Leo Manzano advances to 1,500-meter finals in London Olympics; former Mustang thanks his family, fans who ‘helped me succeed’
LONDON — With his signature kick carrying him past several competitors during the Olympic men’s 1,500-meter semi-finals Aug. 5, Marble Falls High School graduate Leonel “Leo” Manzano launched himself into the finals.
Manzano earned his spot in the race coming Aug. 7 by posting a time of 3 minutes and 42.94 seconds for fourth place in his semi-final heat. The finals are scheduled for 3:15 p.m. CST.
“I am thrilled to have achieved this first goal I set for myself at these games,” said Manzano from London. “I am grateful for all the support from family, friends and fans who helped me succeed.”
Manzano, who is from Granite Shoals, graduated from Marble Falls High in 2004, then attended the University of Texas at Austin.
The field of runners stayed close during most of the race Aug. 5. Kenyan Asbel Kiprop began to take over the competition after the 800-meter mark, but he couldn’t shake the rest of the runners. As the final lap bell rang, Algerian Taoufik Makhloufi established himself and moved out front.
As the runners began making their way around the final turn, Makhloufi stretched out his lead. With the top five finishers guaranteed of advancing to the finals, the runners trailing behind Makhloufi began battling for the next four spots.
Manzano came around the turn outside the top five, but he quickly turned up it a notch and ran down several other competitors.
He caught up with Kiprop and Ethiopian Mekonnen Gebremedhin at the line in a photo finish.
Kiprop’s time was 3 minutes and 42.92 seconds for second. Gebremedhin finished between the Kenyan and Manzano with a time of 3 minutes and 42.93 seconds.
Makhloufi finished first in the semi-final heat in 3 minutes and 42.24 seconds.
In the second semi-final heat, Morocco’s Abdalaati Iguider finished in 3 minutes and 33.99 seconds for first.
American Matt Centrowitz earned a spot in the finals with a fifth-place finish in the second heat of the semi-finals with a time of 3 minutes and 34.9 seconds.
This is Manzano’s second trip to the Olympics. He competed in the 1,500-meter race in the 2008 Beijing games, where he qualified for the semi-final round but didn’t advance to the finals.
WATCH LEO RACE
The R-Bar and Grill, 904 Third St. in Marble Falls, will hold a viewing party 3 p.m. Aug. 7 for Leonel Manzano’s attempt to win a medal in the finals of the 1,500 meters at the London 2012 Summer Olympics.