Are your serious?
Former Seekonk High all-stater Johnny Gregorek qualified for the IAAF World Championships on Saturday. The fact that he earned a berth to next month's meet is not the surprise. Since graduating from Columbia University and turning pro shortly after, Gregorek has been among our top middle distance stars in the country with a best of 3:53 for the mile.
The surprise here is how Gregorek was able to punch his ticket to the Worlds (Aug. 4-13 in London) at the USTAF Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Sacramento, Calif. Entered in a loaded 1,500m race, the Massachusetts native was in tenth place by the time he reached the bell lap. With a monster kick the final 400m, Gregorek was able to chase down the lead pack and passed Craig Engels the final straightaway to secure third place and the final spot on the US team. Gregorek finished with a time of 3:43.99. Winning the race was Robby Andrews, who edged two-time defending champion and Olympic gold medalist Matthew Centrowitz with a time of 3:43.29 to Centrowitz's 3:43.41 effort.
