Eugene, Ore. -- Seven years ago at Hayward Field, Alan Webb made history. He couldn't repeat it on a warm Sunday afternoon on the final day of the U.S. Olympic Trials.

Heavily favored to make the American Olympic team in the mile after posting the best mile and 1500 meter times in 2007, Webb could only manage fifth place and will have to watch the Olympics on TV.

Instead it was an experienced veteran and a bold newcomer who will be among the American mile team.

Frank Mungeam, Kgw.com

1500m and 5000m world champion Bernard Lagat

Bernard Lagat won the 1500 meters at the Trials in a time of 3:40.37, followed closely by surprise Leonel Manzano and up-and-comer Lopez Lomong.

Lagat is the reigning World Champion at 1500 meters and at 5000 meters, and already won a place on the 2008 Olympic team by winning the 5000 meters at the Trials in Eugene.

But Lagat's specialty is the 1500 meters. He has already won a bronze medal at the 2000 Olympics and a silver medal at the 2004 Olympics running for Kenya.

Now, the recently naturalized U.S. citizen will get the chance to return to the Olympics wearing the red, white and blue, in hopes of finally winning gold in his favorite event.

"It shows that American is the place where dreams can happen," said Lagat afterwards. "I can't find that in Europe or in my country. The three of us are living the American dream. My goal now is to do my best for this country."

Lomong, who placed third, is one of the "Lost Boys of Sudan". He and his family fled Sudanese militia when he was just six years old. After being separated from his family, he lived ten years in a refugee camp. In 2001, an essay he wrote about what he'd do if given the chance to live in America. That essay led to him being one of 3,800 youth resettled and known as the "Lost Boys of Sudan." Lomong became a U.S. citizen last July, while starring in the middle distances at Northern Arizona University. Now, Lomong is on his way to Beijing as an Olympic athlete, representing the United States of America.

"I told the crowd thank you America because that was my dream and it finally came true," said Lomong.

For Alan Webb, Sunday's Trials result was a crushing disappointment on a track that witnessed the performance that seemed to annoint him as the American miler of the future.

On May 27, 2001 a youthful Webb found himself in a star-studded field at the Bowerman Mile at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene. Powered by a 55-second final lap, Webb broke Jim Ryun's 36-year-old record for fastest mile ever by a high school runner, finishing in 3:53.43.

Though he only placed fifth in the race, he was invited by his hero and race winner Hisham El Guerrouj to join "El G" for a victory lap in front of an appreciative Hayward Field crowd.

"It was the most exhilarating experience of my life," Webb said at the time.

Fast forward to 2007, when Webb posted the fastest times in the world in both the mile and 1,500 meters, making him a favorite to make the Olympic team, as he did in 2004. But at the Trials this week in Eugene, Webb ran faster in his quarterfinal race than he did in the race that mattered most, the finals.

Webb's career has been marked by unpredictable results, both great successes and huge disappointments. Sunday, for Webb, might have been the biggest disappointment of all.