From Ina To China ; Boaz Lalang Places Ninth In Olympic 800 Meter Run
By Randy Olson

The Olympic dream for Rend Lake College student-athlete, Boaz Lalang, ended in the semi-finals of the 800 meter run in Beijing , China .  The native of Kenya captured the hearts of everyone in southern Illinois as he came within two-hundredths of a second of making the finals in the 800 meter event.  His time of 1:45:87 was third in his semi-final heat, and was the seventh fastest time overall in the semis, although officallly he bows out in ninth place out of 24 runners, with only eight athletes qualifying for the finals.  

Although Lalang’s time was faster than both of the qualifiers from heat 1 – Kenyan teammate Wilfred Bungei (1:46.23) and Cuba ’s Yeimer Lopez (1:46.40) – the finals are reserved for the top two finishers in each heat, plus the next two best times. A fast second heat, paced by winner and teammate Alfred Kirwa Yego ( Kenya ) with a 1:44.73, produced the seventh and eighth qualifiers in Yusuf Saad Kamel of Brunei and Nadjim Manseur of Algeria with times of 1:44.95 and 1:45.54, respectively.

Dressed in the red and aqua green jersey of his native Kenya , Lelang ran in the third and final heat.  He finished just 0.02 behind Canadian Gary Reed and was only 0.24 seconds behind heat winner Nabil Madi of Algeria .  (See complete results below in each heat)

Witnessing the race in person at the Olympics “Bird’s Nest” Stadium was Brent McLain, Athletic Director at RLC and the track coach for Lelang.  McLain was overwhelmed with emotion as he reflected on the experience.  “He was so close, he had the seventh fastest (semifinal) time,” said McLain. “They went out and looked good for about 100 meters and then nobody wanted to take it. So, he took the lead. Eventually everyone slowed down for about 100 meters. Then they ran a great last lap, faster than any other heat. If someone would have took it from there, he would have been fine. It was a great race for him.”

Instead of dwelling on the disappointment of falling short by two-hundredths of a second, McLain is extremely proud of the accomplishments of his Rend Lake College star athlete, and he knows that this will motivate Lalang in the future.  “We were sad for about five minutes until we started thinking what an accomplishment and that he has so many years of his life in front of him,” said McLain.  “He is only 19 years old and he will be 23 when the Olympics return in 2012 at London .  Boaz is the type of athlete and person who takes this and lets it motivate him. He wants to get back and go to school and run hard. The good thing is that he is going to be fired up. He now knows he can beat the two Kenyans who made it. He now knows he can run with the best in the world.”

The pride and sense of awe was also expressed by Rend Lake College Interim President, Charley Holstein.  “At first you are disappointed to hear the news,” said Holstein , “But then, you stop and think about the level of competition in which he was performing and the experience he must have had. He is truly an amazing athlete and we are all so very proud of him.”

Despite the outcome, Lalang accomplished a personal goal in his semifinal heat. He wanted to beat the current world junior record holder, Abubaker Kaki of the Sudan , who ran the fastest 800 meter race this year.  Lalang succeeded in beating him by almost 3.5 seconds.   During the first-round preliminary heats, Lalang finished with the fifth fastest time out of 58 runners at 1:45:72 which further cements his place among the top 800 meter runners in the world.  Lalang is beginning his sophomore year at Rend Lake College where he was a national track champion and a NJCAA Coach’s Association Academic All-American his freshman year.  His performance at the Olympics makes Lalang the most famous student-athlete in the history of Rend Lake College.  Everyone can agree that he certainly put the Ina in China.

Rend Lake College track coach and Athletic Director, Brent McLain, made the long trip to Beijing China with his wife to witness the efforts of Boaz Lalang in person.  McLain and Lalang visit with each other above at the practice track just before Lalang ran in the preliminary heats of the 800 meter event.

In the 800 meter preliminary heats, Boaz Lalang (Kenya uniform above) recorded the 5th fastest time out of 58 total runners, crossing the line at 1:45.72

The track & field events of the 2008 Olympic Games in Bejing, China were held inside the unique stadium known as "The Bird Cage" pictured above.  This photo was taken by the McLain's as they prepared to watch Rend Lake College student-athlete, Boaz Lalang, compete in the 800 meter run.