The U.S. Olympic Trials start today at Hayward Field, but competition got underway yesterday as the men’s and women’s 20K race walks took place in Salem. A few of our reporters traveled to Salem to cover the action for Run Blog Run:
Isaac Gibson wrote about John Nunn’s victory in the men’s 20K race walk. Nunn finished first in 1 hour, 25 minutes, 36 seconds, but missed the Olympic qualifying standard by just over a minute. The second- and third-place finishers, Trevor Barron and Nick Christie, also missed the qualifying mark. Read about it here.
Maria Michta-Coffey (right) and Miranda Melville celebrate after finishing 1-2 in the 20K race walk. Photo by Dillon Vibes
Kylee O’Connor covered the women’s 20K race walk, where training partners Maria Michta-Coffey and Miranda Melville finished 1-2 in 1:33.40 and 1:34.11, respectively. They both met the Olympic qualifying standard, and will be representing the U.S. in Rio this summer. Read about it here.
Romaine Soh talked to Tracy Sundlun, race director of the Olympic Trials 20K race walk. Sundlun, a 2015 inductee into the Running USA Hall of Fame, has worked for years to bring attention to the race walk, and he continues to pave his way as a visionary for the sport. Read about it here.
