Recent Penn graduate Sam Burley would have reached the semifinal round in the 800 meters at the World Track and Field Championships had he followed one of the most elementary rules of his trade: stay in your lane.
The indoor and outdoor Penn 800m record holder, long acclaimed as a "big race guy," cruised to a 1:46.63 fourth-place finish in his heat during the opening round in Paris.
His time would have earned him a berth in the semifinals. The top two finishers in each of the eight heats automatically advance regardless of time. Also, the next eight best times also win an opportunity to advance to the final round. Burley's time was the sixth-best time of the non-automatic qualifiers.
Yet Burley was later disqualified for stepping on his lane line at the beginning of the race.
The 2003 NCAA gold medalist was looking for redemption after a disappointing, injury-hampered sixth-place finish at the United States Track and Field Championships in late June -- the first race of his Asics-sponsored professional career.
But much to his dismay, Burley's 2003 performance in Paris will long be spoken of in the conditional tense -- of what could and should have happened, were it not for a minor blunder.
"I thought he had a great shot [at making the finals]," Penn track coach Charlie Powell said.
"He knows how to race. That's one of the things he's great at."
Powell also stressed that Burley had endured the rigor of an entire collegiate season. In sharp contrast, many of his competitors had been keying on the race for months -- a testament to his enormous potential.
"They're strong," Powell said. "They're great tactically. He's just a little kid compared to some of those guys. He had a full collegiate season. He came in tired and almost put a lot of guys to shame."
The five-time collegiate All-American will now shift his focus to an even more daunting task -- qualifying for a spot on Team USA at the Olympic Trials next July in Sacramento, Calif.
"He's pretty fired up," Powell said.
Burley -- one of the three fastest Americans in the 800m -- is currently a favorite to make the team.
Current Penn captain Brian Chaput will join Burley in his quest for Olympic glory. Chaput is the reigning NCAA Champion in the javelin. Burley and Chaput, who were the fifth and sixth national champions in Penn track history, each finished sixth at the USA Track and Field Championships in June.
In his fledgling professional career, the results would say that Burley has thus far missed his old Red and Blue uniform -- colors which have never led him out of his lane. But renowned for such Powell-described qualities as "resiliency," "focus," and "self-confidence," his coach does not doubt that Burley will rebound.
"He's primed on being a world-class guy," Powell said. "He's a unique individual. He's going to be good."
