Top 5 Moments of the U.S. Track and Field Olympic Trials

It has been bittersweet watching every single moment of the 2016 Track and Field Olympic Trials, mostly because I was hoping to be towing the line there until sidelined by surgery about a year ago. On the flip side, I have thoroughly enjoyed seeing my peers and friends succeed, flourish and compete at every level. Even those who did not qualify, showed what true competition looks like and made this Trials amazing and inspiring. The good news is that I am training every day again, and I will be racing with my colleagues very soon...

Here are my top five moments from these past ten days. They may be different from yours, and I kind of hope they are. That is what makes Track and Field so special! Enjoy.

1.  Bernard LAGAT (5000m) and Brenda MARTINEZ (1500m)! I just couldn’t decide who was better at overcoming obstacles and being mentally tough.
2. Charles Jock makes Men’s 800m team with 3^rd place finish. I got to know Charles in the Summer of 2013 in Leuven, Belgium, when we were roommates for a short time as we traveled and competed with our agency—Total Sports US. Charles is a phenomenal athlete, running 1:44 in college as NCAA champion in 2012 and making the World Championships team in 2011. For the last four years, however, he has had several lackluster seasons and fallen short of his goals. We don’t talk much anymore, but I hope he knows that I am a huge fan and I am ecstatic to see him achieve Olympic status. There is no one better dressed in the sport or who carries himself with more class than Charles.
3. Stephanie Garcia comes up 150m short of making Women’s Steeplechase Olympic team. I am not sure if I have ever seen any athlete race harder than Stephanie did in the final of this year’s Women’s Steeplechase. I have known Stephanie since 2012 and have followed her development and rise to stardom. She is one of the few women in this country with three Olympic “A” Standard times and is not scared to mix it up at the front of any big race. I was heartbroken to see her fall over the last barrier, but I hope she knows she can hold her head high because she left everything on Hayward field. Well done, Stephanie!
4. Kate Grace wins Women’s 800m run title. I don’t know Kate at all. But, all I know is that she is a total bad-ass. I followed her season closely and knew, as did most who follow this sport, that she would bring the heat at this Trials. And did she ever, winning perhaps one of the most dramatic races to ever take place on United States soil.
5. Ben Blankenship makes his first US team. I met Ben in 2013 and I have always been scared of him. He is one of the most authentic souls in the sport of Track and Field and also one of the most talented (as you have seen this week at the Trials). He has been fun to watch these last two seasons as he has run some fantastic races to come up just short at Nationals or World Champ qualifiers. Not this time! Congrats Ben, and I look forward to seeing you soon. (Written at 5:55pm EST with the final being run at 8:20pm EST).