Wow! The final day of the U.S. Olympic Trials is in the books. What an experience this has been. From the magic of Laura Roesler, to the national record of Jeff Demps, to the toughness and talent of Jordan Hasay, this 2008 edition of the Trials has been one to remember. On Sunday the lone high school athlete competing was Jordan Hasay (pictured right by Tim Fulton) in the women's 1500m final. Did she ever impress!

U.S. Olympic Trials - Sunday Coverage

Women's 1,500m Final

Results (USATF)

It was a race that played out just the way Jordan Hasay (pictured left by Tim Fulton) wanted. The Mission Prep, California junior made the final with a last minute kick on Friday evening, bringing the crowd to their feet, while breaking the high school 1,500 meter record in 4:14.50. With such a great race Friday one might expect Hasay to be feeling pressure to run even faster and place even better in Sunday's final, but that certainly wasn't the case.

"The time didn't matter, I already got the record. The place didn't matter because I made the final. I just wanted to go out there and have fun," stated Hasay.

That she did. With a big smile on her face at the starting line, Hasay started in lane one, position one. She was the last runner announced and received the loudest applause. As the gun fired it is safe to say over half the fans in the stands had their eyes on Hasay, seeing just how well this prep phenom could run.

With a conservative first lap of 69 seconds, Hasay lay in the back of the field, feeling out her competition and not getting too caught up in the chaos up front with the faster runners. As the field moved into the second lap Hasay continued to hang, looking strong and looking confident in her abilities.

"The race went out slow, which was good for me," Hasay stated when asked about the conservative opening pace.

From the half way point the field started to spread out, with the top contenders pulling away and Hasay maintaining contact in the back of the pack, even passing the experienced veteran Trenier Clement. With 400 meters to go Hasay looked at the clock, which hit 3:08. With the field spreading out quickly it was time for Hasay to move.

Into the final stretch she went, arms pumping, her stride extending ever so slightly to pick up speed. The crowd roared, not only for the leaders, but for the most successful prep star of the eight days of competition. With 200 meters to go Hasay really started to move, catching up to Reebok athlete Jenelle Deatherage, then outkicking her with 150 meters to go, all the while catching such notable athletes as Sara Hall, Sarah Bowman and Tiffany McWilliams. What company!

Hasay didn't catching the trio of competitors, but crossed the line in tenth place, finishing off her four day span of racing with a successful 4:17.36. It wasn't a record, but it wasn't about records today. It wasn't about placing. The experience is what mattered most and Hasay earned a lifetime of experience for only a junior in high school.

"I didn't even think I was going to be in this race," she said, "I really look up to all these girls out there and looking around before the race, seeing what they were doing, I felt I could pick up some tips and they congratulated me afterwards, which was great."

With her season winding down Hasay now finds herself in select company. She's an Olympic Trials finalist, holds the national high school 1,500 meter record and earned the respect of the top milers in the land. However, she is far from finished.

"I drive to Portland tonight and head to Poland tomorrow," Hasay said when talking about flying to the World Junior T&F Championships, "I learned a lot here and I know it will help me in Poland."

Her goal isn't just to make the final there, nor is breaking the national record for 1,500 meters, rather it's to bring a medal home, marking her rise to the next level. Acting like a professional in every way today, from her pre-race warm-up, to her smart racing strategies in each of her three races, to how she controlled the media, Hasay would be considered the future of U.S. distance running had she not already moved into the role of current U.S. distance running star. Her future is now fully upon us.

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