Powered by Outside
Three years after becoming a U.S. citizen, Kelati will race in the 10,000 meters in the Paris Olympics for Team USA
Weini Kelati crosses the finish line to win the women’s 10,000 meter final on Day Nine of the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Track & Field Trials at Hayward Field on June 29, 2024 in Eugene, Oregon. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) Photo: Getty Images
New perk: Easily find new routes and hidden gems, upcoming running events, and more near you. Your weekly Local Running Newsletter has everything you need to lace up! >”,”name”:”in-content-cta”,”type”:”link”}}’>Subscribe today.
Ten years ago, Weini Kelati arrived in Eugene, Oregon, for the World Junior Championships and never went home.
As a 17-year-old coming from her native Eritrea, she had ambitious plans to run a strong 3,000-meter race, but she was also intent on staying in the U.S. to escape the political oppression of the Eritrean government. She finished eighth in the race that day, but then she wound up defecting from her home country by connecting with family members in Virginia, where her running career started in earnest.
A decade later, on the night of June 29 in Eugene, the 27-year-old American runner reached her next big goal of becoming a U.S. Olympian by winning the U.S. Olympic Trials 10,000 meters in 31:41.07. Now she’ll race in the event in the Olympics on August 9 in Paris.
“It’s crazy because I get pretty emotional every time I come here to run because I have all the memories of when I left my family, but not this year,” Kelati said after the race in Eugene. “I just wanted to come out here, focus on my race, and just perform well. This year I was working mentally just to get prepared, and it worked out. I can’t really process it all now, but I will soon. Right now, I just can’t believe it.”
Collegiate star Parker Valby of the University of Florida turned in her best race of the trials, snatching up second place (31:41.56) in an all-out sprint that ended in a photo finish with Nike pro Karissa Schweizer (31:41.56). Kelati, Valby, and Schweizer will represent Team USA in the event in Paris, competing in arguably the deepest field in the event’s Olympic history.
ED: Read more Olympics track and field stories from Outside RUN
Kelati excelled as a distance runner since she was a high school runner in Virginia. In 2015, a year after arriving in the U.S., Kelati helped her team to win a state cross country title, and she also won the Foot Locker Cross Country Championships in San Diego, one of the pinnacle events of high school distance running.
At the University of New Mexico, Kelati developed into the most decorated runner in school history, earning two NCAA individual titles (in cross country and in the 10,000 meters on the track), and 13 All-America honors. During her senior year of eligibility, in 2020, she turned professional and signed a multi-year deal with Under Armour and moved to Flagstaff, Arizona, to chase her biggest goal of becoming an U.S. Olympian.
The petite, 5-foot tall runner became a naturalized U.S. citizen three years ago in June, but she also dropped out of the 10,000 meters at the U.S. Olympic Trials later in same month because she wasn’t yet prepared to run at that level. Three more years of hard work under coach Stephen Haas has helped her become one of the best distance runners in the U.S.
RELATED: Weini Kelati’s Quiet Sacrifice to Chase an American Dream
In January, she won the U.S. cross country championships 10K in Richmond, Virginia, then placed 15th at the World Cross Country Championships two months later in Serbia. Before the Olympic Trials, she was the second-ranked U.S. runner in the 5,000 and first in the 10,000, but she opted to only run the 10,000 to give her the best shot at earning a qualifying spot for Paris. (The 5,000 meters, which included a semifinal around and a final, was held over the first weekend of the trials, while the 10,000 was held on the penultimate day a week later.)
Although she’s able to talk and text with her family regularly, Kelati has only seen her mom once since she arrived in the U.S. in 2014. She was able to reunite with her mom for the first time in eight years during a three-week vacation to Uganda in 2022. She still hopes to see other family members in the future, but she doesn’t know when or how it can happen, given that she can’t return to Eritrea. But for now, she continues to savor her weekly phone calls, the conversations of which are like a lifeline of reassurance and serve as powerful motivation to keep moving forward.
“I’ve been telling them one day I’m going to go to Olympics,” Kelati said. “It’s been hard here without my family, but I’m so proud of myself that I was able to come here and make the team. I can’t want to share it with them.”
RELATED: 8 Things You Need to Know About the Paris Olympics—Plus How to Watch
The race started slow as no one in the 23-runner field seemed interested in taking the lead. Susanna Sullivan did so by default and took the field through the 5,000 in a pedestrian pace for a 16:09 halfway split. She continued to lead for almost another mile until Erika Kemp took over for two laps, upping the pace a bit on each one.
But then Valby made a big surge and sped up from 75-second laps (5-minute mile pace) to 70-second laps (4:40-mile pace) for the next four laps. With Kelati and Schweizer sitting right behind her, Valby split apart the remaining lead pack and made it a three-person race. Schweizer moved into the lead with two laps to go, and the three runners remained in a battle until Kelati sprung out into the lead on the last lap and closed with a 66-second final 400 meters.
Valby said she went into the 10,000 very relaxed after being very high strung arriving in Eugene and feeling nervous for both her 5,000-meter preliminary race and the final, which she finished in a disappointing fourth-place.
“The plan was not to race from the front because it does take a lot out of you,” Valby said. “The plan was just to sit until (my coach) told me to go, because he’s very good at reading races, and I’m not really. So I just looked at him every laugh and when he said to go, I went and it worked. I wanted to prove I didn’t come this far just to come this far, and I didn’t want to leave on a fourth-place note and I knew my strength was probably better for the 10K.”
Schweizer was in tears for a moment during the post-race meeting with the media, but said she was happy with how she ran after dealing with a left ankle injury last winter that required surgery.
“It’s a sign of relief,” she said. “I put a lot of pressure on myself, and you work really hard to get to these moments. I had been struggling with a bit of a setback and you never know how you’re going to come back from those kinds of things. I just had to stay composed and, no matter how the race was going to go, I knew I was going to have to push myself to put myself in the top three. I’m really happy with myself and happy that I kept putting myself out there, and I know I can still be fast.”
Jessica McClain, who finished fourth in the U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon back in February in Orlando, Florida, and narrowly missed an Olympic team berth by 15 seconds, finished fourth in the 10,000 meters in 32:04.57. But she was upbeat about this fourth-place finish, knowing she probably wasn’t going to be able to hang with Kelati, Valby, and Schweizer, especially if the race was run at a fast pace from the start.
Amanda Vestri continued her strong year of running with a fifth-place, 32:11.00 effort, while Kellyn Taylor, a 37-year-old mother of four, finished sixth in 32:12.02.
“With the marathon trials, it hit afterwards that, man, just 15 seconds over 26 miles is really not that far off,” McClain said. “But with this one on the track, I was so happy with fourth because of the time I ran and how tactically I raced and I knew I needed to do to run really well. I’m a little bummed that it didn’t go out faster, but it’s OK. I should have taken it out, but I wasn’t going to do that in what was only my second track race in a minute.”
RESULTS: U.S. Olympic Trials Live Results
Gabby Thomas did what she came to Eugene to do—solidify her status as the best 200-meter runner in the U.S. She did that by winning the electrifying final in 21.81, her second-fastest time of the year. Brittany Brown was the biggest surprise of the final, using a great start to get an early jump and then dashing home in second in a personal-best 21.90, while McKenzie Long, the NCAA champion from Mississippi who just turned pro, was third in 21.91. Sha’Carri Richardson wound up fourth, much to the surprise of the crowd, as she got a slow start and couldn’t use her closing speed to break into the top three.
Although Kenny Bednarek was leading down the homestretch, Noah Lyles turned on his jets and sealed the 200-meter title in 19.53, narrowly edging out the career-best effort of Bednarek (19.59) before the line. Erriyon Knighton, a 20-year-old who placed fourth in the 2020 Olympics, was third in (19.77) while quick-starting Christian Coleman finished fourth (19.89), his same fate as it was in the 100.
“Well, when you claim that you’re gonna go out there and win four medals, the goal had to be to win the hundred and win the 200. So job is accomplished,” Lyles said. “Kenny got a great start. The plan was actually to swallow him up in the first 50 meters, but, you know, he was making sure that that job wasn’t accomplished. I knew that he was definitely working on something, so I guess that was it. After we came off the turn, I was like, all right, don’t panic. I’ve been here many times before. We’re gonna get to the last 80, he’s going to fall back and I’m going to get faster.”
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, the world record holder and defending Olympic champion in the 400-meter hurdles, continued her assault on the event after a year away from it, winning the first semifinal race in a world-leading 52.48 over former world record holder Dalilah Muhammad (54.16). Shamier Little won the second heat in 53.49, while Anna Cockrell buzzed the final heat in a speedy 52.95.
The women’s 400-meter hurdles final will close the Olympic Trials on Sunday (8:29 P.M. ET)
After all 27 runners in the prelims qualified for the semifinals, racing got spicier in the semifinals on Saturday. Christina Clemons narrowly won the first heat by outleaning Keni Harrison as both finished in 12.52 and edging out Nia Ali (12.55). Alaysha Johnson won the second heat in similar fashion with a much faster 12.36 clocking to sneak past Tonea Marshall (12.36), while Masai Russell (12.36) won the third and final heat over Grace Stark (12.45).
The women’s 100-meter hurdles final will be run on Sunday evening (8 P.M. ET)
RELATED: Sponsored by Doritos, Hurdler Christina Clemons Keeps Her Olympic Dream Alive
Grant Holloway proved track doesn’t need anyone to save it. It just needs more people to savor what he’s been doing lately.
Holloway put together a breathtaking performance of speed, power and precision on Friday evening in Eugene, Oregon, winning the 110-meter hurdles final of the U.S. Olympic Trials in a stunningly fast 12.86 seconds to secure his place on Team USA and punch his ticket for the Paris Olympics later this summer.
Conditions were perfect at Hayward Field with a slight tailwind and a near-capacity crowd that was hyped and ready for something big. The 26-year-old Holloway seized the moment, running like part well-oiled machine and part Marvel Studios animated superhero en route to storming his way to the fourth-fastest time in history.
Holloway, an Adidas-sponsored pro who trains in Gainesville, Florida, has been buzzing over hurdles at a different level this year, and he’s been in a zone since he arrived in Eugene. In his near-perfect first round race on Monday, he won in a world-leading 12.92 seconds—the 10th fastest time in history. Then he flawlessly nailed his semi-final race on Thursday night in 12.96, leaving roughly 12,000 spectators on the edge of their seats to see what he might do in the finals.
He didn’t disappoint. The only faster times on the all-time list are the 12.80 Aries Merritt ran in 2012, Holloway’s 12.81 effort from the U.S. Olympic Trials in 2021, and Devon Allen’s 12.84 effort from 2022.
“This whole weekend has been nothing but great for me,” Holloway said. “I’ve been in this zone, I’ve been in this funk. I’ve been in this thing where I’m just continuing just to pump out 12.9s like Aries Merritt did in 2012. And I know my progression. So we’re just trying to stay consistent in that aspect.”
Freddie Crittenden finished second in a career-best 12.93 seconds, while Daniel Roberts finished third in a lifetime best 12.96 seconds, marking the first time in history three athletes have broken the 13-second barriers in the same race.
Crittenden, is a 29-year-old Phoenix Track Club athlete who is backed by the Tracksmith Amateur Support Program, almost quit the sport three few years ago after the Olympic Trials in 2021 when he was hurt and down on his luck. But now he’s on his way to the Paris Olympics. He credits the support of his wife, his coach and his training partners for his miraculous turnaround, which included last year’s third-place showing at the U.S. championships and a fourth-place finish at the world championships.
“I was this close to giving it up (in 2021),” Crittenden said. “I was broke, didn’t make any money at all that year, and didn’t make it out of the semis of the Olympic Trials. Just that hard grind of waking up every day and not being able to train, not being able to hurdle, not being able to sprint. There’s a picture that I have of me kissing the track here because I was saying goodbye because I knew can’t do this anymore, you know? Honestly, I’m still in shock.”
That left Daniel Roberts, a Nike athlete who was the bronze medalist in last summer’s world championships, to hang on for third place in a career-best 12.96 seconds, and it put out Cordell Tinch, the runner-up at last year’s U.S. championships, on the outside looking in with a 13.03 effort—the fastest fourth-place time in history. Ja’Qualon Scott was fifth in 13.09, a time that would have earned a medal at every Olympics since the event’s inception in 1896.
With the win, Holloway is undefeated in five 110-meter hurdles races this season, and he’s now won his specialty event 47 times in his last 54 races since 2021.
Holloway is a three-time world champion in the 110-meter high hurdles (2019, 2022, 2023), but he’s still chasing his first Olympic gold medal after being edged out in Tokyo. The only real blemish on his record since turning pro in 2019—if you can call it that—was that loss to Jamaica’s Hansle Parchment, who, to his credit, ran the race of his life to capture gold for the only time in his career. Parchment clocked a 13.04 to win that race, while Holloway, who hit two hurdles, finished in 13.09.
“If you’re not training to win an Olympic gold medal,” Holloway said, “then what the heck are you doing?”
Holloway could face Parchment again in Paris, but it will hardly be a rematch as the 34-year-old has only run 13.26 seconds so far this year after taking the silver medal behind Holloway in the world championships last summer in Budapest.
Holloway isn’t worried about who he’ll face in Paris, he just knows he wants to destroy whoever is next to him. He did that Friday night with the second-best performance of his career, missing a flawless 51-stride performance by barely nicking the eighth of 10 hurdles.
“I was kind of mad at myself because for the first time in a long time I hit a hurdle and I kind of threw off my rhythm,” Holloway said. “But I knew what type of pace I was on, so I know it’s there. We just continue just to work, continue to freshen it up, sharpen our knives, and get ready for the next race.”
RELATED: How to Watch the U.S. Olympic Trials for Track and Field
After wining the Olympic Trials 100-meter title on Sunday, Noah Lyles showed once again why he’s been the best 200-meter runner in the world since 2019. He easily won his 200-meter semifinal heat in 19.60, the fastest time in the world this year and a new Olympic Trials record. He pulled Christian Coleman to the second-fastest time of the day (19.89), giving Coleman hope he can make amends for missing out on Team USA in the 100 meters. Erriyon Knighton won the first heat in 19.93, while Kenny Bednarek won the second heat in 19.96, which means Saturday night’s 200-meter final (9:49 P.M. ET) is going to be a real barn-burner.
Sha’Carri Richardson showed she can be in the hunt for multiple gold medals in Paris, winning her heat and tying her career-best in 21.92. McKenzie Long, the reigning NCAA champion won the second heat in 22.01, but it was Gabby Thomas who stole the show with a world-leading 21.78 to win the third heat. In all, six women ran 22.10 or faster, but with only three spots on Team USA available in the 200-meter final on Saturday night (8:27 P.M. ET), it’s shaping up to be one of the fastest races in U.S. history.
Bryce Hoppel is in the shape of his life and it shows. After running a 1:43.68 five weeks ago in Los Angeles, he won his semifinal heat with seeming ease in 1:44.01 clocking, then predicted it will take a sub-1:43 effort to make the U.S. team that will head to the Paris Olympics. His roommate and training partner Hobbs Kessler was the fastest runner in the semis, winning the second heat in 1:43.71. Josh Hoey won the first heat in 1:45.73, just ahead of 2016 Olympic bronze medalist and 2020 Olympian Clayton Murphy (1:45.76).
The men’s 800-meter final will be run Sunday at 7:51 P.M. ET.
Things got a lot faster in the women’s 1500 meters on Friday, but Nikki Hiltz rose to the occasion, winning the star-studded first heat in 4:01.40 over Sinclair Johnson (4:01.68), Heather Maclean (4:02.09), Cory McGee (4:02.09 and Elle St. Pierre (4:02.14) after they separated from the rest of the field to claim the five automatic qualifying spots for the final. The second heat wasn’t quite as fast, with Emily Mackay taking it in 4:02.46 over auto qualifiers Elise Cranny (4:02.56), Helen Schlachtenhaufen (4:02.68), Maggi Congdon (4:02.79) and Addy Wiley (4:02.92), while Dani Jones (4:04.45) and Christina Aragon (4:05.36) earned the two at-large time qualifiers.
The women’s 1500-meter final will be run Sunday at 8:09 P.M. ET.
RELATED: What You Need to Know About the U.S. Track and Field Olympic Trials
An inspired crop of U.S. women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase runners burst on the scene in Thursday night’s U.S. Olympic Trials final. With Emma Coburn (broken ankle) and Courtney Frerichs (torn ACL), the dominant American steeplechase runners for the past decade, both out of the trials recovering from major injuries, Val Constien, Courtney Wayment, and Marisa Howard helped an up-leveling pack of women through the fastest U.S. Olympic Trials steeplechase race in history.
Annie Rodenfels, who needed to get the Olympic-qualifying standard, took the early lead and pushed the pace ahead of the lead pack, opening a gap of as much as 35 meters through the 1,000-meter mark (3:00.53). It wasn’t until about 1800 meters that the field finally caught her, led by Wayment, Howard, Constient and Olivia Markezich, a recent Notre Dame grad. Wayment continued to press the pace, hitting the 2,000 in 6:08.53 as the field began to string out.
With 300 meters to go, Constien surged to the front and took over the race. Continuing her strong running just 13 months after double knee surgery, she cruised home in a new personal best and Olympic Trials record of 9:03.22.
In the battle for the final two places, Markezich had stumbled off the final water barrier and then appeared to be exceptionally fatigued as she chased Howard and Wayment down the homestretch. Her legs buckled after clearing the last barrier, and she tumbled to the track hard as Wayment (9:06.50) passed Howard (9:07.14) for the runner-up spot. Markezich wound up sixth in 9:14.87.
In all, the top nine finishers recorded personal bests, including Gabbi Jennings (9:12.08), Kaylee Mitchell (9:14.05), Markezich (9:14.87), Allie Ostrander (9:21.82), Rodenfels (9:22.66) and Lexy Halladay (9:22.77). Defending U.S. champ Krissy Gear dropped out after five laps.
While Wayment, 25, had appeared to emerge as the heir apparent to Coburn and Freirichs and qualified for the past two world championships, Constien, 28, was a Tokyo Olympian who didn’t get sponsorship support until last spring and then had to make an improbable comeback from ACL surgery last May. She closed with a 65-second final 400 meters and lowered her PR by 11 seconds after already lowering her PR by 4 seconds at the Prefontaine Meet on May 25 in Eugene.
“I knew it was going to be fast. I predicted that you had to run sub-9:10 to make the team,” Constien said. “Did I know I was going to run 9:03? No, but I feel like I’m just starting to reach my potential and figure out how good I am, and hopefully I can just keep it going.”
RELATED: How to Watch the U.S. Olympic Trials
Wayment finally had the breakthrough race she’d been working for since 2021, when she finished fourth in the Olympic Trials and narrowly missed a chance to run in the Tokyo Olympics. Wayment, who finished 15th and 12th in the past two world championships, respectively, after just missing the Olympic team in 2021 with a fourth-place finish at the trials, believes all three U.S. women can make the Olympic final in Paris.
“Three years ago, I came here and was just hoping for the chance to be a dark horse and make the Olympic team,” she said. “Now I can go and lead almost every woman to a PR. That’s something that’s special and I am proud of this race and how far I was able to come the last three years. The women of American steepling … we’re starting to make our marks again. Everyone is here to raise the bar and it’s fun and special to be a part of that.”
Meanwhile, Howard kept believing in herself while continuing to train without much financial support after her contract with a brand wasn’t renewed after 2017 (she now runs under the Tracksmith Amateur Support Program) and after taking a year away in 2022 to give birth to a baby boy.
“I knew I had a big one in me,” Howard said. “It was just a matter of putting it together on the day, and I am very thankful that it was the day to qualify for the Olympics.”
Coburn, 33, a three-time Olympian and 2017 world champion who has won 10 U.S. titles, will be back—maybe before the Diamond League season ends. Frerichs, 31, the silver medalist in the 2017 world championships and Tokyo Olympics, will, too, even if it will take a bit longer.
“Emma Coburn and Courtney Frerichs paved the way. Without them, we wouldn’t have such a high bar,” Constien said. “Everyone has been inspired by them. Without them, there is no way we could have done what we did here today. If they were in the race, there would have even been more competition. They’re amazing and I can’t wait for them to come back.”
RELATED: After Double Knee Surgery, This Runner is Poised to Make Team USA for the Paris Olympics
In the men’s 5,000 semifinals, two-time 1500-meter Olympian Cole Hocker won a slowish first heat and qualified for Sunday’s final (7:30 P.M. ET) by outkicking recent NCAA champ Parker Wolfe from the University of North Carolina (13:33.96) and his training partner Cooper Teare (13:34.07), who narrowly missed making the Tokyo Olympic team in the 5,000 after a fourth-place finish in the Olympic Trials three years ago. Morgan Beadlescomb (13:34.34), Olin Hacker (13:34.72) and Graham Blanks (13:35.00) also advanced into the final.
In the slightly faster second heat, veteran Woody Kincaid won in 13:23.91, beating Abdihamid Nur (13:24.14) and Grant Fisher (13:24.78), whohas already made the U.S. team in the 10,000. Dylan Jacobs, Sam Prakel and Sean McGorty also earned automatic qualifying times, while Kasey Knevelbaard, Ahmed Muhumed, Willy Fink, and Eric van der Els earned time qualifiers.
Cory McGee, who was a 2020 Olympian and 10th at the past two world championships, won the first of three semifinal heats in 4:15.75 and edged out Sage Hurta-Klecker (4:15.90), who is looking for redemption after getting tangled up in Monday’s 800-meter final and finishing fifth. Three-time U.S. champion Nikki Hiltz, who was second in the 1500 at the World Indoor Championships in March, finished third (4:16.00), while Elise Cranny, the runner-up in Monday’s 5,000-meter final, was fourth (4:16.05).
In the second heat, Heather MacLean (4:07.31) beat Sinclaire Johnson (4:08.50) and Helen Schlachtenhaufen (4:08.81), while 2020 Olympian Elle St. Pierre, the Olympic Trials 5,000 champion, won the third heat (4:06.41) over training partner Emily Mackay (4:06.47).
In all, 24 runners advanced to Friday’s semifinals (8:53 P.M. ET).
Men’s 100-meter champion Noah Lyles easily won the second heat of the 200 prelims on Thursday night in 20.10. He’ll race again in Friday’s semifinals (10:06 P.M. ET) while hoping to make it to Saturday night’s final race (8:27 P.M. ET). Courtney Lindsey (20.28), Kenny Bednarek (20.28) and Erriyon Knighton (20.15) were the other heat winners.
Bryce Hoppel (1:46.83) edged roommate and training partner Hobbs Kessler (1:46.85) in the first of four heats of the 800-meter prelims as both were smiling and slapped hands at the finish line. NCAA runner-up Sam Whitmarsh of Texas A&M (1:46.13) won the second heat over Isaiah Harris (1:46.14). Clayton Murphy, a 2020 Olympian, looked good winning the slower third heat in 1:47.05 over Brandon Miller (1:47:10), while Georgetown’s Tinoda Matsatsa took the fourth and final heat in 1:46.73. In all, 27 runners moved on to Friday’s semifinals (9:39 P.M.)
Related: What You Need to Know About the U.S. Olympic Trials
If you missed the action live from Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, Monday night was one of the most exciting and memorable nights of American track and field in recent memory.
Day 4 of the U.S. Olympic Trials was a stunning showcase of running, jumping, and throwing condensed into a two-hour made-for-TV special that left nearly 11,000 fans in the stands stunned and shocked from the exhilarating action. Top stars shined, rising young talents emerged, and a few dark horse competitors leveled-up while grinding to secure celebrated spots on Team USA for the Paris Olympics later this summer. Here’s a rundown of how it all went down.
In what was expected to be the grand re-emergence of Athing Mu, the women’s 800-meter final quickly turned into shocking disappointment early in the race. Just 200 meters into the race, the Tokyo Olympic champion and 2023 world championships bronze medalist got tangled up in the close pack of runners as she tried to cut into lane one. She smacked the track hard. As the crowd collectively groaned, the American record holder got up and continued running, but by then she was already out of the race, 20 meters behind the other eight runners in the field.
At the front of the race, Kristie Schoffield, a New Balance pro who won the 2022 NCAA Division I title at Boise State, was in the lead at the 300-meter mark, but was soon caught by LSU junior Michaela Rose, the 2023 NCAA champion, who likes to push the pace on the first lap. Rose took the group through the 400 in a speedy 57.68, but Nia Akins, a Brooks pro who was sixth at the world championships last summer, was right on her heels, as was reigning NCAA champion Juliette Whittaker of Stanford.
With Mu still desperately trying to catch up from behind, Akins made a dramatic move and surged into the lead. Akins, a 25-year-old runner who trains in Seattle, knows all too well about falling in the Olympic Trials final. That was her fate in 2021, when she was tripped up before the first 200 and, like Mu, was effectively out of the race almost immediately. This time, Akins took charge with 250 meters to go, passing Rose and taking a commanding lead she would never relinquish. She stormed around the final curve and down the homestretch unchallenged to win in a personal-best 1:57.36, earning her third national title in the past two years but her first Olympic team berth.
“I don’t think it’s really settled in yet, to be honest,” Akins said. “I never make a move from that far out, and that wasn’t my plan, but I just sensed it and I went. I remember it going by really quickly. It was just focused on just getting to the finish line the best I could, the fastest I could. I’m just so blessed to have been on top to win it.”
RELATED: Nia Akins Is Laying Down Tracks and Getting Faster on the Track
Rose was still in second coming around the final turn, but Whittaker passed her at the top of the straightaway and then Wilson came by her, too, setting up an epic sprint down the homestretch. Ultimately, it was Wilson, who swung wide into lane three, who sprinted home in second place (1:58.32), just ahead of Whittaker, who kicked hard to finish third (1:58.45) ahead of Rose (1:59.32) and Sage Hurta-Klecker (2:00.38) who fought back after being forced to leap out of the way and into the infield when Mu fell. Meanwhile, a disappointed Mu jogged into the finish in last place (2:19.69) and then stormed off the track in tears.
Wilson, a 28-year-old former high school soccer player who ran collegiately for Monmouth University in New Jersey, had been coached by Andrew Begley and Amy Yoder Begley at the Atlanta Track Club. When Amy, a 2008 Olympian in the 10,000 meters, moved to Indianapolis last fall to become USA Track & Field’s associate director of long distance programs, Wilson followed, but she had to leave behind her Adidas sponsorship tied to the ATC. After working as a nanny for several months to support herself, she won the U.S. indoor title in the 800 in February and she signed a contract with Nike.
“I don’t know if I’ve never been more focused in my entire life,” Wilson said. “I kept telling myself that it didn’t have to be perfect, it didn’t have to be pretty. I just had to come here and do it on this day. I just drowned everything out and just followed whoever was right in front of me and tried to make moves as everyone else did. Then I just tried to throw the last surge with 50 to go and give it all I had.”
At the start of the women’s 5,000 meters, Parker Valby had a decision to make. Either sit behind established pros and previous Olympians Elle St. Pierre, Elise Cranny, Karissa Schweizer, and Rachel Smith (who, unlike Valby, also have monster kicks) or run aggressively to pare down the field while also chasing the Olympic standard of 14:52.00 that she narrowly missed a little more than two weeks ago while winning the NCAA title in the event. Parker chose to be assertive and took the lead early and kept pushing the pace deep into the race.
While Parker appears to be one of the next rising stars of American distance running, for the moment St. Pierre, Cranny, and Schweizer are still formidable veterans with exceptional fitness and speed. With two laps to go, St. Pierre, Cranny, and Schweizer went by Valby and took the race into another dimension. While Valby tried to hang on, St. Pierre and Cranny kept pushing the pace around the last lap and appeared intent on fighting it out to the finish. Cranny, the Olympic Trials champion in 2021, sprinted down the homestretch and looked like she might get the win, but St. Pierre surged one more time to barely edge out Cranny in a photo finish for an Olympic Trials record of 14:40.34, just two-hundredths of a second ahead of Cranny. Schweizer, an Olympian in the 5,000 and 10,000 in 2021, was third in 14:45.12.
The 29-year-old St. Pierre, just 14 months postpartum after giving birth to son, Ivan, in March 2023, has had an amazing year. She entered the meet as the top-ranked runner in both the 1500 and the 5,000, having run personal bests of 3:56.00 (the second-fastest time in U.S. history) and 14:34.12 (fifth-fastest on the U.S. list) this spring. In January, she broke the American indoor record in the mile (4:16.41) at the Millrose Games in New York City, then won the gold medal in the 3,000 meters at the indoor world championships in Glasgow in March.
“I’m a completely different person, a different athlete,” she said. “It’s something you think about a lot, to go out there and compete against some amazing other runners and have a dream come true is pretty great. The finish was definitely tough. I felt pretty good for the whole race, but maybe I should have started going a little sooner. It definitely made it exciting at the finish.”
St. Pierre and Cranny plan to run the Olympic Trials 1500 beginning on June 27, while Schweizer and Valby are entered in the 10,000 on June 29.
“That was exciting, and the energy of the crowd was incredible, so it made for a very fun race,” Cranny said. “I was trying to be patient and go hard over the last 70 meters, but I didn’t quite have that last little bit. But it was incredible to race against her after the season she’s been having and winning the gold medal indoors.”
Valby, who won five NCAA titles in the past year and set several collegiate records, said she deleted all of her social media last week to avoid any distractions, but she admitted there were a lot of expectations coming into her first meet above the college level. Even though she finished fourth (14:51.44), she ran hard enough to sneak under the Olympic standard, which could bode well if St. Pierre opts to run only the 1500 in Paris or Schweizer focuses on the 10,000.
“I wasn’t necessarily trying to get the Olympic standard, I was just trying to run my best race,” Valby said. “I ended up getting it because I ran my best race, but my goal was to make the Olympic team. Even though I was fourth, I’m proud of how I ran, and I know I gave it my all.”
Related: What You Need to Know About the U.S. Olympic Trials
The men’s 1500 meters was the first of four marquee finals races on the track, and there were probably eight guys who were legitimate contenders for the three Olympic team spots. But, because only about half the 12-runner field had the Olympic-qualifying standard of 3:33.50, everyone knew it was going to be a fast race from the starting gun.
For that reason, Yared Nuguse took the race out hard. Nuguse finished third in the 2020 U.S. Olympic Trials but was unable to compete at the Tokyo Olympics due to injury. He lowered the American record in the mile (3:43.97) on the Hayward Field track last fall, but he’s known for his aerobic strength and less so for a blistering kick. His goal was to set a fast pace beyond what most could handle, so as to not risk getting out-kicked in a moderately fast race.
With Nuguse moving fast off the front, everyone else lined up behind him, jostling for position on each lap as the excitement increased. Nuguse led them through the 400 in 56.32, the 800 in 1:55.30, and the 1200 in 2:51.33, but that still wasn’t fast enough to break up the field, as 12 runners were still separated by only a second and a half. With about 300 meters to go, Hocker seized an opportunity to take control of the race by bursting ahead down the backstretch. Nuguse reacted and gave chase, and suddenly it appeared to be a five-runner race for third place.
Hocker was untouchable around the final curve and down the homestretch, winning his second straight Olympic Trials title in an event-record and new personal best of 3:30.59.
“I never wanted to fall out of that top five. I just always wanted to be right there in it,” Hocker said. “I knew Yared and Hobbs were gonna be the ones to watch and just followed them and wanted to go with the pace that keeps it honest because I knew the college guys and some of the others weren’t going to feel comfortable running in a 3:30-low race. I was pretty confident that’s the way it was going to go, and I knew having 12:58 5K strength compared to 2021, 2022, and last year just completely changed the game for me.”
Nuguse closed hard and ran a season’s best 3:30.86 to join Hocker on the Olympic team for the second time, but behind him there was an all-out battle for third between 21-year-old Hobbs Kessler, a former high school phenom who skipped college and turned pro at 18, and 29-year-old Vincent Ciattei, a former NCAA champion and two-time U.S. road mile champion.
In the end, both ran new personal best times, with Kessler (3:31.53) having just enough to out-lean Ciattei (3:31.78) at the line for the third and final spot on the Olympic team. Amazingly, Nathan Green (3:32.20) and Henry Wynne (3:32.94) also broke 3:33 while finishing fifth and sixth, respectively, and eight runners set new personal bests.
“I didn’t even know how close Vince was, I was just running as hard as I could,” Kessler said. “It was stressful, there was a lot of pressure, but I’m really proud of how I managed it. The race was hard, and Vince was close, but I’m super happy and super relieved that I made the team.”
As for Ciattei, he lowered his personal best by nearly three seconds and ran faster than anyone ever had in Olympic Trials history before today, but he still had to swallow the bitter pill of fourth place.
“It’s really hard to swallow,” Ciattei said. “It’s tough to put forth an effort like that and still not make the team. But it’s a testament to the quality of those guys, and yet I didn’t let the fact that no one was picking me to beat any of those guys get to me because no one was picking me. But I had so much self-belief and so much support from my coaches and teammates in my corner.”
RELATED: How to Watch the U.S. Olympic Trials
With Olympic medalists Courtney Frerichs and Emma Coburn sidelined with injuries, the women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase appears to be wide open this year. But already several runners have leveled-up, making Monday night’s semifinal an exciting display of who the country’s next great steeplechasers may be.
Kaylee Mitchell won a relatively slow first heat in 9:29.54, followed closely by Valerie Constien (9:29.61) and Courtney Wayment (9:29.66). Madie Boreman survived a first-lap fall to finish fourth (9:30.26), while Angelina Ellis (9:33.11) earned the final automatic qualifying mark and Annie Rodenfels (9:33.12) and Logan Jolly (9:33.91) earned time-qualified spots.
In the second heat, Gabbi Jennings (9:23.88) and Marissa Howard (9:26.38) left nothing to chance and pushed the pace a little harder. Olivia Markezich (9:26.67), Lexy Halladay (9:27.36), and Allie Ostrander (9:29.39) rounded out the automatic qualifiers and Krissy Gear (9:30.92) and Kaley Delay (9:31.04) snagged the final time qualifiers.
“I’m definitely ahead of where I was in 2021,” said Constien, who finished 12th in the Tokyo Olympics. “In 2021 I was just a scared kid with a dream, and now I’m a fully fledged woman in a Nike kit, so there’s a lot of confidence because I’m definitely a different person. But that fire and that spark is still there so I’m really happy. It’s going to take probably a sub-9:10 to win (the final on Thursday) and maybe faster than 9:13 to make the team. But I’m ready.”
RELATED: After Double Knee Surgery, This Runner is Poised to Make Team USA for the Paris Olympics
Quincy Hall continued to dominate the 400 this spring with a come-from-behind win in a new personal best of 44.17, outkicking 2022 world champion and Nike pro Michael Norman (44.41) down the homestretch. Unsung Chris Bailey, backed by the Tracksmith Amateur Support Program, closed hard to finish third in 44.42 ahead of Vernon Norwood (44.47) and Bryce Deadmon (44.61), who are both ranked among the top 10 in the world. Meanwhile, Quincy Wilson, the 16-year-old phenom from Maryland who set a U-18 world record of 44.59 in the semifinals on Sunday, placed sixth in 44.94 and will likely be considered for the U.S. Olympic 4×400-meter relay pool.
In the first of three semifinal heats, Quincy Hall (44.42) outran Chris Bailey (44.82), but they brought Matt Boling (44.91) and Justin Robinson (44.91) along as time qualifiers. Heat 2 saw Bryce Deadmon (44.44) outkicking Vernon Norwood (44.50) down the homestretch, but 16-year-old Quincy Wilson closed hard to finish in 44.59, also a time qualifier as he lowered the U-18 world record he had set two days earlier. Michael Norman, the 2022 world champion, easily won the third heat in 45.30 ahead of Khaleb McRae (45.59).
Wilson said he was stunned by how many top track stars were high-fiving him and wishing him good luck, including Grant Holloway, Sha’Carri Richardson and Twanisha “Tee Tee” Terry.
“It is one of the happiest days in my life,” said Wilson, who lives in Gaithersburg, Maryland. “I’m in the world’s biggest final coming up tomorrow, and at 16 years old, I’m ecstatic right now. I want people to know no matter what age you are, no matter how tall, how strong, you can always do it. You just put your mind to something and have a goal.”
Norman says it will be hard for Wilson to finish in the top three and make the team, but he’s impressed that he made it to the final.
“It’s spectacular,” he said. “I mean, a 16-year-old going out there and competing like a true competitor. Not letting the moment get too big, but just living in the moment and competing. It’s great to see young talents like himself, elevate, push us to run a little bit faster, and take us out of our comfort zone. And I think he has a bright future ahead of him, as long as he just stays grounded and focused.”
The men’s 400-meter final will take place at 9:59 P.M. ET on Monday.
RESULTS: U.S. Olympic Trials Live Results
So far the U.S. Olympic Trials have been a star-studded show with athletes like Sha’Carri Richardson, Noah Lyles, Ryan Crouser, Grant Fisher and Athing Mu rising to occasion and performing at the high level they have in the past. Kate Grace is doing that too, but she’s coming off two years without racing. Grace was a 2016 Olympian in the 800 meters who narrowly missed making Team USA for the Tokyo Olympics three years ago. Now she’s back running strong at age 35 after a two-year hiatus during which she suffered from a bout of long Covid and then took time off to give birth to her son, River, in March 2023.
In the first of three semi-final heats, LSU sophomore Michael Rose, the 2023 NCAA champion, set a blistering early place, split 57.5 for the first 400 meters. But Athing Mu started to close the gap on the backstretch and with 100 meters to go, Mu and Grace were kicking hard to catch her. Mu passed her on the right to steal the win in 1:58.84, while Grace edged her on the left to secure the other automatic qualifying spot in second (1:58.97) but Rose (1:59.00) still advanced with one of the three next fastest times along with Stanford star Juliette Whittaker, the reigning NCAA champion, and Kristie Schoffield (2:00.64).
“That was super tough diving at the line,” said Grace, who suffered cuts on her arms, legs and left hip. “I was tired and just trying to get through. I was kind of on the inside, but I think everything was clean, just some jostling. I didn’t hit my head or anything, but I came down hard on my arms and my legs and my hip. But the head is what we care about the most.”
Raevyn Rogers (2:01.08) edged Sage Hurt-Klecker (2:01.11) in the second heat—which would leave third-place finisher Ajeé Wilson, a two-time bronze medalist at the world championships and the 2022 indoor world champion, as first non-qualifier—while Allie Wilson (2:00.29) and Nia Akins (2:00.87) finished 1-2 in the third and final heat.
The women’s 800-meter final is slated for Monday at 10:32 P.M. ET., the final event of the night.
RELATED: Nia Akins Is Laying Down Tracks and Getting Faster on the Track
Kendall Ellis won one of the fastest U.S. 400-meter finals in recent memory, winning in a new personal best of 49.46 after outrunning Aaliyah Butler (49.71) and Alexis Holmes (49.78), who also ran personal best times. The 28-year-old Ellis has continued to work hard after a couple of years of not having things go her way. She helped the U.S. earn a gold medal in the 4×400-meter relay at the Tokyo Olympics, but her win in the 400 gave her her first U.S. team berth in an individual event since 2019 (when she competed in the 400 meters at the world championships in Doha). What is she doing differently?
“Just believing in myself,” she said. “The workouts haven’t changed. The results and practice haven’t changed, but finally something clicked up here that said, ‘You can do it. You can go out with the best of them and you can finish better than anyone else.’ So it’s really just about believing, and committing to that belief in the very first step. I haven’t been doing that.”
Annette Echikunwoke won the women’s hammer throw with a whirl of 245 feet; Pole vaulter Sam Kendricks, a two-time world champion and Olympic bronze medalist, won his 10th national title with a leap of 19 feet, 5 inches; Curtis Thompson won the javelin with a throw of 272 feet, 5 inches.
Monday is Day 4 of the U.S. Olympic Trials and key events include finals for women’s high jump, men’s long jump, men’s 1500, men’s 400, women’s 5,000, and women’s 800.
RELATED: With Snoop Cheering, Noah Lyles Wins U.S. Olympic Trials 100 Meters
The excitement level was ratcheted up several notches on Day 2 of the U.S. Olympic Trials for track and field on Saturday at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.
With Snoop Dogg in the house to watch some of it unfold, reigning world champion Sha’Carri Richardson blazed her way to the Paris Olympics by winning the women’s 100-meter final in a world-leading 10.71 seconds followed by training partners Melissa Jefferson, (10.80) and Twanisha “Tee Tee” Terry (10.89).
Meanwhile, Noah Lyles, also a 2023 world champion, got his Olympic quest going as he sped into Sunday afternoon’s semifinals of the men’s 100 with a 9.92 clocking ahead of Kenny Bednarek (10.00). Fred Kerley (10.03), Brandon Hicklin (10.08), Christian Coleman (9.99) and Courtney Lindsey (10.00) were the other heat winners heading into Sunday afternoon’s semis. The top two runners in each semifinal plus the next three fastest times will make it to tonight’s finals (10:49 P.M. ET).
RELATED: How to Watch the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials for Track and Field
In the men’s 1500-meter semifinals on Saturday afternoon, 25 runners battled for the 12 spots in Monday evening’s final. Yared Nuguse, a 2020 Olympian and the American record-holder in the mile, led wire-to-wire in the second heat to win in a swift 3:34.09, just ahead of Hobbs Kessler (3:34.16), Henry Wynne (3:34.40), Nathan Green (3:34.49), Elliott Cook (3:34.52) and Vincent Ciattei (3:34.63). Craig Engels (3:35.08) was the final qualifier, making it to the 1500 finals for the third straight time dating back to 2016.
“(My coach) Dathan told me, ‘Maybe you can take it easy today instead of leading 12 laps this weekend,’” said Nuguse, who runs for the On Athletics Club. “I said ‘OK,’ but I didn’t really like that idea, so I was like, ‘Maybe I can just go back to my normal strategy,’ and he said, ‘Yeah, OK.’ So that’s how it happened.”
In the first heat, fan-favorite and Nike pro Cole Hocker (3:37.89) won easily with collegians and friends Liam Murphy (Villanova) and Ethan Strand (North Carolina), who crossed the finish line together at 3:38.08 while smiling at each other in a bromance celebration of making it to the finals. Hocker’s training partner and former Oregon teammate Cooper Teare set the early pace, but hung on to finish fourth (3:38.26), while University of Washington star Joe Waskom, who just won his second NCAA 1500 title on the same track two weeks ago, was the final qualifier in 3:38.29.
Hocker took the lead after two and a half laps, but several runners closed in on him and he found himself boxed in with 150 meters to go. However, he was able to sneak through an opening along the rail and kick hard to secure the win.
“I was comfortable with what I did. It was just about staying comfortable, staying in control, and staying relaxed, was the name of the game, and both days had slightly different outcomes,” Hocker said. “I think I have a good feel for what I can do in the last 50 and based on the pace today, I was beyond confident on whatever happened. If it didn’t open up, I would have gone to the outside. I wasn’t making a statement, but I like to win races and I want to be 100 percent that I’m moving on to the next round.”
RESULTS: U.S. Olympic Trials Live Results
Two-time Olympic champion and Nike pro Ryan Crouser won the men’s shot put title with a huge throw of 74 feet, 11¼ inches, while two-time world champion and fellow Nike pro Joe Kovacs was second with a best of 73-7 ¼, and unsponsored athlete Payton Otterdahl was third in 73-0½. In the women’s triple jump, Jasmine Moore captured her first national title with a leap of 46-9½, followed by American record holder Keturah Orji (46-8), and Tori Franklin (45-0¼).
Heath Baldwin, a graduate student at Michigan State, won the men’s decathlon title with a career-best 8,625 points, edging out Zach Ziemek (8,516 points) and Harrison Williams (8,384 points). On Friday, Baldwin ran the 100 meters in 10.85 seconds, long jumped 24 feet, 5½ inches, threw the shot put 54-2½, high jumped 6-11¾, and ran the 400 meters in 48.58. On the second day of competition on Saturday, he ran the 110-meter high hurdles in 13.77, threw the discus 143-3¼, pole vaulted 15-10¾ threw the javelin 218-9½, and ran the 1500 in 4:41.87.
RELATED: Sha’Carri Richardson Wins 100 Meters, Qualifies for Paris Olympics
Sunday is Day 3 of the U.S. Olympic Trials and key events include finals for women’s hammer throw, men’s pole vault, men’s javelin, women’s 400, men’s 3,000-meter steeplechase, and men’s 100 meters.
RELATED: How to Watch the U.S. Olympic Trials
The U.S. Olympic Trials for track and field got underway on Friday night in Eugene, Oregon, and several American stars shined in their preliminary heats, including Sha’Carri Richardson, Ryan Crouser, Athing Mu, Elise Cranny, and Elle St. Pierre.
Richardson entered the meet as arguably the most high-profile track athlete in the U.S. After winning the 100 meters at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene on May 25 with a bit of her usual flair, the Nike-sponsored pro is poised to run in the Olympics for the first time later this summer in Paris. She stumbled out of the starting blocks in her preliminary heat of the 100 on Friday night, but recovered from the poor start and won the race easily in 10.88 seconds—the fastest time of the five heats— much to the appreciation of the near-capacity crowd at Hayward Field.
“I definitely didn’t have the start that I have been training to have in this moment, but still I was not panicking, just staying patient, and knowing that no matter what’s going on, to continue to run my race,” Richardson told NBC’s Lewis Johnson after the race. “It just tells me I’m prepared, but I just need to put it all together.”
Other 100 heat winners included 2024 NCAA champion McKenzie Long (10.94) who just turned pro and signed with Adidas, Florida State sophomore Dajaz Defrand (11.05) and second-year pro Melissa Jefferson (10.91), while Aleia Hobbs, who finished sixth at the 2022 world championships, clocked 10.97 as the runner-up in the first heat.
In 2021, Richardson won the 100 meters at the U.S. Olympic Trials in 10.86, but then just a few days later was told that her standard post-competition drug test revealed that she tested positive for marijuana use (which is on the banned substance list of the World Anti-Doping Agency), resulting in a suspension that kept her out of the Tokyo Olympics. Now she’s back and better than ever.
Richardson won the 100 at last year’s world championships in Budapest in a career-best 10.65 seconds and entered the Olympic Trials ranked No. 2 in the U.S. and No. 3 with an 10.83 effort at the Prefontaine Classic. But eight other Americans have also broken 11 seconds, so Sunday’s semifinal (8:57 P.M. ET) and finals (10:50 P.M.) will be must-see TV.
RELATED: Grant Fisher Earns First U.S. 10,000 Title, Seals Paris Olympic Team Berth
Parker Valby, the top women’s distance runner in the NCAA this year during her junior season at the University of Florida, was intent on making her mark in the first semifinal of the 5,000-meter run on Friday night. Running in her first race above the collegiate level, the 21-year-old looked comfortable setting the early pace in the opening heat, slightly increasing the tempo as she led for the first 11 laps of the race. But with a lap to go, Elle St. Pierre, a 2020 Olympian in the 1500 meters and new mom, took charge and kicked hard over the final 400 meters, leaving Valby in her dust.
“I definitely didn’t want to do any more work than I had to and just kind of wanted to get behind the leader or a few people back and settle in, so it just kind of worked out that way,” St. Pierre said. “It was a little toasty out there, so my goal was just to stick in the top group and get the job done today.”
St. Pierre ran a 62.5-second final 400 and easily won the race in 15:13.82, followed in second by a resurgent Karissa Schweizer (15:15.42), Valby (15:17.56) and Whittini Morgan (15:18.67). The top six finishers in each heat, plus the runners with the next four fastest times qualified for Monday evening final.
“My coach reminded me that first and sixth are the same, so I just kept that in the back of my mind,” Valby said. “My goal was to run a good race and qualify for the final, and that’s what I did.”
St. Pierre is the top-ranked U.S. runner in both the 1500 and the 5,000, having run personal bests of 3:56.00 (the second-fastest time in U.S. history) and 14:34.12 (fifth-fastest on the U.S. list) earlier this year. Although she’s only 15 months postpartum after giving birth to son, Ivan, in March 2023, the 29-year-old St. Pierre is running better and faster than ever. In January, she broke the American indoor record in the mile (4:16.41) at the Millrose Games in New York City, then won the gold medal in the 3,000 meters at the indoor world championships in Glasgow in March.
RELATED: Grant Fisher Earns First U.S. 10,000 Title, Seals Paris Olympic Team Berth
In the second heat of the 5,000, the pace went out extremely slow—roughly 5:45 mile pace—until Elise Cranny took the lead and ratcheted things up a notch. The 2020 U.S. Olympic Trials 5,000 champion, who left the Bowerman track club last year and moved back home to Niwot, Colorado, won the heat in 16:02.33 over Ella Donaghu (16:05.84), Rachel Smith (16:06.92) and Katelyn Tuohy (16:09.22).
Cranny was the U.S. champion in the 5,000 and 10,000 last year, but finished what she considered a disappointing ninth place in the 5,000 at the world championships—the same place she finished in 2022—and decided to change things up. After four years with the Bowerman Track Club in Oregon, Cranny moved back home last year, and after a short stint with Team Boss, Cranny is training on her own and being coached remotely by Jarred Cornfield, the associate head coach for distance and mid-distance running at Northern Arizona University.
Cranny said she’s running less mileage—down to about 80 miles a week after running 90 to 95 miles under Jerry Schumacher in the Bowerman program—and doing more cross-training (swimming and aqua jogging) and double-threshold workouts, while also prioritizing recovery more under Cornfield.
“I’m just happy to be home, training on my home track again, and being around my family,” Cranny said. “I was not in a very good spot, just very burnt out from running, and my approach wasn’t very good being in a team dynamic. So I kind of felt that I needed to step away and make decisions about my training and racing schedule more. I’m really happy being back home. My parents and my sisters have really gotten me through the last eight months.”
The 16-runner women’s 5,000 final is set for Monday evening at 11:09 P.M. ET.
Related: What You Need to Know About the U.S. Olympic Trials
Athing Mu, the 2020 Olympic champion and 2023 world championships bronze medalist in the 800 meters, finally made her season debut on Friday night. The 22-year-old had been bothered by hamstring issues all spring, but she ran well enough in her preliminary heat on Friday. She placed third in the second heat of four heats in 2:01.73, behind Allie Wilson (2:01.57) and McKenna Keegan (2:01.71) to easily qualify for the Sunday’s semifinals.
Stanford sophomore Juliette Whittaker, the reigning NCAA champions in the event, won the first heat (2:01.70), LSU junior Michaela Rose, the 2023 NCAA champion who finished sixth at the U.S. championships last year, turned in the fastest time while winning the third heat in 1:59.57 over Ajee Wilson (2:00.96), a two-time world championships bronze medalist, while Nia Akins won the fourth heat (2:01.18).
Weini Kelati Realizes Olympic Dream 10 Years after Defecting from Eritrea – RUN | Powered by Outside
