In the final event of the two-day heptathlon competition at the U.S. Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon, the 800 meters, Anna Hall led the pack through the first lap.
Published: Jul 08, 2023 6:14 PM EDT.
Hall won the 800 in 2:10.91, and she won the two-day competition with 6,677 points. She’ll represent Team USA next month at the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary.
Brooks faded over the final 200 meters and ran 2:17.71. But she held on to second in the heptathlon with 6,319 points, just off her 6,330 personal best from April.
She was shy of the automatic standard for Worlds (6,480 points). But she was hopeful she’d get into the meet based on her world ranking.
All said and done, the performance was a huge relief for Brooks. The last time she was at Hayward Field in Eugene was for the 2021 Olympic Trials. She Running From Substance Abuse Toward Recovery Advertisement - Continue Reading Below.
Temperatures that day climbed to 111 degrees, and it was warmer on the track. USA Track & Field (USATF) had rearranged the competition schedule for four events, so they could be contested in more favorable conditions. But no changes were made to the heptathlon schedule, despite urging from athletes, coaches, and representatives of the multisport events.
After Brooks collapsed, the rest of the heptathlon was pushed from afternoon until the evening. But it was too late for Brooks, who had been in fourth place. Doctors wouldn’t clear her to resume competing.
In the immediate aftermath of the Trials, she struggled with the sadness of losing out on her chance to make it to the Games.
“I remember telling people, like, ‘I see why people retire after Olympic Trials,’ because it was really downhill,” she recalled on July 7, while wiping away tears.
She Runs to Reclaim Her Identity After Assault, she filed a lawsuit against USATF.
The lawsuit reads, in part, “USATF did not respond to protect the health, safety, and well-being of the female heptathlon competitors, despite being well aware of the extreme risks of proceeding with the women’s heptathlon competition during the hottest part of the hottest day on record in Eugene, Oregon. This conduct by USA Track and Field was unconscionable and in disregard of its duty to prioritize health and safety of its athletes.”
As the lawsuit makes its way slowly through the legal system, Brooks, now 28, has tried to focus on her training.
But it was strange to be back on the podium at a USATF national championship, while also engaged in legal action against the governing body of the sport, she said.
“Honestly, it’s really weird,” Brooks said. “I think the biggest thing with that is just I don’t think that USA Track and Field should be able to conduct a meet however they want to and not be held responsible for it.”
It’s one thing if you fall and break your leg; that’s part of sport, she explained. It’s another “to be put in conditions where you could literally die,” she said. “I just want better for the sport and for the athletes so that what happened to me doesn’t happen to somebody else.”
To compete this year, she put the past—and the lawsuit—out of her mind. She avoided social media for several days before the meet. When she got to the long jump portion of the competition this year, the thought did cross her mind that it’s where her struggles began in 2021. But she sailed through it.
“Hopefully I can go to Budapest and put up a big score that I’m looking for and really prepare myself going into next year,” she said. “Next year’s the big year. If I can catch a rhythm this year and take that momentum into next year, I think I’ll be really happy.”
For now, she’s soaking in the satisfaction.
“It feels good to be back in elite heptathlon shape,” she said.
after the long jump and left the track in an ambulance is a writer and editor living in Eugene, Oregon, and her stories about the sport, its trends, and fascinating individuals have appeared in Runner’s World Running in the Cold, Run Your Butt Off! and Walk Your Butt Off!
