Webb’s Olympic debut now a mere learning experience

ATHENS — At this point, the United States has waited 96 years for the next American distance prodigy to step on the gold medal stand for the Olympic 1,500-meter run, so why not make it an even century?

Considering America’s last gold medalist in the 1,500 was Melvin Sheppard in 1908, when the distance was measured in yards instead of meters, it wasn’t like Alan Webb not winning would’ve been a surprise.

But his failing to advance out of his opening heat most certainly was. Still that’s what shockingly happened last night at the Olympic Stadium.

Call it bad luck. Call it inexperience. Call not yet being quite good enough.

Whatever the cause, Webb now has to treat his first Olympic race as nothing more than learning experience.

“It was just a stupid race by me,” said Webb, who finished 25th overall, one spot out of qualifying for Sunday’s semifinal. “It’s a disappointment – a learning experience.”

Webb learned that when the stakes become as dramatically high as they are in the Olympics, the competition becomes equally ruthless.

Basically, Webb entered a distance race and got beat down in a shoving match.

Obviously, Webb, who ran in the second heat, didn’t see teammate Grant Robison’s chances of advancing from the first heat end when he got tangled in a pack early in the race and fell down.

Involved in what he described as “definitely the most physical race” he’s ever been, Webb was jostled seemingly from start to finish.

He tried to stay away from the contact by running outside, but had no choice but to get back in the pack as the runners headed into the homestretch.

But that became his final downfall when he stepped on the shoe of former Washington State runner Bernard Lagat of Kenya at the most crucial moment of the race.

Lagat, who lost his shoe with about 100 meters left, still managed to finish second, but Webb finished ninth, four spots out of the automatic qualification.

His disappointing time of 3:41.25 was .11 seconds slower than the final qualifying time of James Nolan of Ireland.

“I was trying to stay outside and stay out of trouble, but I just kept getting into more trouble,” said Webb, who won the United States Olympic Trials in 3:16.13. “I was trying to make a move, but I clipped somebody on one step and that killed all momentum I had.

“I was fourth or fifth, and then suddenly, I’m dead last, and it’s like uh, uh, uh.”

With Robison being reinstated into the semifinals in accordance with IAAF Rule 163.2, which states that any athlete seriously affected by obstruction may compete in a subsequent round, the United States still has a runner in the competition.

But realistically, America’s best chance of having a 1,500 medalist for the first time since Jim Ryun won a silver at the Mexico City games in 1968 ended with Webb being eliminated.

Robison, who didn’t qualify for the finals at the Olympic Trials, is only in Athens because he met the Olympic “A” standard.

“You always expect to get a little bumped,” Webb said. “But it seemed like every 50 meters something was happening. This was definitely the most physical race I’ve ever been in.”