Wolverines Well Represented at World Championships
8/15/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Track & Field
HELSINKI, Finland -- With four former student-athletes and a current volunteer coach among the elite international competition, the University of Michigan men's track and field team was represented in strong fashion at the 10th IAAF World Championships in Athletics, held Aug. 6-14 at the Helsinki Olympic Stadium.
Former U-M standouts Nate Brannen (2002-05), Kevin Sullivan (1994-98), Nick Willis (2003-05) and Alan Webb (2002) excelled in the 1,500-meter event as all four runners advanced to the semifinal round, with Webb claiming ninth in the final standings. Similar to his semifinal experience at the 2004 Olympic Games, Willis missed the final automatic qualifying spot by the slimmest of margins, claiming sixth in the first of two heats with a time of 3:40.87, just 0.14 seconds out of the fifth position. Running along the rail, Willis hung among the leaders in the top five at the bell but could not find a hole to move around the leaders down the final straightaway. Sullivan clocked 3:41.00 to finish directly behind his former training partner.
In the second semifinal, Brannen stayed near the rear of the field throughout the event, clocking 3:39.37 to place 10th, while Webb took control of the race early on, leading the pack through the 800-meter mark at 1:55.67 to secure an automatic qualifier with a runner-up time of 3:36.07.
In the 12-man final, Webb applied similar tactics as the American runner surged to the front to create an immediate gap just after the 800-meter mark and held about a 10-meter lead entering the second curb. The pack quickly responded to the move as a pair of competitors caught Webb around the bend, and in the final lap, Webb struggled to maintain his pace, drifting back into ninth with a time of 3:41.04.
Volunteer coach Tim Broe, the three-time U.S. champion in the 5,000-meter run, missed the 15-man cut for the event final at the world meet after placing 13th in his qualifying heat with a time of 13:51.17. Broe, who was battling a nagging foot injury and illness, moved from the back of the field to the front at the 1,500-meter mark and towed the pack through 2,000 meters at 5:21.92. Broe relinquished his lead soon after, drifting further back into the field until a surge by the frontrunners with four laps remaining dropped the American off the back.
Q U O T E S
Nate Brannen
On his outdoor track season ... "Coming into the season, I was pretty optimistic about my chances about making it to the World Championships after sitting on the sidelines for five straight weeks with the foot injury. I managed to remain relatively fit by working out in the pool every morning with an elliptical run in the afternoons. My first race back from my injury, after only three weeks of training, went a lot better than Ron (Warhurst) or I could have expected. From there, we knew that I had a really good shot at making Worlds but kept the idea of potentially not reaching the goal in the back of our minds so we had a backup plan if need be."
On making the Canadian World Championships team ... "I generally run well under pressure, and that's exactly what it took this year to reach the goal of making the Canadian World team. With only six weeks of training and heading into the final race before the deadline to hit the world standard, I knew the pressure was on. I just went into the race knowing I was capable of hitting the standard and just needed to stay confident the whole race and run smart. I ran a personal best time of 3:36.00, enough to get under the standard and punch my ticket to Helsinki."
On making the semifinal ... "The goal of the year after my injury was primarily to run fast later in the summer. It was a little bit of a shock to qualify for the World Championships after only six weeks of total training; to make it through to the semifinals was an extra bonus. I went into that race only looking to run well and possibly sneak into the final. I wanted to run smart and put myself into position going into the bell lap. I was in seventh position with a lap to go but faded in the final 200 meters to finish 10th in my heat. I can't complain at all about the race, and I think I'm just lacking my finishing kick due to the loss of training early in the season."
Nick Willis
On his semifinal race ... "I couldn't have asked for a better tactical run. I was placed perfectly on the inside rail right behind the leader, and I was able to hold my position and cover every move. Unfortunately, my final 100 was not quite fast enough. The winner was a mere 0.4 seconds ahead of me, but I placed sixth, which meant I didn't advance. Obviously, I was pretty disappointed at this realization but knowing that I had given my best effort, all I could do was laugh in frustration at the situation. Oh well. I was in good spirits afterwards, however, and looking foward to watching the final. I would have loved to have had a go, but it was not meant to be."
Contact: Leah Howard (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
