Lagat is running for his third Olympic medal

Bernard Lagat finished third on Friday in the mile at the London Grand Prix -- marking the first time in 10 races that he's lost. It was the final race for the Kenyan-turned-U.S. citizen before the Beijing Games, but Lagat didn't seem to be worried about his third-place showing.

“I’m going to cry when I leave you guys,” Lagat joked with reporters after the race. "I’m not going to beat myself too much about it, I’m just going to concentrate on feeling better. Mentally I’m really ready for any challenge. I’m going to make sure I don’t lose again because if I lose the next one it means I lose gold.”

Lagat, 33, will run the 1,500-meter and 3,000-meter races in Beijing. He is preparing for the Games at a training camp in the forests surrounding Tubingen, Germany.

Lagat, who won two Olympic medals for Kenya, became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2004.

Photo: Bernard Lagat competes in the mile at the London Grand Prix at Crystal Palace National Sports Centre in England on Friday. Credit: Jonathan Brady/EPA