Ahillen: For Famiglietti, a day of hate for the steeplechase

BEIJING – Anthony Famiglietti has had a love-hate relationship with the steeplechase for years. Monday, it hated him.

Famiglietti, a two-time Olympian who two days ago qualified for his first Olympic final, said he never quite had it Monday. He ended up 13th.

“My legs were mud,” the former University of Tennessee standout and Knoxville resident. “I had a bad day.”

The race looked from the stands in the Olympic Stadium to have started out well enough for him. He was in the middle of the pack through the first five laps bouncing between fifth and sixth place. But, looks were deceiving and “bouncing” was definitely the operative word.

“I tried to lay back and stay on the inside,” he said. “I had a feeling before the race that that, believe it or not, they were going to be looking for me to set the pace. I’m like, ‘I’m not doing the work.’”

But, the strategy backfired when Famiglietti started getting bounced around.

“I was wasting so much energy,” he said. “I couldn’t even see the barriers. I had to stop dead and go over the barrier every time. I had to keep moving out to lane three or four. Every time I tried to move someone would cut in front of me.”

Finally, with 4 ½ laps to go, Famiglietti had had enough. He bolted from the five spot to the lead in a matter of 50 yards even though he still wasn’t feeling like his legs were there.

“I felt bad, man, but that’s the way it goes,” he said. “I couldn't keep doing what I was. I felt that maybe if I made my move it would get the junk (fatigue) out and I’d be in contention. It was a flip of the coin: would I feel well when I did it or would I feel like garbage. I felt like garbage.”

So, less than a half of a lap after taking the lead he started to slide, falling back to the five and six spot he had been in, then all the way behind the lead pack.

As he continued to fall off the pace Kenya’s Brimin Kiprop Kipruto just picked up speed, winning in 8 minutes, 10.34 seconds. He was followed by France’s B. Mahiedine Mekhissi (8:10.49) and Kenyan Richard Kipkemboi Mateelong (8:11.01).

Those times were certainly within Famiglietti’s reach, indicated by the personal best 8:17.34, but not on Monday. He pulled in at 8:31.21.

“I should have gone out front from the beginning,” he said. “That first race (qualifying) was so much easier. I should have just taken the pace and ran. I pretty much ran their race today and it didn’t work.”

After the race, he questioned whether he should keep going in the steeplechase.

“Man, it’s hard. It’s a hard race to run. They (distance runners) talk about the marathon and the 10,000 and 800,” he said. “Ask them if they want to run the steeplechase.”

He said he has thought repeatedly about switching to the marathon or 10,000; he was doing so again after the race here.

“I don’t really think I’m a steeplechaser,” he said. “Steeplechasers are guys who can deal with the melee and still recover and finish hard - guys who can adjust to slow and fast paces. I just can’t do that. As much as I love the steeplechase and like to compete in the event. I think I’m more suited for 5,000 or 10,000 or even a marathoner.”

But, yet he has always come back, and he admitted he likely will do so again.

“I could run so much faster in the steeplechase; I just can’t do it. My goal written down for here was 8:04. My training shows I can do that, but how can I get it to happen in a race. Today it was just mayhem. Do I want to continue to waste time in the steeplechase? I personally don’t feel like I have anything to prove to anybody.”

But, you get the idea that deep down this stormy love affair isn’t over.