Andrew Wheating 3:30.90, 1500M

MONACO, Diamond League Series

Men's 1500m: Andrew Wheating 3:30.90!, Ryan Gregson 3:31.06, and Silas Kiplagat is a Star

World, meet Silas Kiplagat.

America, in case you didn't know Andrew Wheating is the top mid distance runner in the USA. Watch this race (may need to be patient while the site loads).

The 22 year-old Wheating, the double NCAA 800 and 1500m champ, showed that with an impressive 3:30.90 PB for 4th in Monaco that put him ahead of all three American 1500m finalists from last year's World Championships in Berlin (Bernard Lagat Lopez Lomong and Leo Manzano). Right behind Wheating was 20 year old Aussie Ryan Gregson in a national record 3:31.06.

Former world indoor 800m champ David Krummenacker did a great job on the pacing leading the field through 800m in 1:51.15. At the bell Augustin Choge was at least 5 meters clear of the field and on his way to what appeared to be a sub 3:30 clocking (Choge 's 3:29 last year was the ONLY sub 3:30 1500m in the world since 2006). With 200m left, Choge began to falter and Amine Laalou (finalist at 800m and 1500m at World's last year) was closing fast. However, the best was still to come.

Silas Kiplagat, a 20-year old Kenyan running the first track race of his life in Europe wanted to make a name for himself. Laalou had passed Choge and appeared to have the race won. Kiplagat however powered by Choge on the outside and then came by Laalou on the inside (all the last 50 meters) and was rewarded with a 3:29.27 world leading win. Unbelievable. One guy had been sub 3:30 in 4 years and Kiplagat does it in his first European race. Laalou also went sub 3:30 in 2nd in 3:39.53 and Choge had to settle for 3rd.

Wheating was he best of the guys not in contention for the win. He had hung out in the back with Lopez Lomong and Leo Manzano early on (at the bell Wheating was last of the main pack with one guy who had fallen off the pack behind him) and timed his pick perfectly. Right behind him was the 20 year-old Aussie Ryan Gregson. They both were well clear of the next finisher Lopez Lomong who ran a pb of 3:32.20. Bernard Lagat, the only American upfront on the early fast pace had to settle for a 3:32.51 season's best. This has to be the fast 1500m in terms of depth for America as all 3 guys went the equivalent of a sub 3:50 mile.

The bad Leo Manzano showed up and he was 10 seconds arrears in 3:42.

Wheating's run makes him the 4th fastest American at 1500m of all-time.

3:29.30 Bernard Lagat (Nike) 08/28/05

3:29.68 -Lagat 08/27/06

3:29.77 Sydney Maree (Puma) 08/25/85

3:30.54 Alan Webb (Nike) 07/06/07

3:30.64 -Lagat 07/01/05

3:30.90 Andrew WHEATING 07/22/10

3:31.01 Jim Spivey (Athletics West) 08/28/88

3:31.04 -Lagat 07/19/05

3:31.09 -Lagat 07/08/05

As for Kiplagat, last year was his first year we can find any results for him. He ran one 1500m, one 10k, and one cross country race. This year he ran two XC races, the World's Best 10k, and then has run exclusively at 1500m on the track and did finish 2nd at 1500m in the Kenyan Champs. He had never raced outside of Kenya until Thursday. Now he's the fastest guy in the world the last four years. Amazing. We thought no one had ever heard of him until we realized our very own Rojo said this very week, "We want to introduce you to a future star in mid-d running, let us introduce you to 20-year-old Silas Kiplagat."