Calderwood in China: Track and Field, Day 2
by Stuart Calderwood
On Day Two of the track and field competition, I watched Anthony Famiglietti line up for the second of the two men’s steeplechase semifinals and thought, “Surely he won’t try what he did at the Trials.” Fam, a New Yorker and a friend of mine—I've gotten to interview him twice for NYRR and have ended up talking for much longer than expected about things like art, poetry, and his early extreme-skateboarding career—had gone out to a huge lead in the final Trials race and had held on to win. Now, after I’d watched the first semifinal and seen several formidable Africans take top spots, I was almost scared for him, since I knew that making the final was definitely in his plans.
The gun went off, and Fam did it again. He had 20 meters on the field after a lap. I saw the Kenyans, the Qatari ex-Kenyans, and the Moroccans looking at his back and thought it would be a miracle if he could last half the race where he was. Then, I thought, he’d have an incredibly difficult task to stay with the group when they caught him.
Lap after lap went by. Fam kept his lead. Was the pack going to concede him a place in the final? I’ve virtually never seen that happen. But after five of the seven and a half laps, after clearing four water jumps, he was still out there. Then, with two laps to go, the big group of international champion steeplers started to close in.
They gained for a lap. The gun fired for the last 400-meter circuit and Fam still had 10 meters. He glanced at the big video screen, saw them coming, and sped up. They sped up more. He reached the last water jump with 120 meters left and cleared it just as the lead pack of at least six men caught him. Five would qualify.
Fam looked over and saw Ezekiel Kemboi, the defending Olympic champion, right next to him. He gritted his teeth and accelerated again. They sprinted down the final straight and he held his place. Two men edged past him, but no more. He crossed the line in third place. He’d made the final.
Anthony Famiglietti didn’t call the film that he made about his life “Run Like Hell” for nothing.
About
We have strong Olympic connections here at NYRR. New York watched the U.S. men's marathon team chosen at the NYRR-hosted Olympic Trials in Central Park last November, we've seen Olympic favorites like Catherine Ndereba, Martin Lel, and Paula Radcliffe win our events, and we'll be cheering for NYRR member and Olympian Anthony Famiglietti, the USA steeplechase champion. NYRR president and CEO Mary Wittenberg, senior editor Stuart Calderwood, and Team Running USA coach Terrence Mahon will be at the Games and will write blogs from the scene. We'll also provide photos from the track and field competition, which begins August 15.
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