I caught part of the meet on TV last night. Heats for some of the sprints,mile (pardon my metrics), 10K, 3 or 4 women's HJ, 6 javelin tosses, one hammer throw, women's 5K, and this...oh, my; shades of Gerry Lindgren, Jim Ryan, Mary Decker, and Francie Larreau...oh, my...
Jordan Hasay: Breaking records along the way
The Mission Prep star runs the fastest 1,500 in high school history, is one step from Olympics
By Chris Hansen
EUGENE, Ore. --EUGENE, Ore. — With her long, blond ponytail swaying with every step, and the packed Hayward Field crowd cheering her every move, Jordan Hasay’s improbable run through the U. S. Olympic Track and Field Trials continued Friday night in record-breaking fashion.
The 16-year-old from Mission Prep advanced to the finals of the women’s 1,500 meters and did so by running the fastest time ever by a female high schooler.
Hasay finished fifth in her heat with a time of 4 minutes, 14.5 seconds to automatically qualify for the finals scheduled for 4:05 p. m. Sunday.
“I never dreamed of making the final,” said Hasay, who was swarmed after the race by all the national media in attendance.
Two days ago, she never dreamed she would be running in the first place.
Hasay came to Eugene on Wednesday as the 31st-ranked qualifier earlier for a race that was taking just 30. But after a pair of runners dropped out Wednesday, Hasay got her shot.
“What a shame if she hadn’t,” her coach, Armando Siqueiros, said.
Unlike in Thursday’s qualifier, when Hasay went out strong and led the race through the first 1,100 meters, Hasay let others take charge Friday as she hung back.
“I was just trying to stay relaxed,” Hasay said. “I know (Thursday) I got a little over excited. I just wanted to stay relaxed for the first two laps and then with 300 give it all I had and see what I could do.”
She started a little earlier than that actually, moving from eighth to seventh just before the bell lap began. By the time she was heading down the backstretch and picking up steam, the crowd got behind her. When she moved into sixth place — which would qualify her for the finals—the crowd was roaring.
“Every time I passed a runner I could hear everyone screaming,” Hasay said. “It just gets you pumped up. This was like no other meet I’ve ever been in or been to. That was awesome. It was cool.”
As she came up the homestretch, Hasay settled into fifth and charged through the finish line with a new national high school record, taking it from Christine Babcock of Woodbridge High in Irvine, who finished ninth in Hasay’s same heat. Babcock’s record was 4:16.42. Babcock was a distant ninth Friday in 4:20.0.
“Perfect execution of the race plan. Perfect execution. That’s all I ask. Just execute the race plan,” Siqueiros said.
“(The record) has always been in the back of my mind,” Hasay said. “When we were at 3:22 at 1,200, I kind of knew if I just pushed it in I would get it. I didn’t know where Christine (Babcock) was. I know we were both trying to go for it.”
Hasay was scheduled to race Thursday and then leave Friday from Portland, Ore., for the World Junior Championships which begin Tuesday in Bydgoszcz, Poland. She will now leave Monday morning. Her first race in Poland isn’t until July 11.
After the race on Friday, Hasay got to have her picture taken next the scoreboard on the field with her record time posted for the whole stadium to see. Fans in the west grandstand, attempting to lure a potential recruit, began to chant “Come to Oregon.”
“Incredible,” Hasay said. Incredible indeed.
sanluisobispo.com
from yahoo,
The women’s 1,500 semis ended on a much higher note, when 16-year-old Jordan Hasay brought her long, blonde ponytail across the finish line in fifth to advance to Sunday’s finals. She set the high school record with a time of 4 minutes, 14.5 seconds, and when it was over, this track-savvy crowd at the home of the University of Oregon chanted in unison “Come to Oregon.” A great scene.
(Didn't show da Rat screaming "Berkeley is better, and close to SLO, and flyng home from Oregon is getting expensive.")
Words fail, but, I tell ya, she was strong at the finish.
Whew.
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