Former BYU track athlete Josh McAdams raced to a first-place finish Sunday in the steeplechase at the U.S. Track and Field Championships in Indianapolis.
McAdams, who won an NCAA steeplechase title while at BYU in 2006, took charge on the final lap of the 3,000-meter event, finishing in a time of 8:24.46.
Winning the U.S. championship qualifies him for the world meet Aug. 25-Sept. 2 in Osaka, Japan.
?I felt confident coming in,? McAdams said, in a release on the USA Track & Field Web site. ?Top three was my goal, but I didn?t doubt that I could win. I was more nervous for the prelim than I was here.?
McAdams said he?s looking forward to representing his country at the worlds.
?This really is a dream come true,? he said. ?I?m going to compete for USA and wear the USA uniform.?
Now, McAdams is focused on preparing for an even tougher race in Osaka.
?I?m just going to be ready for a fast prelim, and if I make it back to the final, I?m confident I can come back strong,? he said.
In Sunday?s race, U.S. record holder Dan Lincoln took the lead with 600m left, but McAdams passed him for good with 250m to go. McAdams finished more than two seconds ahead of the pack, leaving the race for the second- and third-place spots as the only real suspense. Aaron Aguayo took second in a time of 8:27.01 and Thomas Brooks was third in 8:27.34.
