Nick Willis takes bronze at 1500m
BEIJING, China - Running the race of his life, Nick Willis held off a last-second surge by two-time European Champion Mehdi Baala tonight in the Bird's Nest to earn a bronze medal at 1500 meters. It is New Zealand's first medal since John Walker won 1500-meter gold in 1976.
 "With 60 meters to go I thought the medal was mine," Willis told New Zealand TV. "Then with 20 meters to go I saw him on the big screen and dug deep. That would have been absolutely devastating to come that close and miss out. At the end, the power came not from my legs, but from my soul."
Heeding the advice of his coaches, Willis stayed off the rail in the final. "We told him if he had a clear run from 300 meters out, he could have a medal," said Ron Warhurst, who has coached the Ann Arbor-based Willis since he ran for the University of Michigan.
The 2006 Commonwealth Games gold medalist, Willis shed tears of joy and appreciation on his long and emotional victory lap. "I cried because ... so many people sacrificed a lot for me," he told the New Zealand Herald. His brother, Steve, gave up his job and spent the year helping coach Willis along with Warhurst; his new wife, Sierra, postponed seeking work so that she could serve as support for her husband's efforts both at home and while traveling. His support system became known as Team Willis.
"I remember when we were kids and we'd get up in the morning and we'd watch the Olympics on TV together," said Steve Willis, himself a sub-4 miler. "He was 4 and I was 12. So to now see him come across the line is something special."
"It gives a lot of young kids hope, that someone from a town like Lower Hutt with 100,000 people where track and field is not big [can succeed]," said Nick - one of only two students in his high school who ran track - of his Olympic triumph. He said he is eager to bring his medal to New Zealand so kids can get a chance to see it.
Willis is also looking forward to speaking with them about believing in themselves. "I truly did believe on the start line that it was there for the taking," he said of his new Olympic medal.
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