike Farm Team, 13:45.16
10) Ahman Dirks, Nike, 13:46.47

For complete results and more Trials information, go to: www.usatf.org.