Centro, Rupp & Felix Running Out of Time
Centro, Rupp & Felix Running Out of Time
Matthew Centrowitz. Out.Allyson Felix. Out. Galen Rupp. Out.Three of USA Track and Field's brightest stars are either sidelined by injuries or opting out of
Matthew Centrowitz. Out.
Allyson Felix. Out.
Galen Rupp. Out.
Three of USA Track and Field's brightest stars are either sidelined by injuries or opting out of racing. With just six weeks to go before the Olympic Trials and 72 days until the start of the Games, what should track fans read into these absences and their potential impact on America's medal count in Rio?
Matt Centrowitz
On Wednesday, Ken Goe of The Oregonian spoke with coach Alberto Salazar about his Nike Oregon Project proteges Centrowitz and Rupp. According to Salazar, Centrowitz has been dealing with a stress reaction in his left leg, and although he has recovered and is experiencing “no more pain,” he is not quite race-sharp. To get ready for the Trials, Centrowitz traveled back to the team’s altitude training camp in Park City, Utah, to resume training.
While this is no doubt a setback, there are still a couple things working in Centrowitz’s favor:
1. His injury was a stress reaction, NOT a fracture. A reaction means the bone is breaking down and becoming weaker, but does not contain a fracture. Centrowitz’s team of doctors caught the injury early, and reportedly already got him back to health with six weeks remaining until the Trials.
2. He knows how to perform when it matters most. Centrowitz claimed the 1500m title at World Indoors in Portland in March, and has not raced since. But the 26-year-old won the last three U.S. Championships he competed in: 2013, 2015, and 2016 Indoors. Aside from the 2015 World Championship final, Centrowitz finished on the medal stand at the last two World Outdoor Championships.
Watch Centrowitz's interview after he won his first World Indoor Championship title:
Even though Centrowitz doesn't have additional races on the schedule, one thing is fairly certain: If he can get to the Trials healthy or even at 85 percent, he stands a good chance at finishing in the top three.
Galen Rupp
Rupp considered racing a 10K this weekend, but instead opted to stick with an uninterrupted training cycle. The 2012 Olympic silver medalist, who is considering a 10K-marathon double in Rio, is reportedly in the middle of a 145-mile-per-week build-up and—at Salazar's behest—chose to maintain the momentum of training.
Rupp talked about the viability of a marathon-10K double in Rio after winning the Trials:
With his Olympic spot already secure following his marathon debut victory at the Trials in February, Rupp attempted to make the World Indoors team in the 3000m in March just a few weeks after the marathon, but finished eighth at USA Indoors. He has not raced since.
Goe quoted Salazar as saying Rupp “looks fantastic.” Assuming that is true and Rupp is completely healthy, the 30-year-old should have more than enough time to be ready to take on all challengers in the 10K at the Trials in July.
Felix has now pulled out of two Diamond League meets in the last month due to an ankle sprain.
Her coach, Bobby Kersee, told Gene Cherry of Reuters that the Olympic 200m Champion is recovering from that injury as well as the emotional loss of her dog who passed away a few weeks ago. Kersee does not believe this will impact Felix’s goal of winning the difficult 200-400m double at the Olympics.
“Things are going well and they [doctors] have no concern about her being prepared by the (July 1-10) Olympic Trials,” Kersee said. “They just think (she should focus on) her training and physical therapy and maybe take a week to 10 days before she races." Kersee shared no race plans prior to the Trials, but said that if Felix races, she would at a U.S. meet.
The last time Felix raced was April 16 at the Mt. SAC Relays, where she competed on the 4x100m and 4x400m relay teams. This year, she has yet to race an open 200m or 400m—the event she won at last year’s World Championships in Beijing.
Meanwhile, Dafne Schippers of the Netherlands—Felix's top competition in the 200m—just threw down a world-leading 22.02 in Hengelo last week. Schippers, a heptathlete-turned sprinter, led the second-fastest 200m final in history at last summer’s Worlds, which she won in 21.63, followed by Jamaicans Elaine Thompson in 21.66 and Veronica Campbell-Brown in 21.97. It was only the second time in history, aside from the controversial 1988 Seoul final, that three women ran under 22 seconds in the same race.
Felix, who won three 200m world titles and an Olympic gold medal at the distance, opted to focus on the 400m last year and was not in the 200m hunt.
The good: Felix, like Centrowitz and Rupp, is a seasoned veteran when it comes to showing up and showing out in championship situations. If she can get to the start line healthy in Eugene in July, she should make a fourth Olympic team in both events.
In all three scenarios, time is definitely not siding with Centrowitz, Rupp or Felix.
But championship racing experience should certainly be in their favor.
Allyson Felix. Out.
Galen Rupp. Out.
Three of USA Track and Field's brightest stars are either sidelined by injuries or opting out of racing. With just six weeks to go before the Olympic Trials and 72 days until the start of the Games, what should track fans read into these absences and their potential impact on America's medal count in Rio?
Matt Centrowitz
On Wednesday, Ken Goe of The Oregonian spoke with coach Alberto Salazar about his Nike Oregon Project proteges Centrowitz and Rupp. According to Salazar, Centrowitz has been dealing with a stress reaction in his left leg, and although he has recovered and is experiencing “no more pain,” he is not quite race-sharp. To get ready for the Trials, Centrowitz traveled back to the team’s altitude training camp in Park City, Utah, to resume training.
While this is no doubt a setback, there are still a couple things working in Centrowitz’s favor:
1. His injury was a stress reaction, NOT a fracture. A reaction means the bone is breaking down and becoming weaker, but does not contain a fracture. Centrowitz’s team of doctors caught the injury early, and reportedly already got him back to health with six weeks remaining until the Trials.
2. He knows how to perform when it matters most. Centrowitz claimed the 1500m title at World Indoors in Portland in March, and has not raced since. But the 26-year-old won the last three U.S. Championships he competed in: 2013, 2015, and 2016 Indoors. Aside from the 2015 World Championship final, Centrowitz finished on the medal stand at the last two World Outdoor Championships.
Watch Centrowitz's interview after he won his first World Indoor Championship title:
Even though Centrowitz doesn't have additional races on the schedule, one thing is fairly certain: If he can get to the Trials healthy or even at 85 percent, he stands a good chance at finishing in the top three.
Galen Rupp
Rupp considered racing a 10K this weekend, but instead opted to stick with an uninterrupted training cycle. The 2012 Olympic silver medalist, who is considering a 10K-marathon double in Rio, is reportedly in the middle of a 145-mile-per-week build-up and—at Salazar's behest—chose to maintain the momentum of training.
Rupp talked about the viability of a marathon-10K double in Rio after winning the Trials:
With his Olympic spot already secure following his marathon debut victory at the Trials in February, Rupp attempted to make the World Indoors team in the 3000m in March just a few weeks after the marathon, but finished eighth at USA Indoors. He has not raced since.
Goe quoted Salazar as saying Rupp “looks fantastic.” Assuming that is true and Rupp is completely healthy, the 30-year-old should have more than enough time to be ready to take on all challengers in the 10K at the Trials in July.
Allyson Felix
Felix has now pulled out of two Diamond League meets in the last month due to an ankle sprain.
Her coach, Bobby Kersee, told Gene Cherry of Reuters that the Olympic 200m Champion is recovering from that injury as well as the emotional loss of her dog who passed away a few weeks ago. Kersee does not believe this will impact Felix’s goal of winning the difficult 200-400m double at the Olympics.
“Things are going well and they [doctors] have no concern about her being prepared by the (July 1-10) Olympic Trials,” Kersee said. “They just think (she should focus on) her training and physical therapy and maybe take a week to 10 days before she races." Kersee shared no race plans prior to the Trials, but said that if Felix races, she would at a U.S. meet.
The last time Felix raced was April 16 at the Mt. SAC Relays, where she competed on the 4x100m and 4x400m relay teams. This year, she has yet to race an open 200m or 400m—the event she won at last year’s World Championships in Beijing.
Meanwhile, Dafne Schippers of the Netherlands—Felix's top competition in the 200m—just threw down a world-leading 22.02 in Hengelo last week. Schippers, a heptathlete-turned sprinter, led the second-fastest 200m final in history at last summer’s Worlds, which she won in 21.63, followed by Jamaicans Elaine Thompson in 21.66 and Veronica Campbell-Brown in 21.97. It was only the second time in history, aside from the controversial 1988 Seoul final, that three women ran under 22 seconds in the same race.
Felix, who won three 200m world titles and an Olympic gold medal at the distance, opted to focus on the 400m last year and was not in the 200m hunt. The Good and the Bad
The bad: The sum of zero 200m/400m races plus Schippers heating up should be just cause for concern within Camp Felix. Over the last six years, notably in the Olympic and World Championships years, she never entered a national championship having not competed in at least one Diamond League meet.The good: Felix, like Centrowitz and Rupp, is a seasoned veteran when it comes to showing up and showing out in championship situations. If she can get to the start line healthy in Eugene in July, she should make a fourth Olympic team in both events.
In all three scenarios, time is definitely not siding with Centrowitz, Rupp or Felix.
But championship racing experience should certainly be in their favor.