Men,s 1500 meters at Olympic Trials, Rob Myers in blue shorts
Rob Myers, from Rushville is a Fairfield Union High School two- time state champion in the 800 and 1600-meter run and Division II Cross Country State Champion. Myers who was an All American at Ohio State University in both indoor and outdoor track won the 2004 USA Indoor Track & Field 1500 Meter Championships with his 3:40.80 clocking.

Rob finished third in the Olympic Trails 1500 Meters with a personal best of 3:38.93.

This year, the USA Track and Field changed the selection process. Now, top-three finishers must have at least achieved the "B'' standard before the conclusion of the trials in order to be eligible to chase the "A'' standard before the Olympics. Myers missed the B standard by .93 seconds.

How has your training been leading up to the Trials?

"Training has been excellent; Coach Gary puts a lot of thought into what we do. We have been on the track twice a week not including races."

What was your plan going into the finals.. "Get a clear path early, cover moves, and when I go... BANG!"

Were you able to see Robert Gary run the steeple chase after your semi finals race on Thursday? "Yes, I stopped in the middle of my cool down to watch his race on the TV's in the practice area. It was fun. A bunch of 1500m runners and other distance guys were behind the stadium shouting at a TV only 400m from the actual race. We could hear the crowd cheering; it sent chills down my spin. I was extremely excited for coach because he deserved it. He has worked hard and overcome a lot this year."

Rob, Congratulations on your 3rd place finish in the 1500 meter finals. Can you tell us how the race went for you?

"Thank you, I went out fast the first 100m to get a good position. I wanted to be right off the leaders shoulder. Once I got there, Web or Ahmed, I'm not sure which one, slammed on the brakes and the rest of the pack bunched up around me. From that point I just tried to keep my position but eventually got squeezed back some. When Web made his explosive move, I barely got a glimpse of it. I tried to stay relaxed and go with the chase pack as much as possible. With about 400m to go Chris Lukezic passed me. I snapped out of the zone, realized I had started to drop the ball and took off as hard as I could. When I caught Gruber on the final turn he had just enough to hold me off down the homestretch."

I know your dad and mom help coach you at Fairfield Union High School what were their feeling seeing you run the finals?

"My brother Chad also helped coach me in high school. They were so excited. They have always been a huge part of my running and they make it to almost all of my meets. My dad keeps making jokes about showing up in Europe to watch me run over the next three weeks. But seriously I have the greatest family ever. Everyone is very supportive of me. It wouldn't be as great of an experience without them."

For you to have had a chance to make the Olympic team, besides racing so well in the Trials you needed a "B" standard in the race to allow you to try to go for the "A" standard by August 9th. What is your feeling about the rule?

"I feel that the new rule puts more emphasis on running to a twelfth place finish in some small race in Europe and then not finishing in the trials. It takes away the glory of persevering through two rounds and then having the strength to come back and be top three in the Olympic Trial Finals. It seemed to be hard enough for those who already had the "A" or "B" standard. But I knew the rule and since I didn't go race in Europe last year and I didn't want to peak before the trials I took my chances at there. I'm still very happy that I was able to be top three."

I know the air temperature was 97 and the track temperature was 110 during the finals. How much faster do you think you might have been able to run if the race was held in the evening?

"The heat was just another variable in the whole race. I'm not willing to say it slowed me down. The only thing for me to do is figure out how to get faster."

Do you plan to race anymore the rest of the year?

"Yes, I will be in Europe in August and plan on running about four races. I'm very excited and can't wait to get there. I will be in England, Sweden and Germany."

What are your running plans for the short term and what are they for the long term (say 4 years from now)?

"I will be taking a short break when I get back from Europe then I will start the necessary training for the up coming year. I would like to set a wide range of new PR's next year. 4 years from now I would like to be on a whole new level of running. I would like to run low 3:30's for the 1500m."

What advice could you give to high school or college runners who want to improve their running?

1) Learn from your mistakes! 2) Dream, Dream, Dream then work hard for those dreams! 3) If you fall down, get back up!

Another article of Rob Meyers on RUNOHIO's web site:

http://www.runohio.com/news/03-01-04Myers_wins.html