BERNARD LAGAT
Events: Middle Distance
Height: 5-8
Weight: 134
PRs: 1,500m - 3:26.34 (2001); Mile - 3:47.28 (2001);
3,000m - 7:32.43iAR (2007); 5,000m - 12:59.22 (2006)
Born: Dec. 12, 1974, in Kapsabet, Kenya
Current Residence: Tucson, Ariz.
College: Washington State '99
Coach: James Li
Agent: James Templeton
Club: Nike 

Career Highlights: 2007 World Outdoor 1,500m and 5,000m champion; 2004 Olympic 1,500m silver medalist; 2000 Olympic bronze medal; 2008 Olympic Trials 5,000m and 1,500m champion; 2004 World Indoor Champs 3,000m gold medalist; 2001 World Outdoor Champs 1,500m silver medalist; 2002 World Cup 1,500m champion; 2007 USA Outdoor 5,000m champion; 2006 USA Outdoor 1,500m and 5,000m champion; U.S. indoor 1,500m, mile, 3,000m record holder; U.S. outdoor 1,500m record holder; 7-time Wanamaker Mile winner at Millrose Games

At the 2009 Millrose Games at Madison Square Garden in New York, Lagat tied Eamonn Coghlan’s all-time record of seven victories in the legendary Wanamaker Mile. Lagat’s 2008 season was highlighted by winning the men’s 1,500m and 5,000m national titles at the U.S. Olympic Trials for the second time in his career, having first accomplished the feat in 2006. A lingering Achilles injury left him at less than 100% at the Olympics. In the final 100 meters of the men's 1,500m final at the 2007 World Outdoor Championships in Osaka, Japan, Lagat sprinted cleanly to the front and went on to cross the finish line first in 3 minutes 34.77 seconds. It was Team USA's first ever gold medal in that event at a World Outdoor Championships, and the first Olympic or World Championships 1,500m gold medal since 1908, when Hall of Famer Mel Sheppard won the Olympic title. In the Osaka 5,000m final, Lagat became the first man ever to win the 1,500m/5,000m middle-distance double at World Outdoors, and the first American to win a World Championship medal of any kind at 5,000m with his winning time of 13:45.87. On February 17 in Birmingham, Lagat broke the American record in the indoor 3,000m, with his time of 7:32.43. He also ran the fastest time in the world indoors 2007 in the mile with his 3:54.26 win at the 100^th Millrose Games. Lagat had already piled up a series of wins in 2007, including the AT&T Outdoor Championships (5,000m), Millrose Indoor Games (mile) and Birmingham indoor (3,000m). He continued his domination of U.S. middle distance running in 2006 with his wins in the 1,500m and 5,000 meters at the AT&T USA Outdoor Championships in Indianapolis, becoming the first man ever to pull off the historic double. Also in 2006, Lagat posted the five-fastest 1,500m times by an American, and the fastest 5,000m time by a U.S. competitor with his win at London in 12:59.22. His 3,000m winning time of 7:34.41 in Rethymno on July 21 was the fastest by an American in 2006. A two-time Olympic 1,500m medalist for his native Kenya, Lagat competed for Kenya on August 24, 2004. "I thought long and hard before changing my nationality but, at the age of 30, I have to look to my future, after my running career has come to an end," Lagat said at the time. "I hope to continue running at the very highest level until at least the 2008 Olympics. A U.S. resident since 1996, Lagat is a graduate of Washington State University. IAAF rules state that an athlete changing national affiliation must wait three years since last competing for his native country before competing for a new country. Lagat became eligible to compete for the United States on August 25, 2007, one day after the beginning of the 2007 World Outdoor Championships in Osaka, Japan. Shortly after becoming a U.S. citizen, Lagat turned his attention towards rewriting the U.S. record books. He set two records from his 3:49.89 indoor mile at the Powered by Tyson Invitational in Fayetteville, Arkansas on February 11, 2005 including an official 3:33.34 record for the 1500m set en route to the mile victory. Those performances bettered the previous indoor records by Steve Scott (3:51.8, 1981) for the the mile and by Jeff Atkinson, (3:38.12, 1989) for the 1500 meters. His winning time of 3:29.30 at Rieti, Italy on August 28, 2005 in the outdoor 1500m was ratified as a new American record improving the 1985 record of 3:29.77 by Sydney Maree. . In growing up on his family's farm in Kapsabet, Kenya, Lagat sprinted a mile and a half to school each morning, and the same distance back. As much as he enjoyed running for fun, Lagat was even more passionate about his education. It wasn't until he began studying at Jomo Kenyatta University College of Agriculture and Technology that he got serious about running competitively. Lagat left Kenya for the United States when he received a scholarship from Washington State University in Pullman. The school was seeking star African runners, hoping to raise the profile of middle-distance and distance-running in the United States. Lagat was seeking academic advancement. He earned BA’s from Washington State in Management Information Systems, and Decision Science (Econometrics). He reached All-American status twice in cross country and nine times in track and field while wearing a Cougar uniform.  As a collegian, Lagat won the mile and 3000m races at the 1999 NCAA Indoor Championships, earning the title of NCAA Indoor Male Athlete of the Year. That same year, Lagat won the 5000m race at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. He accumulated four Pacific-10 Conference championships and was named Men's Track & Field Co-Athlete of the Year in 1999. He was Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Male Athlete of the Year on three occasions. Lagat became a father on January 12, 2006 when his wife, Gladys Tom, gave birth to son Miika Kimutai Lagat, Daughter Gianna was born November 2, 2008.

6/24/09