Traffic prevented Olympic champion distance runner Matt Centrowitz from throwing out the first pitch at Monday's Orioles game at Camden Yards, but the first American to win the gold medal in the 1,500 meters since 1908 made sure he brought his hardware to the park to show off.
Centrowitz, an Arnold native and Broadneck High School graduate, was still recognized between innings during the team's series opener against the Toronto Blue Jays, and his medal was along for the ride.
"It hasn't really sunk in," Centrowitz said. "It was surreal then and it's surreal now to wake up and kind of refer to myself as an Olympic champion. … When it actually happens, it's mind-blowing. … When I crossed the line, I kind of double and triple checked that I wasn't thinking that someone passed me at the last second. It really hasn't sunk in."
For any distance runner, winning a gold medal at the Olympics is the unparalleled paramount goal, and once Centrowitz claimed his in the 1500 meters on Aug. 20 -- becoming the first American to win the event in n 108 years -- the first thing he noticed was how heavy the mdeal was.
"At first I was thinking, yeah, this is a lot heavier than I thought," Centrowitz said. "That was my first reaction. Every day, when I take it out and show people, it doesn't get old. There's a joke that I've slept with it every single day since the race, but that's a lie."
Centrowitz admitted to growing up in a Yankees household, but said he's followed the Orioles as his hometown team.
"My parents grew up in New York, so I was kind of raised a Yankees fan," he said. "So don't hold it against me. I was born and raised in Maryland so I tried to take my path that way … I've been to so many games over the years here at Camden Yards."
He has one more race this season as he's slated to run in the Fifth Avenue Mile next week in New York City.
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