I saw Andrew Wheating run last year at the Oregon Relays when he surprised everyone (myself included) and won the mile race. Then he won every 800 meter race that year until the National Championships when he finished second. Then he surprised everyone again when he finished second at the 2008 Olympic Trials, taking one of three spots on the team and punching his ticket to Beijing. Now this year people aren’t so surprised, and for good reason. This guy is the real deal. I was at the Pac-10 Championships a couple weeks ago, and out of all the male athletes, he is the person who stood out to me the most. He looked incredibly fit and strong, and I imagine his perfect running form is intimating to competitors. In the 800 meter final he almost used his kick too late, but he eeked out a victory in 1:49.83, .02 seconds ahead of USC’s Irek Sekretarski. I have a feeling he won’t let it get that close at Nationals.
There’s a feature story on Wheating in The Oregonian today.
Despite thinking he won, USC's Irek Sekretarski (far right) lost the Pac-10 800 meter final to Andrew Wheating by .02 seconds.
