Andy Bayer may have missed out on a chance to capture gold at the 2012 London Olympics, but he now has a different kind of gold medal to his credit.
Bayer, a junior distance runner on the IU men’s track and field team, won the 5,000-meter Saturday at the North America, Central America, Caribbean Under-23 Championships in Mexico.
Bayer pulled ahead of the pack with three laps to go, finishing 15 seconds ahead of second place with a time of 15:13.01.
The NACAC gold medal caps an outdoor season in which Bayer won a Big Ten title and NCAA title in the 1,500-meter.
At the U.S. Olympic Trials last Sunday, Bayer finished fourth in the 1,500m finals with a time of 3:37.24. The time tied Bayer with Jim Spivey for second-fastest in school history.
On June 25, Baye was named the 2012 male IU Athlete of the Year. He is a three time All-American.
— Joe Popely
Big Ten, NCAA champion Andy Bayer takes gold at NACA U-23 Championships
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