2005 USA OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS
Interview with Chris Lukezic

Reported by Parker Morse

Chris Lukezic finished second to his sometime training partner, Alan Webb, in the men's 1,500 in 3:42.06.

Q: How did this race compare with the NCAA final?
Chris Lukezic: Coming back here, I felt more composed than I did at NCAAs. I think a lot of that was due to the fact that I didn't run a very smart race. I definitely made up for it today, though. I'm happy with the result. [Note: At the NCAA Championships in June, Lukezic made a big move in the 1,500 and led on the final lap, but faded dramatically and finished sixth in 3:38.58.]

Q: Did you think you could beat Alan?
CL: Yeah, definitely. Part of [not catching him] could be because we train together, and part of it was that I'd come from the back. I had to make up a lot of ground coming off the turn. I was running on fumes for the whole last lap. But I was trying to beat him. I can't complain. I'm happy for him. 1-2 is great; I couldn't imagine anything better. We train together, so for us to go 1-2, I don't think there could be a better result.

Q: Does not having the kind of attention that you would get at the NCAA meet take the pressure off a bit?
CL: I don't know. I think that I put a lot of pressure on myself, and I was so excited for the result and to see what would happen there. I got too excited at NCAAs, and it backfired when I took off and tried to run with it from 700m out. Coming in here, with less pressure... you know, the sport is fun to me. I couldn't think of anything better to do, anything else I'd want to be doing. Before races, I don't get very nervous. More than anything, I'm just excited for the opportunity to get on the track and run and see what happens. I don't think that the pressure here or there is any different.

Q: Three years ago you had the first of two junior titles at this meet. Does that experience help you at the senior level?
CL: Yeah, I think that running those big meets as a junior, that seems like it's everything then. I think that you get used to having expectations, getting out to meets and having to perform when things are on the line. I think that helped a lot. My senior year, I ran a lot of big races, and made it to the junior worlds meet. This is the next logical step. The second the Trials were over last year, I was thinking about making it to Helsinki. I knew it was possible. After being fourth last year, and having another whole year to progress, the sequence I've been running has led up to this point. Hopefully it will keep going from here.

Q: You've got to run 3:36.20 now. Do you have a plan for that?
CL: Nothing's set in stone yet, no. I've been a little caught up in college, and I don't really know what [meets] I can get in. I'm going to wait and see how things work out. I'm confident that I can run the time. I feel that I'm head and heels above 3:36.2 shape, so I just need to get in a race where that's possible, and I think I'll be fine.

Q: How far away are you from running that time?
CL: I think today, if the pace had been fast, I could've done it today. I'm extremely confident after NCAAs, running from the front; essentially that was my first rested race of the year, the first fast race outside Mt. SAC when we were 2:02 at the 800. That was my tune-up, it got me ready and made me confident.

(Interview conducted June 25, 2005)