What a way to start a Saturday.  Wake up, hop in the shower, pop back a bowl of cheerios and watch Matt Centrowitz bring home the bronze for the good old Red, White n Blue.  This young man has raised the bar for himself in every performance this season and enough can’t be said about his ability to keep pushing beyond what he and the world thought was possible. 

NCAA champion?  Sure, nothing that out of the ordinary.  US champ?  Ok, kinda weird race but he smoked Lagat down the straight and punched his ticket.  Making it out of the first preliminary round?  Not the toughest feat but he looks like a veteran doing it.  Surely he can’t…lead his semi final and make it through to the big show?  And of course once he comes all this way just to make it to a final, how could he waste the opportunity to blow all expectations out of the water one last time.

Centrowitz came off the line well, not at an astonishing pace but still well clear of any danger.  Thankfully Matt didn’t have any to take the pace setting duties as Nick Willis hopped up, leaving the American in perfect position to draft as they came through 400 in just a pinch above 60 seconds.  Just another race for Centro, who for all we know was oblivious to the split as he kept his eyes firmly planted on Willis’ shoulders, focused on the task at hand. 

The second lap showed no major changes, Willis was still in the lead with the young American just a step behind.  Meanwhile Asbel Kiprop and Silas Kiplagat sat back in 4^th and 5^th, waiting to make their presence known.  At 800, the pace was still unspectacular as Willis brought the race through in 2:01.7.   At a little past 700 meters to go, Kiprop glanced back at Kiplagat before charging to the front.  Kiplagat responded quickly, showing his intention as he and Ethiopian Mekonnen Gebremedhin covered the move, almost taking out Nick Willis on the curve as a result.  Centro retained decent position, holding on for 5^th place with plenty of room on the outside to move.

By the bell, the picture wasn’t quite as clear as Centro sat further back towards 8^th place, O’Lionaird just a step back.  It became hard not to wonder if that was perhaps all that Centro would be able to muster, but as it has all week, patience played an important role.  Kiplagat takes off on the top of the turn, stringing out the pack as he does so and giving Centro enough room to creep up slowly into 5^th over the next 100m.  He’s in range and closing fast now, but still four runners remained ahead.  Could he get two? 

Up front, Kiprop buried Kiplagat with his astounding finishing kick, but all American eyes were on Centro as he mowed down Spain’s Manuel Olmedo with a kick of his own that threatened to catch the two Kenyans if given only a few more meters to do so.  

            He had done it…Matt Centrowitz had come to World Championships a fresh faced rookie and managed to pull off one of the most thrilling races by an American at the international level in years and years. 

More importantly, Centrowitz showed us a very simple rule that we’d be foolish to not remember going forward:  If you can compete with the best in the United States, you can compete with anyone.  He didn’t count his blessings just being there on the line, instead he made his blessings count as he capped off a truly remarkable year, one that will be hard to duplicate for any runner in terms of sheer surprise and excitement. 

Congratulations Matthew Centrowitz, for today you stand tall, one of the world’s best milers, and you do so with the stars and stripes draped over your shoulders.