Leo Manzano of Team USA got a silver medal in the men’s 1500 meters at the 2012 Olympics on Tuesday. And, in doing so, he stopped a streak of futility for the U.S. in the event that lasted nearly a half-century.
Leo Manzano Wins First U.S. Medal In Men’s 1500m In 44 Years
Manzano, who placed second to Algeria’s Taoufik Makhloufi (3:34.08 seconds) in the event, ran his fastest time of the year in the event for silver, and became the first American man to win a medal in the 1500m since Jim Ryun, the first American to run the mile in less than four minutes. Ryun’s silver medal at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City was the last silver and last medal for a Team USA member in the event.
And the U.S. missed breaking an even longer streak by the .04 seconds that bronze medalist Abdalaati Iguider of Morocco beat fourth-place finisher American Matt Centrowitz by: the U.S. hasn’t won two medals in the 1500 meters in one Olympics since 1912.
Makhloufi’s gold was the first for an Algerian in the event since 1996.
For more on the Olympics, check out SB Nation’s London 2012 Olympics Hub. For more on Olympic athletics, follow the 2012 Olympic athletics section.
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