Luchini still has Olympic shot Ellsworth native needs to make ‘A’ qualifying standard

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Only one thing was clear after the men’s 5,000-meter run at the U.S. Olympic Trials on Friday night: Tim Broe won the race. Broe made a decisive move in the latter stages and crossed the line in 13 minutes, 27.36 seconds, about three seconds clear of the field.

But it was not clear if he would represent his country in Athens.

In a sport often praised for its simplicity and purity, the Olympic team selection process has been nothing but Byzantine. Right now, Broe isn’t guaranteed a spot on the team. And it has produced a counterintuitive situation in which former Ellsworth High star Louie Luchini, who finished 12th Friday (13:50.64), still has a chance to make the team while Yarmouth’s Matt Lane, who was fourth (13:33.51), does not.

Because Luchini had run the Olympic B standard (13:25.40) heading into the race – and because all but two of the athletes who finished ahead of him did not – Luchini is one of four athletes that USA Track & Field has declared eligible for the Olympics.

Luchini has until Aug. 9 to run the Olympic A standard of 13:21.50. If he does, the 23-year-old could be on his way to Athens.

“I’m going to go to Europe and do a race and try to get the A standard. It’s worth a shot,” Luchini said.

The top three finishers at the trials normally would be selected for the team. But a country may send more than one athlete to the games only if they all have achieved the Olympic A standard. If there is not more than one athlete with the A standard, a country may send just one competitor, provided the athlete has met the B standard.

The only athlete in the race with the A standard, Jonathon Riley, finished second in 13:30.85. Neither Broe nor third-place finisher Bolota Asmerom has the B standard. So right now, Riley would be America’s only 5,000-meter representative in Athens.

But that’s not the end of the story. The four athletes selected by USA Track & Field – Broe, Riley, Jorge Torres, and Luchini – have until Aug. 9 to chase the standards.

Torres, seventh in 13:41.79, also was selected because he previously ran the B standard. Lane, despite finishing fourth, was not selected because he had not previously run the B standard.

That means that if Broe runs either the A or B standard, he goes to the Olympics. If Broe runs only the B standard (and neither Luchini nor Torres run the A standard), Riley stays home. If Luchini or Torres run the A standard, they would go to Athens along with Riley and whoever else from the group of four achieves the A standard. If Broe, Torres and Luchini all run the A standard, Luchini would not go because he finished behind Broe, Riley, and Torres at the trials.

Luchini is unsure which race he will run in Europe. He will return to his current residence, Palo Alto, Calif., for seven to 10 days to train and solidify his plans.

A nagging Achilles injury has meant that Luchini’s fitness isn’t where he wants it to be. The recent Stanford University graduate’s last race before the trials was the NCAA championships on June 12. He has been running in the pool to reduce strain on the Achilles and maintain fitness, but seemed to lack some of his usual sharpness and stamina at the trials.

He looked comfortable in last week’s semifinal round, but fell off the pace early in the final.

“I felt terrible, and got dropped early. I think [lack of] fitness is a big part of it, but I think I’m coming back into shape. I think having the preliminary [race] took a lot out of me, especially because I didn’t race that much during the [spring track] season,” Luchini said.

Lane swapped the lead with several other athletes during the early stages of Friday’s final. They all were attempting to break the A standard, which meant running about 4:18 per mile.

The leaders went through in 4:18 but a 4:27 second mile put them too far behind to run their way back into contention.

Lane also placed fourth at the 2000 trials.

“I’m severely disappointed to finish fourth for the second Olympic trials in a row,” Lane said. “This is devastating. The strategy was to run faster, but it didn’t work out.”