Posted: July 6, 2005

Athletics: For Willis, 1500 NR Is "Perfect" Prep For World Championships

From David Monti

© 2005 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved RaceResultsWeekly.com

By Bob Ramsak

After last Friday’s 1500 meter race at the Gaz de France Golden League meeting in Paris, Nick Willis walked deliberately through the media mixed, with little fanfare, little notice. Still trying to catch his breath, the 22-year-old New Zealander leaned onto a gate, looked around for a friendly face, and asked, “Do they have the 1500 times yet?”

3:32, he was told.

“Point what?”

“32.38.”

Raising his fists to the sky, the former University of Michigan star let out a series of howls before a climactic yelp. With his sixth place finish, Willis had eclipsed mile legend John Walker’s national record of 3:32.40 set nearly 30 years earlier.

“I knew I had it in me but when I was going to do it was another question,” said Willis, whose previous best in the event was 3:32.64 set last year at Rome’s Golden Gala. “My legs have been feeling a bit funky to say the least. I feel fit in my lungs but my hamstrings are catching up now that I’m starting to do some speed work for the first time.”

It was only the second professional race for Willis, who last month announced that he would forfeit his final year of NCAA eligibility. He won his pro debut earlier in the week at the Odlozil Memorial Grand Prix II race in Prague, clocking a more modest 3:37.01. Despite finishing more than two seconds behind winner Daniel Kipchirchir Komen’s world leading 3:30.01 effort, Willis said he left the Stade de France track feeling extremely positive about the rest of the season.

“I sat back the first lap, but I made sure I could cover the gaps in the middle, which I did,” said Willis, a semi-finalist at last year’s Olympic Games. “And I was in contention at least, through 1200 meters. I didn’t quite have the legs in the last 300, but at this stage in the training that I’m at, this is perfect for my plan for Helsinki.”

In the past, Willis has displayed a tendency to sit back, an aspect of his race that he decided to alter in Paris.

“There were a couple crucial moments where I would normally sit behind, like with 500 to go, when I went around the Kenyan Chirchir and then I tried to catch up to Heshko. And though I was alone, I played off my momentum. To go under 1:53 for the first 800, at least you showed something Willis,” he added, thinking aloud.

After his 3000 meter race in Lausanne last night, in which he finished ninth with a personal best 7:45.97, Willis said he’ll take a two-week competitive break to train with the New Zealand world championships squad at their base in Belgium, before returning to the track in the 800 meters at London’s Norwich Union Super Grand Prix on July 22. After that, Willis said, “then I’ll go after the national mile record in Oslo the week before Helsinki.” That record, 3:49.08, also belongs to Walker, and was also set in Oslo in 1982, more than a year before Willis was born.

Despite the euphoria, eclipsing a 30-year-old record did eventually take its toll. His legs gradually giving out, Willis slowly fell to the ground. After a slight pause and some silence, he politely apologized for a few moments of silence.

“Excuse me,” he said. “I think I’m going to throw up now.”