By Hannah Bonnie
Brenda Martinez collapsed across the line in tears during the women’s 1,500-meter final of the U.S Track and Field Olympic Trials, finishing in third place and making the team for Rio six days after a fall prevented her from making the 800-meter team.
Jenny Simpson won with a time of 4 minutes, 4.74 seconds, while Shannon Rowbury finished in second in 4:05.39.
On Monday, during the 800-meter final, Martinez became entangled with another favorite, Alysia Montano, and they missed out on making the Olympic team in that event. Because of that, Martinez declared for the 1,500, hoping for a second shot at making her first Olympic team.
“My heart sings for Brenda,” said Simpson. “There’s only one woman in the 800 meters that can also make the 1,500-meter team, and it’s Brenda.”
Martinez was in the middle of the pack for much of the race, but during the final 200 meters, she found a space and sprinted to the finish line, unsure if she had made the team because Amanda Eccleston had dived across the line at the same time as she did. Martinez finished in 4:06.16, while Eccleston finished .03 seconds behind.
“If I’m going to be happy, I couldn’t let that fall stop me,” said Martinez. “There’s times in your life where you kind of doubt yourself, and I just had to get rid of all the doubt.”
Coming into the race, Eccleston was an underdog. She said that she was just thrilled to have made it this far, but to finish in fourth was obviously a disappointment.
“Every time I had a surge, Brenda had another one to match it,” she said. “I never even imagined I’d ever get to the trials, much less be that close to making an Olympic team.”
Though it was Martinez’s first time making an Olympic team, it was not Rowbury’s or Simpson’s. The two of them have been duking it out for the past couple of years. Throughout the trials, the two were paired up for all three rounds.
“I think the rivalry, as some have called it, but just the competition between us has made both of us better,” said Rowbury.
Simpson may have bested her this time as she led through the last half of the race. This is something that she normally doesn’t do as she typically takes the lead later in the race.
“When I go to the lead, never relinquish it,” said Simpson. “If I’m not going to make this Olympic team, three people are going to have to take it from me, pry it from my crazy, gripped hands.”
