Olympian Manzano advances to semis of track World Championships
Leonel Manzano with his silver medal from the London 2012 Summer Olympics.
DANIEL CLIFTON • PICAYUNE EDITOR
MOSCOW — Olympic Silver medalist and Marble Falls High School graduate Leonel Manzano smiled as he ducked into the athlete area following his second-place finish in the first round of the men’s 1,500-meter race at the IAAF World Championships.
When a reporter asked how he felt, Manzano grinned and said he felt great.
After posting a time of 3 minutes and 39.39 seconds in his heat, Manzano now competes Aug. 16 in the semi-final round of the International Association of Athletics Federations Track and Field World Championships.
Manzano won the silver medal in the same event during the 2012 London Olympics. He is a 2004 MFHS graduate who grew up in Granite Shoals.
In the first round, Manzano finished second to Kenya’s Silas Kiplagat who covered the distance in 3 minutes and 39.31 seconds.
Fellow Americans Lopez Lomong and Matthew Centrowitz also advanced to the semi-final round. They ran in separate preliminary heats.
Kenya’s Asbel Kiprop posted the fastest time in the first round races at 3 minutes and 38.15 seconds.
During the semi-final heat, Manzano will find himself on the track with Lomong. The same heat includes Kiplagat and Kiprop.
Manzano’s personal best in the 1,500-meter is 3 minutes and 32.37 seconds. This year, his fastest time is 3 minutes and 33.14 seconds.
The top five finishers in the two semi-final heats along with the next two fastest runners advance to the 1,500-meter finals on Aug. 18.
daniel@thepicayune.com