Chris Lukezic (COL ’06) thinks he has the potential to be the best middle-distance runner in the world. Now he wants to try and prove it.
In July – after placing second at the U.S. National Meet in Carson, Calif., and qualifying for August’s World Championships in Helsinki, Finland – the former Hoya track and field athlete decided to hang up his blue and gray jersey and declare himself a professional athlete.
Lukezic signed with the athletics representation firm Global Athletics and Marketing and now runs for Reebok, the same firm that represents another former Hoya-turned-pro athlete, Treniere Clement (COL ’04).
Lukezic joins the ranks of other former Hoya track stars who have decided to go pro, including Jesse O’Connell (COL ’04), Tyrona Heath (COL ’02), Sasha Spencer (MSB ’01) and Bryan Woodward (COL ’97).
After the U.S. National Meet in June, where Lukezic finished second in the 1,500 meters to his occasional training partner Alan Webb of Reston, Va., Lukezic made the decision. He said it came down to his “drive” to become the “best middle-distance runner in the world.”
Although the top three finishers at nationals advanced to the world championships, his national meet time of 3:42.06 was short of the 3:36.20 required to continue, so Lukezic headed to Europe to try and run a qualifying time in the 1,500, a race that is comparable to the mile.
Lined up against the best runners in the world before 40,000 fans and spectators, Lukezic at first encountered disappointment. At the Athletissima meet in Lausanne, Switzerland, on July 2, he finished 13th at 3:37.69. Two weeks later at the Golden Gala Meet in Rome, he finished 11th, although two seconds slower at 3:39.95.
Twice he came close to the qualifying mark, but fell short both times. Yet Lukezic said he was not worried.
“I was very confident that I was fit enough to run at least that fast [3:36.20 to qualify], probably capable of faster,” he said.
With the London Grand Prix next on his schedule, Lukezic returned to the United States for 10 days to train and recharge. On July 22, he finished eighth in the London race – with a world championship qualifying time of 3:35.22. It was a performance for the Georgetown record books, putting Lukezic second among all-time Hoya 1,500-meter performances, behind Steve Holman (COL ’92), who ran a 3:34.95 in Monte Carlo in 1992.
At the World Championships on August 6-14, Lukezic came one place short of reaching the finals. While he said that he was initially disappointed, he was ultimately positive about his performance.
“The experience of being there and racing opened my eyes and motivated me to come back in two years ready to win,” he said. “I can now see that at the age of 21 that I was very close, and that is exciting and will motivate me over the course of the next two years.”
Lukezic admits that the decision to go pro was not easy. While he will complete his business degree this spring, he will no longer be able to compete on Georgetown’s track and field team.
“Not being able to compete alongside my teammates and my best friends was the hardest factor in deciding to turn pro,” he said. “Being part of this team has meant a lot to me.”
But Lukezic will not be abandoning the team entirely. He plans to continue training with the team when it is advantageous for both.
Former Georgetown middle-distance coach Juli Henner, who stepped down after last season, will be Lukezic’s personal coach. She has coached Lukezic since his freshman year, and the two have developed a strong working relationship.
“She will tell me things I might not want to hear,” Lukezic said. “But I have enough respect for her to take seriously what she says.”
The continuity in Lukezic’s schedule is in keeping with Henner’s philosophy.
“The key to becoming a great athlete is not to make too many changes every year,” she said. “If Chris just keeps running like he has, he’s going to improve.”
In the short-term, Lukezic said he hopes to race at next summer’s European Grand Prix Final, a prestigious competition which invites only the top 12 athletes in the world in each event. The World Championships in 2007 and the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008 are also on the horizon.
While Helmer said that he is confident that Lukezic will find a measure of success as a professional athlete, he was quick to note the challenges that the job presents. He believes Lukezic is among America’s top three or five milers, not to mention the youngest of that group. If Lukezic can break into the top two, then he will be in good position for international competition.
“Being one of America’s top milers isn’t like being one of America’s top 400-meter runners,” Helmer said, since American milers face much stiffer foreign competition. But if Lukezic can overcome that obstacle, his success will be even sweeter.
