Nick Symmonds was out to prove he could win a medal. He was confident he could complete the 800 meters in 1 minute and 43 seconds, flat. He didn’t quite reach his intended mark during the 800-meter finals on Tuesday, but he did finally win that medal he’s come so painfully close to winning the past few years.
Symmonds took silver on Tuesday at the IAAF World Championships in Moscow, but late in the race, he wasn’t thinking about finishing second.
“At 750 (meters) I was pretty sure I was going to be the next world champion,” Symmonds told The Register-Guard. “But (race winner Mohammed Aman of Ethiopia) is tough.”
The Oregon Track Club Elite member couldn’t quite hold Aman off, finishing .24 seconds behind the gold-medalist. Despite the near-victory, Symmonds was more than happy with the effort he gave in what was one of the best, if not the best races he’s ever ran.
“I feel like I really raced for gold tonight,” he said. “I wasn’t content to sit in the back and hang on for dear life and be content to race for a bronze. I really raced for a gold and there is no shame in finishing second.”
Brianne Theisen-Eaton knows the feeling. The Oregon grad won silver in the heptathlon on Tuesday, finishing behind Ukraine’s Ganna Melnichenko. And unlike most athletes who win silver medals, Theisen-Eaton can’t say she’s a more accomplished track star than her husband. A month ago to the day, she and Ashton Eaton got married. Eaton, of course, is a former Oregon star himself, and has won two gold medals — first in the decathlon at the London Olympics, then this past Sunday in these same world championships.
“I’ve always watched him get his medals and think, ‘I wonder what that feels like?’” Theisen-Eaton told The Register-Guard. “Now I’m getting a little taste of it.”
Theisen-Eaton had to run in the 800 meters for her final event, which she characterized as, “the worst 800 I’ve ever run in my entire life.” She was happy with silver, though, and she got encouragement from her husband after it was all over.
“He said, ‘Good job. Enjoy your victory lap,’” Theisen-Eaton said. “He just wanted me to have my moment.”