The President of the Boards is president no more.
Since 2001, Bernard Lagat has owned the Wanamaker Mile, winning the Millrose Games' flagship event a record eight times. He so mastered Madison Square Garden's undersized oval track that a once-dramatic race lacked suspense.
But Friday night, at the 104th Millrose Games, there was intrigue. Lagat, an American by way of Kenya, lost his first Wanamaker in seven years, finishing behind Deresse Mekonnen of Ethiopia. Mekonnen clocked a 3:58.58; Lagat finished just behind in 3:59.01.
"I tried my best," Lagat said. "But I lost to a great athlete."
It was a loss that few - not even Mekonnen - saw coming. The 23-year-old entered as the two-time defending world indoor 1,500-meter champion, but he didn't believe he had a chance to oust Lagat.
"I expected that Lagat would win," Mekonnen said through a translator. "And I thought that if he were first, I might make second."
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