A lad with good sense

clipped from www.oregonlive.com Outside of Africa, Rupp has best result by Ken Goe Sunday August 17, 2008, 2:05 PM BEIJING -- Galen Rupp made his Olympic debut Sunday night at 91,000-seat National Stadium, and he enjoyed it so much he wants do it again. The 22-year-old from Portland ran in the lead pack with the world's top distance runners for the first half of the men's 10,000 meters before finishing 13th in a field of 35. "He got lapped last year in Osaka," said Alberto Salazar, Rupp's coach, referring to the 2007 world track and field championships in Japan. "This year he was a half-lap behind. He's closing the gap." A distance runner tends to reach his physical prime closer to 30. So, in four years -- assuming he stays healthy -- who knows where Rupp might be? "Every time you come to a meet like this, you're excited to run," Rupp said. "Afterwards you're even more excited, because you see the possibilities. It's doable."