Chris Lukezic Makes World Championship Team

[Nevada Hoya]

Chris, by his placing second in the US Nationals in the 1500m, had the opportunity to make the World Championship team from the US to compete in Helsinki in August. He had to run the 1500m in 3:36.2 to reserve a spot on the team. He failed to get that mark his first two meets in Europe, but came up big at the Norwich Union meet in Great Britain. The Americans did well there, as all three Americans, plus nationalized American Bernard Lagat (born in Kenya) all got the standard.

Norwich Union British Grand Prix - London (CP) (GBR)
Friday, July 22, 2005

Last Updated: 21:20:21 CET 22/07/2005

Official Result
Men - 1500 Metres

Pos Athlete Nat Mark

1 Lagat Bernard USA 3:33.12
2 Webb Alan USA 3:33.16
3 East Michael GBR 3:33.32
4 Kipchoge Eliud KEN 3:33.80
5 Rotich Laban KEN 3:34.36
6 Myers Rob USA 3:34.89
7 Sullivan Kevin CAN 3:35.11
8 Lukezic Christopher USA 3:35.22
9 McCormick Nick GBR 3:35.74
10 Baddeley Andrew GBR 3:36.43
11 Mulvaney Chris GBR 3:37.36
12 Brannen Nathan CAN 3:37.48
13 Thie James GBR 3:47.00
Bett Charles Kiplangat KEN DNF
Korir Paul KEN DNF
Lelei David KEN DNF

This is a personal best for Chris by almost 2.5 seconds. Equivalent to about a 3:52 mile. Too bad he is not coming back next year.

[Nevada Hoya]

Track and Field News take on the race:

Americans also dominated the men's 1,500 meters with Bernard Lagat barely winning the race over countryman Alan Webb. Lagat crossed the line first in 3:33.12, with Webb right on his heels in 3:33.16. Also in the race, 2005 USA Outdoor Championships runner-up Chris Lukezic (8th-3:35.22) and third-place finisher Rob Myers (6th-3:34.89) easily surpassed the 2005 World Outdoor Championships "A" qualifying standard of 3:36.20. Webb, Myers and Lukezic will compete for Team USA at the 2005 World Outdoor Championships next month in Helsinki, Finland.

[GIGAFAN99]

This was big news. I didn't even realize until I checked GUHoyas today.

How does the signing affect him? Does he still attend GU and he just can't compete in the NCAA because of the pro status? Sorry if that's a dumb question.

[Nevada Hoya]

Giga, Chris is still listed as a student at GU. However, this means that he has to give up his scholarship, and cannot compete as a Hoya. I don't know who is coaching him; maybe the GU coaches, but he has to pay them. I am not sure how that works. Apparently, he signed with Reebok (he was wearing Reebok gear in London). I am sure he would want to finish at GU, so maybe the tuition for his senior year was included in some kind of signing bonus. Unlike the bballers the track and field contract terms are not well known, except for maybe the top guys (Alan Webb was supposed to be getting $250K).

This turning pro might have been precipatated by his quest to make the A standard. Who is paying for his European trip? Surely, NCAA rules must indicate that GU can't pay or any boosters. So, if he doesn't turn pro, his family has to fork over the money for the trip. Turning pro gives him the funds for competing and the agent for getting him into the big meets over there. It seemed to have worked out for him (although his loss is going to put a big hole in the team). It took him three meets over there to get the standard - he ran a personal record in his first meet, a slower time his second, and this third meet another PR by over two seconds. The Worlds start on the 6 Aug., so I don't know if he is staying over there or will come back to the states.

[Nevada Hoya]

Chris is still over in Europe, scheduled to run tonight in the 1500m of the DN Galan meet in Stockholm. I think he would be better off just staying over in Europe now until the World Champs starting in less than two weeks. He is nicely acclimatized to Europe and the running circuit. He is running in the "B" race tonight, i.e., the race that is mostly comprised of Americans and American educated runners. I think Chris actually has a chance to win this one. It will be tough, but he should be in the hunt.

Athlete Nat

Ali Belal Mansoor BRN
Boulahfane Kamal ALG
Geneti Markos ETH
Hatungimana Arthémon BDI
Heshko Ivan UKR
Kipruto Brimin KEN
Kiptanui Timothy KEN
Lagat Bernard USA
Lelei David KEN
Rono Robert KEN
Rotich Laban KEN
Simotwo Suleiman Kipses KEN
Sullivan Kevin CAN

Entry List
Men - 1500 Metres - Race 2
Athlete Nat

Blincoe Adrian NZL
Brannen Nathan CAN
Chisholm Lachlan AUS
dos Santos Osmar Barbosa BRA
Gruber Charlie USA
Kennouche Abdelslam ALG
Kipkurui Benjamin KEN
Kobayashi Fumikazu JPN
Lukezic Christopher USA
Lunn Jason USA
Myers Rob USA
Rankin Jon USA
Speaight Neil GBR
Too Michael KEN

[Nevada Hoya]

Chris finished 3rd. Rankin was top American; he got a big PR.

Official Result Men - 1500 Metres - Race 2
Pos Athlete Nat Mark

1 de Souza Hudson BRA 3:34.84
2 Rankin Jon USA 3:35.26
3 Lukezic Christopher USA 3:38.11
4 Kennouche Abdelslam ALG 3:38.44
5 Lunn Jason USA 3:39.47
6 Kipkurui Benjamin KEN 3:39.52
7 Hamblyn Paul NZL 3:40.50
8 Too Michael KEN 3:41.29
9 Gruber Charlie USA 3:42.68
10 Myers Rob USA 3:43.74
11 Kobayashi Fumikazu JPN 3:44.24
12 Chisholm Lachlan AUS 3:48.55
dos Santos Osmar Barbosa BRA DNF

[Nevada Hoya]

The rosters for the US World Championship team has Hoyas in both the men and women's 1500m. In fact, Treniere was the only US woman to qualify for the 1500m:

MEN

100m
Justin Gatlin (Raleigh, N.C.)
Shawn Crawford (Raleigh, N.C.)
Leonard Scott (Irvine, Calif.)

200m
Justin Gatlin (Raleigh, N.C.)
Tyson Gay (Fayetteville, Ark.)
Wallace Spearmon (Fayetteville, Ark.)
John Capel (Gainesville, Fla.)*

400m
Jeremy Wariner (Grand Prairie, Tex.)
Darold Williamson (Waco, Tex.)
Andrew Rock (La Crosse, Wis.)

800m
Khadevis Robinson (Santa Monica, Calif.)
David Krummenacker (Las Cruces, N.M.)
Kevin Hicks (Tallahassee, Fla.)

1,500m
Alan Webb (Fairfax, Va.)
Chris Lukezic (Alexandria, Va.)
Rob Myers (Chesterfield, Mo.)

3,000m Steeplechase
Daniel Lincoln (Fayetteville, Ark.)
Anthony Famiglietti (New York, N.Y.)
Steven Slattery (Boulder, Colo.)

5,000m
Tim Broe (Ann Arbor, Mich.)
Ian Dobson (Palo Alto, Calif.)
Ryan Hall (Stanford, Calif.)

10,000m
Abdi Abdirahman (Austin, Tex.)
Meb Keflezighi (San Diego, Calif.)

Marathon
Brian Sell (Rochester Hills, Mich.)
Clint Verran (Rochester Hills, Mich.)
Peter Gilmore (San Mateo, Calif.)
Jason Lehmkuhle (St. Paul, Minn.)

20 km Race Walk
Tim Seaman (Chula Vista, Calif.)
John Nunn (San Diego, Calif.)
Kevin Eastler (Aurora, Colo.)

50 km Race Walk
Philip Dunn (San Diego, Calif.)
Curt Clausen (Madison, Wis.)

110m Hurdles
Allen Johnson (Irmo, S.C.)*
Dominique Arnold (Diamond Bar, Calif.)
Terrence Trammell (Ellenwood, Ga.)
Joel Brown (Baltimore, Md.)

400m Hurdles
Kerron Clement (Gainesville, Fla.)
Bershawn Jackson (Raleigh, N.C.)
James Carter (Hampton, Va.)

High Jump
Matt Hemingway (Littleton, Colo.)
Jesse Williams (Raleigh, N.C.)
Kyle Lancaster (Fort Scott, Kan.)

Pole Vault
Brad Walker (Seattle, Wash.)
Nick Hysong (Phoenix, Ariz.)
Toby Stevenson (Chula Vista, Calif.)

Long Jump
Miguel Pate (Tuscaloosa, Ala.)
Dwight Phillips (Mesa, Ariz.)*
Brian Johnson (Baton Rouge, La.)
Walter Davis (Baton Rouge, La.)

Triple Jump
Walter Davis (Baton Rouge, La.)
Kenta Bell (Chula Vista, Calif.)
Tim Rusan (Webster Grove, Mo.)

Shot Put
Christian Cantwell (Columbia, Mo.)
Adam Nelson (Athens, Ga.)
John Godina (Mesa, Ariz.)

Discus Throw
Ian Waltz (Chula Vista, Calif.)
Jarred Rome (Chula Vista, Calif.)
Carl Brown (Americus, Ga.)

Hammer Throw
James Parker (Great Falls, Mt.)
A.G. Kruger (Ashland, Ohio)

Javelin Throw
Breaux Greer (Athens, Ga.)

Decathlon
Bryan Clay (Azusa, Calif.)
Paul Terek (Livonia, Mich.)
Phil McMullen (El Sobrante, Calif.)

4x100m Relay Pool
DaBryan Blanton (Forney, Tex.)
Monzavous Edwards (Kansas City, Kan.)
Maurice Greene (Chatsworth, Calif.)
Mark Jelks (Kansas City, Kan.)
Mardy Scales (Murfreesboro, Tenn.)
Plus any athlete already on the roster

4x400m Relay Pool
Derrick Brew (Spring, Tex.)
LaShawn Merritt (Portsmouth, Va.)
Miles Smith (Cape Girardeau, Mo.)
Plus any athlete already on the roster
WOMEN

100m
Lisa Barber (Raleigh, N.C.)
Muna Lee (Baton Rouge, La.)
Lauryn Williams (Miami, Fla.)

200m
Allyson Felix (Santa Clarita, Calif.)
Rachelle Smith (Norfolk, Va.)
LaTasha Colander (Garner, N.C.)

400m
Sanya Richards (Austin, Tex.)
DeeDee Trotter (Knoxville, Tenn.)
Monique Henderson (Bonita, Calif.)

800m
Hazel Clark (Knoxville, Tenn.)
Kameisha Bennett (Knoxville, Tenn.)
Alice Schmidt (Chapel Hill, N.C.)

1,500m
Treniere Clement (Knoxville, Tenn.)

3,000m Steeplechase
Elizabeth Jackson (Provo, Utah)
Lisa Galaviz (Gilbert, Ariz.)
Carrie Messner (Carbondale, Colo.)

5,000m
Shalane Flanagan (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
Lauren Fleshman (Stanford, Calif.)
Amy Rudolph (Providence, R.I.)

10,000m
Katie McGregor (St. Louis Park, Minn.)
Blake Russell (Acton, Mass.)
Jennifer Rhines (Ardmore, Pa.)

Marathon
Jenny Crain (Milwaukee, Wis.)
Emily Levan (Wicasset, Maine)
Turena Johnson-Lane (Muncie, Ind.)
Jill Boaz (Los Osos, Calif.)
Mary Akor (Gardena, Calif.)

20 km Race Walk
Teresa Vaill (Gainesville, Fla.)
Joanne Dow (Manchester, N.H.)

100m Hurdles
Michelle Perry (Los Angeles, Calif.)
Joanna Hayes (Los Angeles, Calif.)
Virginia Powell (Los Angeles, Calif.)

400m Hurdles
Lashinda Demus (Columbia, S.C.)
Shauna Smith (Laramie, Wyo.)
Sandra Glover (Sugar Land, Texas)

High Jump
Amy Acuff (Austin, Tex.)
Chaunte Howard (Atlanta, Ga.)
Erin Aldrich (Dallas, Tex.)

Pole Vault
Stacy Dragila (Phoenix, Ariz.)
Tracy O’Hara (San Diego, Calif.)
Jillian Schwartz (Jonesboro, Ark.)

Long Jump
Grace Upshaw (Menlo Park, Calif.)
Tianna Madison (Knoxville, Tenn.)
Rose Richmond (St. Petersburg, Fla.)

Triple Jump
Erica McLain (Stanford, Calif.)

Shot Put
Kristin Heaston (Palo Alto, Calif.)
Elizabeth Wanless (Gainesville, Fla.)

Discus Throw
Rebecca Breisch (Lincoln, Neb.)
Seilala Sua (Anaheim, Calif.)
Aretha Thurmond (Opelika, Ala.)

Javelin Throw
Kim Kreiner (Baton Rouge, La.)

Hammer Throw
Erin Gilreath (Gainesville, Fla.)
Bethany Hart (Trumball, Conn.)
Amber Campbell (Conway, S.C.)

Heptathlon
Hyleas Fountain (Athens, Ga.)
Virginia “GiGi” Miller (State College, Pa.)

4x100m Relay Pool
Angela Daigle (Carson, Calif.)
LaShaunte’a Moore (Akron, Ohio)
Plus any athlete already on the roster

4x400m Relay Pool
Monique Hennagan (Stockbridge, Ga.)
Suziann Reid (Riverdale, Md.)
Moushaumi Robinson (Cary, N.C.)
Plus any athlete already on the roster

[Nevada Hoya]

Chris is ranked 41st in the world as of Aug. 1:


Men's 1500m (Mile - 2000m)
1 August 2005 (25 July 2005)


Pl. (Pl.) Athlete Birth Nat Score

1. (1.) Bernard LAGAT 74 KEN 1392
2. (2.) Daniel Kipchirchir KOMEN 84 KEN 1366
3. (3.) Ivan HESHKO 79 UKR 1350
4. (4.) Alex KIPCHIRCHIR 84 KEN 1335
5. (5.) Rui SILVA 77 POR 1323
6. (7.) Timothy KIPTANUI 80 KEN 1271
7. (8.) Laban ROTICH 69 KEN 1270
8. (15.) Suleiman SIMOTWO 80 KEN 1263
9. (9.) Isaac Kiprono SONGOK 84 KEN 1261
10. (6.) Paul KORIR 77 KEN 1248
11. (10.) Reyes ESTÉVEZ 76 ESP 1246
12. (14.) Kamal BOULAHFANE 76 ALG 1233
13. (17.) Alan WEBB 83 USA 1227
13. (13.) William CHIRCHIR 79 KEN 1227
15. (16.) Juan Carlos HIGUERO 78 ESP 1222
16. (18.) Elkana ANGWENYI 83 KEN 1218
17. (19.) Mehdi BAALA 78 FRA 1216
17. (19.) Michael EAST 78 GBR 1216
19. (25.) Tarek BOUKENSA 81 ALG 1215
20. (11.) Rashid RAMZI 80 BRN 1209
21. (32.) Hudson Santos DE SOUZA 77 BRA 1206
22. (23.) Abdelaati IGUIDER 87 MAR 1203
22. (24.) Nick WILLIS 83 NZL 1203
22. (22.) Robert RONO 78 KEN 1203
25. (29.) Kevin SULLIVAN 74 CAN 1189
26. (28.) Joeri JANSEN 79 BEL 1188
27. (27.) Rob MYERS 80 USA 1186
28. (30.) Arturo CASADO 83 ESP 1180
28. (26.) Abdeslam KENNOUCHE 80 ALG 1180
30. (11.) Mulugeta WONDIMU 85 ETH 1173
31. (31.) Michal ŠNEBERGER 78 CZE 1171
32. (37.) Nick MCCORMICK 81 GBR 1169
33. (34.) Gert Jan LIEFERS 78 NED 1164
33. (34.) Bilal MANSOUR ALI 88 BRN 1164
33. (21.) Benjamin KIPKURUI 80 KEN 1164
36. (51.) Nathan BRANNEN 82 CAN 1157
37. (38.) Ali MAATAOUI 80 MAR 1155
38. (39.) James THIE 78 GBR 1154
39. (36.) Vyacheslav SHABUNIN 69 RUS 1151
40. (42.) Churchill KIPSANG 78 KEN 1149
41. (45.) Chris LUKEZIC 84 USA 1148
42. (42.) Mirosław FORMELA 78 POL 1147
43. (46.) Scott MCGOWAN 81 USA 1142
43. (33.) Benson Marrianyi ESHO 87 KEN 1142
43. (41.) Tim CLERBOUT 81 BEL 1142
46. (48.) Yassine BENSGHIR 83 MAR 1140
47. (53.) Johan CRONJE 82 RSA 1136
48. (47.) James NOLAN 77 IRL 1135
48. (88.) John RANKIN 82 USA 1135
50. (55.) Chris MULVANEY 81 GBR 1134

[Nevada Hoya]

The starting lists for the first round of the 1500m on Saturday in Helsinki are up. Chris's heat is as follows:

Heat 2 - Saturday, August 06, 2005 - 20:44



Order Bib Athlete Country 2005 Personal
1 912 Soares Alin TLS 4:12.00 4:10.00
2 764 Bashir Daham Najim QAT 3:31.04 3:31.04
3 222 Casado Arturo ESP 3:35.64 3:35.64
4 337 Yemmouni Mounir FRA 3:33.39 3:32.97
5 563 Komen Daniel Kipchircir KEN 3:30.01 3:30.01
6 100 de Souza Hudson BRA 3:34.84 3:33.99
7 1005 Lukezic Christopher USA 3:35.22 3:35.22
8 16 Zerguelaine Antar ALG 3:34.90 3:34.90
9 631 Kaouch Adil MAR 3:32.86
10 904 Mwera Samwel TAN 3:42.52 3:35.42
11 753 Silva Rui POR 3:32.91 3:30.07
12 276 Wendimu Mulugeta ETH 3:37.00 3:31.13
13 111 Ali Belal Mansoor BRN 3:33.86 3:33.86
14 361 McCormick Nick GBR 3:35.74 3:35.74

Chris will have his hands full in this heat going by the best times. Of 14 runners he has a faster PR than four. However, if the heat is slow, Chris has a wicked kick, so we shall see.

[Nevada Hoya]

From the USAT&F website:

Men's 1,500m first round, 8:30 p.m.

U.S. entrants: Alan Webb, Chris Lukezic, Rob Myers

The scoop: In the Dream Mile at Oslo, Webb ran a personal best 3:48.92, making him the fourth-fastest American in history, and is in the best shape of his life. The tactics of first-round competition at the 2004 Olympics flummoxed Webb, but he is a year wiser and even fitter in Helsinki. Lukezic, Webb's training partner and USA outdoor runner-up, and Myers, the 2004 U.S. indoor champion, got their "A" standard qualifiers in London on July 22 and also are peaking at the right time.