But she was unable to keep that pace up for long and fell behind for the eventual eighth-place finish.
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A few minutes earlier, Brenda Martinez had endured similar suspense in the women’s 1,500-meter race.
Of the 127 athletes on the team, 84 will be making their Olympic debut. To her right, Amanda Eccleston was frantically trying for the same goal.
McLaughlin, a 16-year-old junior at Union Catholic High in Scotch Plains, New Jersey, accepted her trophy two days after earning a spot on the U.S. Olympic team for the Rio Games in the 400-meter hurdles.
“Going into the race I said, “Let’s go”.
The only real drama heading into the final night of trials centered on who would join Biles.
And so, she started slow, never made up ground against victor Tori Bowie or second-place Deajah Stevens and could not hold off Prandini, the former University of or star who had to wait about 30 seconds to see the result for third place go up on the board. “When I give all I have and I run 22.50, the speed just wasn’t there”.
While Ostrander won’t go to the Olympics this year, her strong showing in the Olympic trials against much more experienced runners bodes well for a bright future for the college sophomore to-be. “These conditions were really tough and I can’t wait to get to a meet and jump something I’m capable of”.
“Disappointing”, Felix said of the race. “I’m just 16, so if I don’t make the Olympic Team I can come back in 4 years and try again”.
The photo finish showed Prandini had finished third by one one-hundredth of a second. She finished in a world junior-record time of 54.15 seconds, which was still 1.27 behind Muhammad.
Fast fact: Teenager Sydney McLaughlin can juggle on a unicycle.
McLaughlin joins victor Dalilah Muhammad and runner-up Ashley Spencer on the team headed to Rio.
“I just want to say thank you to everyone who encouraged me through this whole journey”, Ostrander said.
McLaughlin becomes the youngest US track and field Olympian since, well, earlier in the week, when 18-year-old Vashti Cunningham earned her spot in the high jump. She sounded like it.
“She’s the truth”, said Carter.
Dalilah Muhammad, right, the 400-meter hurdles victor, hugs Sydney McLaughlin. Weeks had a clean sheet through 4.65m (15-3) and one clearance of 4.70m (15-5) would send her through to Rio. It was around a second faster than her previous best for the event.
“I crossed the line and thought, ‘Wow, I’m an Olympian, ‘ ” said Nwaba, who trains in Santa Barbara. You would be right.
Only the top three finishers in each event at the cut-throat trials qualify for the Olympics.
The 30-year-old from Los Angeles clocked 22.54sec behind third-placed Jenna Prandini, who recorded 22.53.
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And he didn’t have to dive to do it.
