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Great Britain and United States own men’s 10,000 meters

By Phil Sheridan, The Philadelphia Inquirer –

LONDON — Alberto Salazar’s plan sounded simple enough. Run fast for six miles and then run really, really fast at the end.

It was a winning strategy for the Olympic 10,000 meters. All it required were a couple of supremely talented, fit, and smart runners to carry it out. For a generation, those runners have hailed from Kenya and Ethiopia. Until Saturday night in London, when Salazar’s dual entry, Britain’s Mohamed Farah and the United States’ Galen Rupp, won gold and silver.

“It feels weird seeing Great Britain and the United States on the medal stand,” Rupp said.

He and Farah race as one team and for one coach, but for two nations. Their stunning and beautifully run performance here shook the ground inside and outside the Olympic Stadium.

Rupp, a 26-year-old from Portland, became just the third American, and first since Billy Mills won gold in 1964, to win a medal in the 10,000 meters.

Farah finished in 27 minutes, 30.42 seconds. Rupp crossed in 27:30.90.

Both men traveled much farther than 10,000 meters to reach that podium. Farah’s childhood took him from Somalia to Djibouti to London. His training took him from London to Kenya, where he trained with the African runners who dominate distance running, to Oregon, where he trains with Rupp under Salazar.

Rupp may have had an even longer journey. He has worked with Salazar since he was in high school and was there when Salazar and Nike created Project Oregon — an effort dedicated to getting Americans and Brits back on the medal stand for distance events.

“This has been a long buildup,” Rupp said. “I remember talking about this with (Salazar) in high school. He set this audacious goal to put Americans back on the medal stand in distance races.”

Salazar, three-time winner of the New York Marathon in the early 1980s, said he fully expected both Farah and Rupp to deliver in this race.

“I’ll be honest,” said Salazar, who was wearing a 2011 Penn Relays cap, “I thought we were going to medal. I thought we could go 1-3. I believe Mo is the best distance runner in the world, and I know Galen is just a step behind.”

Farah took off during the final straightaway. Rupp followed. As Farah crossed the finish line, he did two things in quick succession. He raised his arms, and he looked quickly back. Rupp was right there, and the expression on Farah’s face as he realized they’d finished 1-2 told the whole story.

Fraser-Pryce wins 100

A golden ribbon in her hair, Jamaica’s Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce made it back-to-back Olympic titles in the women’s 100, closing ground over the last 20 meters and leaning at the line to win in 10.75 seconds and edge American Carmelita Jeter by 0.03 seconds.

Fraser-Pryce became the first woman to repeat in the 100 since Gail Devers of the United States in 1992 and 1996.

In Jamaica, though, they’ve been thinking about 1962 a lot of late. This weekend marks 50 years since the country became independent from Britain. Nice way to start the celebration.

“I want to tell Jamaica: Happy 50th anniversary,” Fraser-Pryce said.

Another Jamaican, Veronica Campbell-Brown, finished third for her second career 100-meter bronze. The country fell out of the running for a repeat of its sweep in Beijing after 2008 silver medalist Kerron Stewart failed to make it through the semifinals.

Tianna Madison and Allyson Felix of the United States finished fourth and fifth, respectively.

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