It’s been almost two weeks since the Olympic Track and Field Trials came to a close. Took about that long to absorb the emotion and come back down to earth. Stephanie Garcia may have said it best when she said, “there are a lot of amazing athletes that aren’t Olympians.” And it certainly goes without saying, there are a lot of amazing athletes that are Olympians!
So let’s talk Trials and catch up the with five athletes we profiled leading up to Eugene: Ashley Higginson, Kate Grace, Steph Bruce, Abbey D’Agostina, and Sara Slattery.
Sara Slattery
Sadly, Sara had to pull out of the Trials due to an injury.
Abbey D’Agostina
Abbey is going to Rio!! Yes, she did finish 5th in the 5k final BUT Emily Infeld and Molly Huddle both pulled out to focus on the 10,000m. So Abbey is lining up for Team USA at the Olympic Games! I am so excited, personally she was a surprising favorite interview of mine. She is wise beyond her years and such a unique spirit. I can’t wait to see her represent the USA this August!
Steph Bruce
Ahh tears rolled down my face as Steph came around that last 200m and put her hand to her heart. She respected her journey and saw it out to the finish line. Despite not running to the ultimate best of her potential, she was at peace with the end of this particular chapter. I cannot wait to see what’s next!
Ashley Higginson
Man, oh wo-man! That Steeple was stacked. I can barely watch her post-race interviews, or the tears start rolling all over again (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FoBbzk6_7QI_). It’s raw. She fought hard but finished 9th in 9:38.
The field of the women’s Steeple has changed so much in four years. Remember, the first time the Women’s Steeplechase was an Olympic event was 2008, so it’s growing every cycle. Ashley’s (nearly) exact time of 9:38 was good enough for 4th place in 2012.
Nothing but love for this woman, anxious to see what’s next for her.
Kate Grace
Alright, this race might go down as one of the most dramatic final of the 2016 Trials. If you haven’t watched it, go watch it here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qrDfry_KK0)! The last curve, Brenda Martinez gets tripped up, then Alysia Montano goes down, full somersault style. It’s a huge cluster. And I look up to see Kate %#$ Grace winning the Olympic Trials 800m!!
Recap by Sarah Robinson
Photo by: Sean Dulany
Instagram: @930rcr_sports
