University of Minnesota Athletics
Mead Moves on to Olympic 5,000 Final
8/17/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Cross Country
RIO DE JANEIRO (GopherSports.com) -- Gophers great Hassan Mead will run in the Olympic 5,000 meter final after all.
It just took the better part of a day to find that out.
The Minneapolis, Minn., native fell on the final lap of Wednesday's first round action after his legs tangled with British runner Mo Farah, dropping Mead from third to 13th in his heat. He finished the race although his time of 13:34.27 did not qualify him for the event final.
Mead's initial appeal was denied although additional video evidence shown to officials on Wednesday night resulted in Mead winning his Jury of Appeal request.
"I'm baaaaackkkkk". There are no words can describe the support and love that has been pouring… https://t.co/jywoJWmMRK
- Hassan Mead (@HassyHass35) August 18, 2016
An eight-time All-American and a nine-time Big Ten champion for the Gophers, Mead still owns Minnesota records in the outdoor 10,000 meters (28:12.74), the outdoor 5,000 meters (13:28.45), the indoor 5,000 meters (13:33.42) and the 8,000 meters in cross country (23:29). Mead made his international debut for Team USA at the 2015 IIAF World Championships in Beijing, China - finishing 15th in the 10,000 meters.
Mead races in the 5,000 meter final at Olympic Stadium on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. CT.
Meanwhile, Gophers alum Ben Blankenship races in the 1,500 meter semifinals on Thursday at 6:52 p.m. CT.
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