Weber State's Anderson out after first steeplechase heat

BEIJING - Lindsey Anderson enjoyed a historic moment Friday night at the

Beijing Olympics, running the first heat of the Summer Games debut for the

women's 3,000-meter steeplechase track event.

Anderson's historic moment lasted nine minutes, 36.81 seconds - too slow

to advance to Sunday's finals and too fast to really enjoy her own debut as

an Olympian.

But 9:36.81 to last a lifetime - and to spur the former Weber State

All-American and Morgan High standout on to thoughts of 2012 and the London

Games.

In a loaded first heat featuring three of the season's fastest

steeplechase runners, Anderson placed eighth with her career second-best

time, knowing as she finished that her Beijing Olympics racing opportunity

was one and done.

Russia's Gulnara Galkina-Samitova won the heat at 9:15.17, the fastest

time of the three heats.

Overall, Anderson placed 24th out of the 50 competitors.

The first four finishers in each of the three preliminary heats advanced

to Sunday's finals, along with the three next-fastest finishers.

"I wanted to place in the top four, I wanted to make finals," said

Anderson, an assistant track coach at Weber State. "But if I didn't place in

the top four, I wanted to be right there with the time that I could go."

Anderson said her Olympics experience "has been unbelievable. ...

Everything has been better than I expected it to be, for my first

experience."

And she's now got more Summer Games in her sight.

"I love running, I love competing and being here," she said, "and I

definitely want to come back and give it another shot."