Australian runner Ryan Gregson produced his best finish this season coming second in the London Diamond League 1500-metre race at the Olympic Stadium last week.
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The second place was special, just being pipped at the finish line by the reigning Olympic champion Matt Centrowitz from the United States.
Centrowitz had won the Olympic gold medal in Rio two years ago where Gregson also reached that final, the first Australian to do so in 40 years.
Gregson was happy with his time in London only having achieved his season’s best a week earlier in the Rabat Diamond League meet with a time of 3 minutes 34.38 seconds.
“It was so close, it was a good race, he is no slouch, he is the Olympic Champion!” Gregson said after the race.
“A lot of guys in today’s race were a similar level to me so it was good to beat all but one.”
It was a classy field in the 1500 metres where the early pacemakers led by Djibouti’s Hissam Bashim took the opening lap in 56.3 seconds.
Gregson stayed with the second pack alongside the Olympic champion until the final lap when the pace went into top gear to catch up the leading pack.
At the final bend, it was Gregson and Centrowitz overtaking the leader and going head-to-head until the finish line.
Centrowitz took the verdict finishing in 3:33.35 with Gregson in second place in 3:35:22.
This was one of his best races since finishing ninth at the recent Commonwealth Games at the Gold Coast in the 1500 metre event.
“Yes it’s up there with my best ever races,” he said.
“I was only 0.1 seconds away from winning a Diamond League.
“National Championships are important to me as over the past few years I have been the favourite going into the championship.”
“I enjoy meeting these expectations of winning domestically, but achievements on the international stage are what I value most.”
“Earlier in the season I competed in the Rabat Diamond League where I ran my seasons best time of 3:34.38, the 6th fastest time of my career,” he said.
Gregson’s next race is the Birmingham Diamond league meeting in two weeks.
Gregson was born and raised in Wollongong and was a member of the Kembla Joggers running club.
He studied carpentry at TAFE NSW in Wollongong and has a degree in business and marketing. As a teenager he competed nationally in cricket and field hockey.
He holds the Australian record for the men's 1500 metres, both outdoors and indoors.
