Cal, Olympic runner found dead
Olympic middle-distance runner David Torrence, an elite athlete at Cal a decade ago, was found dead at the bottom of a swimming pool in Scottsdale, Ariz., authorities said.
Mr. Torrence, 31, was discovered Monday in the pool at a condominium complex. The athlete had come to Arizona to train.
An autopsy will be conducted by the Maricopa County Medical Examiner, a spokeswoman for the office said. Police said there are no signs of foul play.
Mr. Torrence, an accomplished 1,500-meter runner, competed for Peru, the country of his mother’s birth, in the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. He made the final in 5,000meter run.
“I’m in shock and heartbroken in learning of David Torrence’s tragic death,” said Tony Sandoval, Cal’s director of track & field. “I can’t think of anyone who (better) represented all that’s good about Cal cross country and track and field. He was an athlete whom everyone loved and respected. He loved Berkeley and had so much pride in being a Golden Bear.”
Mr. Torrence set the Cal freshman record in the 1,500 meters in 2004 with a time of 3 minutes, 43.62 seconds — a record that still stands. He also set the Cal record in the mile in 2007, with his time of 3:58.62 breaking a 50-year-old mark. He later bettered that time by more than six seconds.
In 2015, Mr. Torrence won a silver medal in the 5,000 meters at the Pan American Games in Toronto running for the United States.
Competing in the Olympic games was a longtime goal of Mr. Torrence, who had covered the 1,500-meter distance in 3:33, but did not win a medal.
“It’s something I’ve wanted for a very long time,” Mr. Torrence said in an interview. “I’m coming in with a lot of tenacity. Part of you gets nervous: ‘Wow, it’s only every four years.’ The best way to combat that is with ferocity. I’m going to take that spot, I’m going to earn that spot.”
The lithe and lean athlete was a native of Okinawa, Japan, but grew up in Los Angeles— where he attended Loyola High School. He graduated from Cal in 2008.
In 2012, Mr. Torrence found himself in a bit of a kerfuffle when he was photographed in public while not wearing the clothing of Nike, his sponsor. When he showed up some time later to be interviewed by The Chronicle, he was covered in Nike’s trademark “swoosh” logos from head to toe.
His coach at the time, John Cook, praised Mr. Torrence for being a smart runner who “really understands distribution (pace), runs fairly even splits and usually doesn’t panic.”
During his Olympic training, Mr. Torrence said he felt he was “ready for that big jump.”
“I’m very overlooked,” he said. “No one’s talking about me being the favorite. I like that. I like being dismissed. I’ll do it the old-fashioned way.”