Despite running what Jon Rankin felt was one of his best races
ever, it wasn’t enough for him to earn a trip to Helsinki,
Finland for the World Championships. Rankin, the Pac-10 Champion in
the 1500 meters this past year, finished sixth in the same race on
Saturday at the U.S. Track and Field Championships in Carson with a
time of 3:43.41. Running his typical race, the senior looked to
break from the middle of the pack on the final stretch. Though he
had been able to separate himself in the college ranks when making
his move, the more seasoned veterans were able to stay with him and
distance themselves just enough on the home stretch. Near the back
of the pack for the first three laps, Rankin crept up into a top
three position that would have landed him a spot on the national
team. However, he could not sustain his push over the final turn.
Allan Webb, the defending U.S. Champion, came in first at 3:41.97
while his training partner, Christopher Lukezic, placed second at
3:42.06. “It would have been better if I had waited 50 meters
later,” Rankin said of his move. “It was a rookie
mistake.” Despite fading at the tail end of the race, Rankin
was still pleased with the overall result. “It was my best
race in terms of patience, execution and commitment,” Rankin
said. Rankin’s surge to the front of the pack appeared to be
successful and he acknowledged that a trip to the World
Championships team seemed like a very real possibility. “I
felt like I had a spot on the team,” Rankin said. “But
they were very strong and unafraid. I could feel that.” His
time avenged a frustrating NCAA Championships, in which he failed
to qualify for the finals despite being one of the favorites.
Saturday’s race marked a return to the form Rankin had
displayed for much of the year. “Right now is where I should
have been at three years ago,” Rankin said.
COMING UP SHORT: Brandon Johnson may not have expected to gain a
spot on the national team, but he was certainly disappointed to not
earn a spot in the 400 meter hurdles finals. The UCLA junior
clipped the second hurdle and never completely recovered, finishing
sixth in his semifinal heat with a time of 49.60 seconds. He also
had trouble cleanly clearing four other hurdles, contributing to
his struggles. “I got out a little too fast,” said
Johnson, who had run a lifetime-best 48.59 seconds at the NCAA
Championships two weeks ago. “I clipped the second one and it
became more mental.” His former teammate, recent UCLA grad
Jonathan Williams, didn’t fare much better, finishing seventh
in the first heat at 49.97 seconds. “I was trying a new step
pattern and it took a lot out of me,” said Williams, who will
now try to gain Belizian citizenship in the hopes of qualifying for
that country’s national team.