With about 150 meters to go in the women’s 800 meters, two of the country’s top runners tangled in the final push for three spots on the 2016 Olympic team. Brenda Martinez stumbled, Alysia Montaño Running Shoes - Gear.
Grace, 27, who runs for NorCal Distance and Oiselle, took her first U.S. title in 1:59.10 and will be joined on the women’s 800 team at the Rio Games by Ajee’ Wilson, who placed second in 1:59.51, and Chrishuna Williams, who was third with a 1:59.59.
“It’s surreal and I’m ecstatic,” Grace said. “My family, Oiselle, my friends are here. It’s been a long road. I’ve never podiumed in a national event—NCAAs or USAs—and I knew I was at this level. And I am so thankful for the support I’ve had throughout the years to allow me to get to this place.”
Immediately after leaving the track, a composed but visibly shocked Martinez said she was clipped from behind but wasn't sure what had happened. Her plans were to go home, eat, rest, and get ready to compete in the 1500 meters, which begins on Thursday.
“I just tried catching my fall, but by then they were already making another move and I just couldn’t regain my composure I guess,” Martinez said, later adding, “I have a little bit of frustration. I know I am good enough to make the team, but again, some days it’s not going to go your way.”
Watch: NBC’s clip of the fall that put Martinez and Montano out of the race. The fall comes about 1:25 into the video.
The results were under review for about two hours after the race ended and protests were filed, but officials ruled incidental contact and no disqualifications. The results became official by 11 p.m. Eastern.
Wilson, 22, won silver at the 2016 world indoor championships and is a three-time U.S. champion in the event. She said that preparing to get through the three rounds with such a deep field was challenging.
“Coming into these trials, we were all pretty much in the same place—1:59 to two-minute range—I think there were eight of us within this small little margin,” she said. “It was anyone’s game and you had to be on your toes to make it through the rounds and then just hope for the best in the final.”
Williams, a former 400-meter specialist at the University of Arkansas, broke onto the 800-meter scene at the Payton Jordan Invitational in May, finishing in 2:00.58, getting the Olympic qualifying standard.
“I didn’t want anyone to dictate my race,” she said. “I just tried to execute…my coach strategized a specific plan and I just stuck to that race strategy. I didn’t let anyone throw me off. I started to see that a lot was going on and I just told myself to stay focused.”
Molly Ludlow, who appeared to falter briefly in the tussle, finished fourth by 0.04 seconds. It is the second time she’s finished fourth Major Changes Hit Northern Arizona Elite.
Foot Locker XC Results Jarmila Kratochvilova Czechoslovakia, 1:53.28 1983. Australian Sprinter, 16, Runs Record-Breaking 200m Major Changes Hit Northern Arizona Elite. She is a six-time U.S. champion and placed fifth in the 800 meters at the 2012 Olympics. If the Russian athletes who have since tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs are stripped of their medals, Montaño will have a silver medal from the 2010 world indoor championships and three bronze medals from the 2012 Olympics and the 2011 and 2013 outdoor world championships.
Womens 800 Meters: Kate Grace Wins in a Stunning Final.
“In the middle of my base training [for the trials] I found out about the Russian doping scandal and have fought tooth-and-nail with a volatile emotional situation that I dealt with on my own and everybody got to watch,” she said, through tears, after leaving the track on Monday. “It’s my life. It’s not a story. It’s my life. And to everybody else, it’s a story.”
Shoes & Gear.
“Now I just have to reevaluate,” she said. “I need to get through this year, through these emotions.”
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Update, July 2: The women’s 800-meter semifinal featured no major surprises on Saturday, with Ajee’ Wilson and Brenda Martinez winning their respective heats in 2:00.81 and 1:59.64 to qualify automatically for Monday's final.
The other finalists include six-time U.S. champion Alysia Montaño, two-time NCAA champion Raevyn Rogers, and Oiselle athlete Kate Grace. Molly Ludlow, Chrishuna Williams, and Phoebe Wright round out the eight-woman field. The final is scheduled for Monday at 8:42 p.m. ET.
qualifying standard will make Team USA, headed to compete in August at the Rio de Janeiro Games: After five heats of the women’s 800 meters, the massive 38-athlete field was whittled down to 16. Among those advancing was Olympic-team favorite Alysia Montaño, who took second in her heat with a time of 2:00.56. She was nipped at the line by Saucony athlete Molly Ludlow, who achieved the fastest time of the day, 2:00.30.
Ajee’ Wilson, whose 1:57.87 was the fastest qualifier coming into the trials, coasted through a slow heat, securing her spot in the semifinals with a 2:03.31. Also advancing: two-time NCAA champion Raevyn Rogers, who took third in her heat with a time of 2:01.67. In her Oregon Duck kit, she received the loudest ovation of any of the athletes.
Olympic Trials Record.
Update, July 1 Olympic qualifying standard will make Team USA, headed to compete in August at the Rio de Janeiro Games.
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Below is a preview of the women’s 800-meter race, originally published in June. To see all of our event previews, go here.
TV: NBCSN, beginning 7 p.m. Eastern on July 4
World Record: Jarmila Kratochvilova (Czechoslovakia), 1:53.28 (1983)
American Record: Jearl Miles-Clark, 1:56.40 (1999)
Other Hearst Subscriptions: Meredith Rainey, 1:57.04 (1996)
Health - Injuries: 2:03
Olympian Elle St. Pierre Is Expecting Second Child: 2:01.50
Shoes & Gear: Ajee’ Wilson, 22, sits atop the list of athletes with the Olympic qualifier, with her 1:57.87 from the 2015 outdoor season, but she has yet to break 2:00 this year.
Alysia Montaño, 30, who was defeated in the 2012 Olympics by now-convicted Russian drug cheats, has something to prove in 2016 and may be fueled by the emotions she’s openly talked about since the news broke. She shaved a half second off her season best at the Prefontaine Classic in May, her second race of 2016. Brenda Martinez, 28, won the world bronze medal in the 800 meters in 2013 and has indicated she will focus on this event for the Trials. Others who could be fighting for a top-three finish include Kate Grace, 27, who has been racing 800 and 1500 meters this season. Also watch for Molly Ludlow, Raevyn Rogers, and Chanelle Price.
