RIO DE JANEIRO – Chicago Cubs fans, take heart.
Matthew Centrowitz snapped a 108 year-old dry spell in the men's 1,500 meters for the United States with a wire-to-wire victory Saturday at the Rio Olympic Games. Duck alum Phyllis Francis followed that with a gold medal for the United States in the women's 4x400 meter relay.
Centrowitz, the 2011 NCAA 1,500 meter champion for Oregon, took charge of the race from the outset, setting a pedestrian pace that none of his 12 competitors disrupted for three laps. Centrowitz then made an early move on the final lap, perhaps catching some of his opposition off guard, and by the time the field responded is was too late.