Americans don't follow athletics. In fact, we don't even call it by its rightful name -- as football is called soccer here, so too is athletics called track-and-field by Americans. If it's referred to at all (which only happens once every four years, during the Olympics).
For those who enjoy the sport, the biennial IAAF World Championships are just about as important as the Olympics. In the rest of the world, there's lots of buzz about what took place yesterday in Osaka. The rest of the world is celebrating the winner in the men's 1500 meters ... Bernard Lagat, American.
Bernard Lagat is the first American to win a 1500m world championship (either in the Olympics or the IAAF version) in 99 years. That's a long, long, loooong time ago. How long? Well, when Mel Sheppard won the 1500m in London on July 14, 1908, the Chicago Cubs were well on the way to their second consecutive World Series title (and they haven't won one since ... hmmmm). In that race, Sheppard also set a world record of 4:03.8 -- almost 30 seconds slower than Lagat's 3:34.77, and nearly 40 seconds behind the current record of 3:26.00.
I decided to write this diary not only as a celebration of a momentous event in American athletic history. I wrote it because Bernard Lagat is an American by choice. Born and raised in Kenya, he came to the United States in 1996 to run track at Washington State University. He's been a world-class runner at events from 1000 to 5000 meters for over ten years. Though he's lived in the US permanently since his WSU days, Lagat remained a citizen of Kenya until 2005. He recorded a highly laudable series of accomplishments as a Kenyan national, including these highlights:
- 2000 Olympics bronze in Sydney, behind fellow Kenyan Noah Ngeny and Moroccan Hicham El-Guerrouj
- 2001 IAAF World Championship silver in Edmonton, behind El-Guerrouj
- 2004 Olympics silver in Athens, again trailing El-Guerrouj
That last listing is important. The race took place on August 24, 2004. At that time, Lagat was already well on his way to attaining US citizenship; the IAAF indicates that he became a United States citizen on January 4, 2005. According to Rule 5, Section 2 of the IAAF regulations (emphasis added):
Having once represented a Member in an International Competition under Rule 1(a), (b), (c)(i) or (d),, no athlete may thereafter represent another Member in an International Competition under Rule 1(a), (b), (c)(i) or (d), except in the following circumstances:
[--- snip ---]
(c) Acquisition of a new citizenship. In this case, the athlete shall not represent his new Member in an International Competition under Rule 1(a), (b), (c)(i) or (d) for a period of 3 years following the acquisition of new Citizenship pursuant to the athlete’s application.
Lagat became able to represent the United States in international competition three years after last representing Kenya. In other words, on August 24, 2007. The preliminary round of the 1500m in Osaka took place on the first day of the event, August 25, 2007. No one would suggest that the Athens and Osaka organizers worked together to create this juxtaposition, but it is quite fortuitous for Lagat that the timespan worked out perfectly for him. Had the 2004 Olympics 1500m final taken place later in the schedule (there were events as late as August 28), he would not have been permitted to compete in Osaka.
Lagat appears to have been truly overwhelmed by this long-sought victory in one of his sport's two premier venues. And also to be truly overwhelmed that he achieved this pinnacle as an American. As reported by Bob Baum of the the Associated Press in this morning's Seattle Post-Intelligencer:
His stirring victory in the 1,500 meters Wednesday night was something he never quite accomplished as a Kenyan.
"This is a dream come true," the 32-year-old runner said. "I'm a champion for the United States of America."
[--- snip ---]
"When you're carrying this flag, it means a lot," Lagat said. "You're representing everybody, the victims of Katrina, everybody. Those who are serving in the war in Iraq. This is for everybody in the United States."
[--- snip ---]
"I didn't know the statistics until I was reading on the Internet yesterday," said Lagat, a Washington State graduate. "Crazy me, searching the Net. I read that nobody has won since 1908, that means 99 years and I'm a champion."
[--- snip ---]
"I'm champion," he said. "I've never been a champion -- never, never. I've always come close."
Congratulations, Bernard! America (at least, the few of its citizens who've noticed it) salutes you.