2007 Duke graduate Shannon Rowbury, the fastest American in her field, took seventh place Saturday morning in the 1,500-meter final at the National Stadium in Beijing, finishing 3.58 seconds behind Kenya's Nancy Langat, the gold medalist. Rowbury's finish was the highest ever by an American.
Rowbury was in fifth place with 600 meters left and fourth with 500 remaining but lagged behind in the final laps. The 2007 national champion in the indoor mile and Duke record-holder in the 1,500m was the only American to qualify for the final.
The only Olympians with Duke ties still in competition now are Team USA head coach Mike Krzyzewski and reserve forward Carlos Boozer. Gail Goestenkors, the former Duke women's basketball head coach, took a gold medal this morning as an assistant coach. Freshman fencer Becca Ward won two bronze medals earlier in the games.
--by Ben Cohen
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