BEIJING // The United States are having one of their worst Games in the track and field arena. They have just one silver and three bronze medals in their bag compared to the 25 medals in Athens, eight of them gold. Jamaica, Ethiopia and Cameroon have consistently outrun them. It grew worse for the US in the men's 1500m qualifiers yesterday when Bernard Lagat, Leo Manzano and the team's flagbearer Lopez Lomong - all of whom are naturalised citizens - failed to advance to today's final. Lagat, a two-time Olympic medallist for Kenya and the reigning world champion, finished sixth (3:37.79) - one place out of the final automatic spot and .02 of a second behind the final wild-card qualifier.
Lagat, who won a bronze and silver medal in the event at the last two Olympics for Kenya - still has a chance in the 5,000m. "I didn't make it?" asked Lagat. "There was a lot of boxing and a lot of pushing," he said later. "I was worried about someone going down. But I ran hard. That's life. I'm going to concentrate on the 5,000. I'm not going to cry." But after a dominant early season, Lagat, 33, had gradually grown vulnerable as 2008 rolled on. He finished third in a 1500 race in London in late July before falling flat in the opening round of the Olympics on Friday. He seemed similarly deflated yesterday. "I didn't have it, honestly. I had to dig deep to get in. I didn't make it, though. Life goes on. As long as I gave my best, my friends, my family... I didn't let them down. I gave my best."
Today 12 others will line up at the start of the final, and he will not be among them. "It's going to be like, 'Wow, I really missed it, I missed something huge'," said Lagat. "But I'm going to stay confident. I think there's a lot for me in the future. This is not the end." Manzano and Lomong - one of "The Lost Boys of Sudan" who spent 10 years in a Kenyan refugee camp - finished last in their semi-finals. Manzano could only run a 3:50.33.
* Agencies