Goucher Wins Olympic Trials 5000 Meters and First USA Title – Rhines, Flanagan also finish strongly – By Mackenzie Lobby, Running USA wire

EUGENE, Ore. – (July 4, 2008) – More than 20,000 fans packed the stands on Friday night for the 4th of July distance races at the U.S. Olympic Trials. Over the past week, Hayward Field has seen nasty spills on the track, surprise Olympic berths and an unprecedented level of excitement for the sport.

As the lights came on in the stadium, and the 16 women toed the line for the start of the women's 5000 meters, all were prepared for fireworks, both literally and figuratively. Not ones to disappoint, Kara Goucher and Shalane Flanagan were amongst the top three coveted spots, with Goucher in first and Flanagan in third, while veteran Jen Rhines took second.

The entire field hung together until around 3000 meter when six women distanced themselves as the front-runners. The pack consisted of Team Running USA's Sara Slattery and Rhines, Stanford graduate Arianna Lambie, the 5000 meter U.S. record holder Flanagan, three-time NCAA 5000 meter champion Lauren Fleshman and 2007 World Championships 10,000m bronze medalist Goucher.

As the pack picked up the pace, it was clear that three of those six runners would be headed to Beijing. With three laps to go, Flanagan took off, bringing Rhines and Goucher with her. They never looked back. Dropping their last lap to 63-seconds flat, they came around Bowerman curve in a fight to the finish. As Flanagan faded a bit, Goucher, 29, kicked hard and Rhines held mightily onto her runner-up spot.

Goucher finished in 15:01.02 (her first USA title), Rhines 15:02.02 and Flanagan 15:02.81. Slattery was fourth in 15:18.88. Disappointed to miss the Olympic team, but happy with her performance, Slattery said, "that was everything I had tonight."

Former Olympic marathoner Rhines said, "I'm thrilled to make my third Olympic team." She added, "I think I'm better suited for the 5K / 10K distance."

In response to Kara's impressive finish in the last 100 meters, Shalane commented, "I finished really fast, it just wasn't fast enough. My form broke down the last fifty meters." Laughing she said, "we closed in 2:45, that's pretty fast for old women like us."

Clearly shaken by her husband's [Adam Goucher] seventh place finish in the 10,000 meters immediately after her victory, Goucher stated, "winning that was a huge accomplishment for me, but right now, I'm really sad." As she pulled herself together, she tried to sort through the events of the evening saying, "with two hundred to go…it was one of those moments…I just had to risk it."

Goucher went on to say, "I have my first win." Goucher and Flanagan, who also made the U.S. Olympic team at 10,000 meters, appear to be unsure if they will double at the Olympics.

U.S. Women's Olympic Trials 5000m
Eugene, OR, Friday, July 4, 2008

1) Kara Goucher (OR), 15:01.02
2) Jen Rhines (CA), 15:02.02
3) Shalane Flanagan (NC), 15:02.81
4) Sara Slattery (CA), 15:18.88
5) Lauren Fleshman (OR), 15:23.18
6) Arianna Lambie (CA), 15:29.99
7) Julie Culley (NY), 15:34.43
8) Rebecca Donaghue (MA), 15:35.48
9) Tasmin Fanning (VA), 15:41.05
10) Molly Huddle (RI), 15:42.19

Complete Olympic Trials results and more at: www.usatf.org/events/2008/OlympicTrials-TF/

Source: Running USA