RIO DE JANEIRO — Matthew Centrowitz finished third in his semifinal heat Thursday to earn a spot in Saturday night's Olympic 1,500-meter final.
"I'm feeling a little better every round," he said. "That's how I like to go into these championships."
Centrowitz, who grew up in Arnold, will face a loaded field Saturday that includes Kenyan Asbel Kiprop, the 2008 Olympic gold medalist and reigning world champion in the event.
Centrowitz finished fourth in the 1,500-meter final in 2012, just .04 of a second away from a bronze medal. The race left him devastated despite the fact much of the track world viewed his performance as a major accomplishment.
The 2007 graduate of Broadneck secured a berth in his second Olympics by running the fastest 1,500 in the history of U.S. Olympic trials.
His father, Matt Centrowitz Sr., also qualified for two Olympics, running the 1,500 in 1976 but staying home in 1980 because of the U.S. boycott of the Moscow Games.
Centrowitz appeared comfortable going in 3 minutes, 39.61 seconds in his semifinal. He ran a few paces off the lead for much of the race, holding second place as the bell rang for the last lap. Kenyan Ronald Kwemoi passed him with a late move and won the heat, but Centrowitz said he was confident he could deal with such a challenge in the final.