It took 40 years, but Steve Prefontaine's US record in the 5,000 meters finally fell Thursday night. It was the last major record held by Prefontaine, who died in a 1975 car crash at age 24, reports the Wall Street Journal. Galen Rupp finished his race at the US team's Olympic trials in 13 minutes, 22.67 seconds, beating Prefontaine's record by just 0.13 seconds. "I really just told myself, 'Keep your head down, keep your form good, and keep driving to the finish,'" said Rupp.
In part, the longevity of Prefontaine's record is an indication of how mediocre the US men's distance running program has been in the last few decades, observes the Journal. Its members have won only one Olympic medal since 1976—a silver in the marathon in 2004. But running experts said that this year's Olympic team looks strong. When Prefontaine died he held every American record from the two mile to the 10,000 meters; a USA Track & Field rep says it appears only two of his records now remain: six- and three-mile school records for the University of Oregon. But "those are far from commonly run distances anymore," she said. (More Steve Prefontaine stories.)
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