Cheseret named USA Track Athlete of the Week

Robert Cheseret #36

Former University of Arizona star Robert Cheseret (Colorado Springs, Colo.) has been named USA Track & Field’s Athlete of the Week after winning his first U.S. road title Sunday at the 2010 USA 5 km Championships in Providence, R.I. 

The younger brother of U.S. star middle distance runner Bernard Lagat, Cheseret won a very competitive men’s race that saw a pack of six men passing two miles together in 9:01, with Aaron Braun (Flagstaff, Ariz.) and Ben Bruce (Eugene, Ore.) controlling the pace.  

In making the final turn off of Memorial Drive and running up the only significant hill on the course, Bruce had a slight edge over Cheseret, Braun and Andy Biladeau (Charlottesville, Va.). Cresting the hill just after the three mile mark, Cheseret had one more gear, kicking by Bruce to win by two-tenths of a second, 14:00.00 to 14:00.20. Braun took third in 14:05 with Biladeau finishing fourth in 14:06. Kyle Alcorn (Mesa, Ariz.) rounded out the top five in 14:10. Cheseret, who became a U.S. citizen in 2009, was the NCAA champion at 10,000 meters in 2005 finishing just ahead of two-time national 10,000m champion and 2008 Olympian Galen Rupp.

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