Webster city native and former world champion Jenny Simpson finished in first place in the women’s 1,500 Sunday with a time of 4 minutes, 4.74 seconds. “The constant pick-up of the entire race was really hard for me to keep up with, and in the end, I just didn’t quite have the legs for it”.
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Ariana Washington competes in the first round of the women’s 200-meter at the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Track and Field at Hayward Field on July 8, 2016 in Eugene, Ore.
McLaughlin said she had been given incentives to succeed from an early age. “I had my heart set on the 10 this year”.
McLaughlin, a rising senior at Union Catholic in Scotch Plains, New Jersey, said she had a panic attack before the race began.
“I was joking with my dad last night, he was a two-time Olympian and I am now, he can’t hold that over me”, said Matthew, second in the 2012 trials.
That is nothing compared to this: The 16-year-old is headed to Rio, and will be the youngest to compete for the U.S. Olympic track team since 1972, according to USA Track and Field.
Kori Carter, who represented the United States of America at the World Championships in Beijing previous year, was left in awe after finishing in fourth behind her young rival.
“All the pressure I put on myself”, McLaughlin, a resident of Dunellen, said in her post-race interview on NBC, which will air the games from Brazil next month. He told her it was only nerves and everyone gets them. Although, the world and American junior record holder isn’t exactly used to trailing like this. I’m just grateful with everything that has happened I’m still able to make the team. She finished fourth in the 200-meter final, one spot away from Rio, in a.01-second loss to a sprawling Jenna Prandini at U.S. Track and Field Trials.
►Reigning Olympic champion Jenn Suhr will get a crack at defending her title in Rio after winning the pole vault competition on Sunday.
Heather Miller-Koch moved up into second place with her PB of 6423 points after an 800m win in 2:09.97, while NCAA champion Kendell Williams also ran an 800m PB of 2:15.31 to set 6402 points and finish third for the final Rio place.
Felix said she would not run any races before the Olympics, instead using the time to rest her body and recover.
“I’ll just take the time we have to get back and ideal the 400”, she said. Felix suffered a potential season-ending ankle injury during a freak gym workout accident in April.
“You realize that sometimes you have to lose in order to get better”, said McLaughlin, who still plans to compete at world juniors later this month in Poland.
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The photo finish showed Prandini had finished third by one one-hundredth of a second. In third, but not without drama, was Brenda Martinez, who fell in final curve of the 800, perhaps her best event. You know, I don’t get paid for this.
