After initially being told that he had qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trial 1,500 meter final at Hayward Field Friday afternoon, Jordan McNamara’s hopes were left in limbo for approximately 90 minutes.
McNamara, a former standout at the University of Oregon who now competes for Eugene-based Oregon Track Club Elite, clinched what was supposed to be the final qualifying spot in the 1,500 semifinal, until it was temporarily yanked out from under him.
McNamara finished in 3:45.01 to place seventh in the second and final heat, and while he did not place high enough to earn an automatic qualifying spot, his time was good enough to earn the last at-large spot for Sunday’s 12-man final. He finished with the seventh-fastest overall time, faster than the 3:47.67 that Izaic Yorks won the first heat with.
“That was a deathly heat to get through,” McNamara said following the race. “I was wondering how many beers the guy had had when he made the selections for the heat. But hey, that’s the nature of the sport. Happy to move on, it shows I deserve to be in the final. Let’s do it.”
Until, apparently, he didn’t deserve to be in the final.
Minutes after McNamara addressed the media, it was announced that he had been disqualified for impeding another runner.
There was no official reason given as to why he had been disqualified, simply a “DQ” next to his name in the results. Former Duck Johnny Gregoreck finished just behind McNamara in 3:45.59 and was slotted into the last qualifying spot as a result.
An hour and a half after the race ended, USATF announced via email that the jury of appeals had decided to not disqualify McNamara, and that he and Gregoreck would both run in Saturday’s final, which is now expanded to 13 runners.
“I think it was a premature decision,” McNamara said in a phone call with the Emerald after he was reinstated. “But I appreciate the fact that they were just trying to make sure they had it right.”
At the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials, McNamara finished seventh, less than a second behind third place Andrew Wheating, and missed out on a spot to the U.S. Olympic team.
During Friday’s semifinal, McNamara uncorked a furious kick down the backstretch to ensure that the most important week of his career didn’t come to a similar end. Right alongside him was Wheating, who finished sixth in 3:44.73.
“I thought he deserved it,” McNamara said of Wheating, following the race. “Because I gave him a healthy push from 300 out to create space for myself. We’re teammates, we’re friends, but as soon as that gun goes off we’re not doing anyone any favors.
“He deserves to be in the final and so do I, so I’m glad we both made it through.”
After surviving a stacked field of competitors and a bizarre misunderstanding, McNamara lives to fight another day.
The 1,500 meter final will take place Sunday at 5:20 p.m.
Follow Jarrid Denney on Twitter @jarrid_denney