Centrowitz nearly pulls out, goes to win Wanamaker Mile
new york — Matthew Centrowitz realises there’s always a chance he could wake up feeling ill the morning of his race at the Rio Olympics or the US trials.
As he put it Saturday after defending his title in the Wanamaker Mile at the 109th Millrose Games: “You’re not allowed to call it a day and reschedule.” The two-time world championships medallist was fighting off an upper-respiratory infection this week, and on Friday night he considered dropping out of the storied indoor meet.
A phone call with coach Alberto Salazar convinced him to compete and go after his third Wanamaker title, though he couldn’t run the race as aggressively as he would have liked. Centrowitz didn’t keep tabs on his splits as he ran, simply
That was a pretty big surprise, but it also allows me to know this could be a pretty good year for me
Matthew Centrowitz
trying to win. The 26-year-old American made his move with a lap to go to pull ahead of New Zealand’s Nick Willis and wasn’t expecting to see this time on the scoreboard: 3 minutes, 50.63 seconds — a meet record. This is the fifth year that the meet has been held at the Armory and its faster track after the move from Madison Square Garden.
“That was a pretty big surprise, but it also allows me to know this could be a pretty good year for me,” said Centrowitz, who dropped to a knee and did a windmill on his air guitar in celebration. Willis is still seeking his first Wanamaker title after finishing in 3:51.06. American Shannon Rowbury, the 2009 world bronze medallist in the 1,500, also defended her title in the women’s Wanamaker Mile.
Sprinters Allyson Felix and Andre De Grasse both attended Southern California, but they had never spoken until after each won the 60m on Saturday.
Felix is 30 years old, a four-time individual world champion seeking to defend her Olympic title in the 200 and add a gold medal in the 400. De Grasse is 21 and recently turned pro after finishing third at worlds in the 100.—