Fleshman and Bruce excited for the opportunity to compete at Worlds
OTC contingent in Daegu is up to eight athletes

Lauren Fleshman may not have any fingernails left after an anxious Tuesday, but with or without them, the Oregon Track Club Elite athlete will be running in Daegu, as a member of Team USA at the IAAF World Athletics Championships.

The OTC compound in London, England shook with some great news early this week, as the official Team USA announcement included both Fleshman and teammate Ben Bruce. Both athletes did not finish in the top three at the USA Championships in June, but ran IAAF ‘A’ Standards in their respective events over the past few weeks – and were added to the squad when the athletes who placed above them at Nationals either did not hit the ‘A’ Standard or elected not to run in Daegu.

The latter was the case for Fleshman, who was getting regular updates from her agent before hearing that Desiree Davila had decided not to run the 5k, leaving room for Fleshman – who bettered the standard with a dramatic win in 15 minutes, 0.57 seconds at the London Diamond League meet on Saturday.

“I was in major suspense for a while … all my fingernails are gone,” Fleshman said via email from England. “But when (my agent) told me Desi Davila gave up her spot in the 5k, my heart started pounding like crazy and I told the whole London house of OTC people. Then I jumped on Bridget (Franek) and gave her a monster hug.”

Bruce earned his ticket to Korea by setting a two-second personal-best of 8:19.10 in the Barcelona 3,000-meter steeplechase three weeks ago.

“It was great to be in the same room as Lauren when she found out. We are great friends and we both got on the team in such a similar fashion,” Bruce said via email. “We can't believe it really happened this way for both of us – a great reward for racing well in Europe.”

Fleshman and Bruce will join Franek (3,000 steeple), Nick Symmonds (800), Andrew Wheating (1,500), Ashton Eaton (decathlon), and Jesse Williams (high jump) as OTC members on Team USA’s roster. Also representing OTC in Korea will be Kenyan Sally Kipyego, a medal contender in the 10,000.

OTC Elite head coach Mark Rowland was excited to hear about the two new additions to his squad at Worlds.

“I knew there was only a slim chance that Lauren would get in, and it’s great that she got picked,” Rowland said. “She’s on an upward curve and is looking forward to competing in a World Championship event. She had an exceptional performance in London and hopefully she will gain confidence from it as we move forward.”

“Ben didn’t run well in the trial, but he put that behind him and responded in a positive manner,” Rowland continued. “It is his first track World Championships, and he has to take that opportunity and run well. To make the final is going to be a tough order, but he’s in the best shape of his life right now.”

Competition in Daegu begins on August 27 and continues through September 4.

Becky Radliff
OTC Elite Media Relations
[email protected]