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Best of 2009: Bernard Lagat Photos of American middle-distance runner Bernard Lagat from the 2009...

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As the summer arrived though, and with it the proving ground that is the European circuit, it became evident that the American's reign was going to end.

And it did, at the World Championships in Berlin in August.

Lagat was gracious in defeat, tipping his hat to Yusuf Saad Kamel after the Bahraini's victory in the 1500m, and calling Kenenisa Bekele "a great champion" after the Ethiopian's win in the 5000m.

But Lagat is the ultimate competitor and - he made this clear after a fourth-place finish here in the Fifth Avenue Mile on Saturday - does not like to lose.

So after he was beaten by Bekele at the World Championships in the 5000m and at the World Athletics Final in the 3000m by an excruciating .45 seconds combined, Lagat didn't go off on an expletive-laced tirade or come up with a litany of excuses for his failures.

He looked in the mirror and decided he needs to get better.

"I realized, ‘You know what? Losing twice is not bad for me, especially to this guy who is training specifically for this kind of event,'" Lagat said. "At the end of those two races, I felt strong but I also felt that there was something lacking. It's not speed. I have that. It's something more in the training that I need."

So with 2010 not being a major championship year, Lagat has decided to use the upcoming season to begin what he said will be a gradual transition away from the middle distances and into the longer-distance races.

"I think as we go forward, I will be doing the 1500m but my emphasis will be more moving into the distances and doing something there," Lagat said. "There is a territory that I haven't been into very much and that is the long distances, and I would love to try that. I want to move into the distances this year. Those are the races that I think might be good for me going forward in my career."