Fear and Loathing in Eugene, Day Seven (June 27, 2024), teased fans about Team USA’s potential, Women’s discus and Women’s steeplechase finals

This is a series I began in Eugene during the Trials. It is an exercise for me, where I take in the major themes of each day to prep for Paris 2024. I hope that you like it. This is Day 7.

Fear and Loathing in Eugene, Day Seven teased fans about Team USA’s potential Larry Eder.

The seventh day came on June 27 in Eugene, Oregon. After a two-day break, the fans were back, with about 12,000 fans (and 

several thousand coaches, athletes, and officials) in the house that Phil and Penny built. 

Women’s Discus 

Valarie Allman competed as if she were the only athlete competing, winning by 6.1 meters! Her series was 67.19 meters, 68.09 meters, and fouls were 69.72 meters, 67.64 meters, and 70.73 meters. 70.73 meters was her farthest throw of the competition. 

Valarie changed her technique with Coach Zebulon Sion in 20192019, and it was an incredible change. Valarie Allman was the Olympic champion in 2021, winning medals in Eugene in 2022 and Budapest in 2023. 

The battle is on for Paris 2024. 

Valerie Allman is the finest women’s discus thrower in 2024, and she is, in my opinion, the odds-on favorite for the Olympic discus gold in Paris. However, there are some amazing competitors in the Women’s discus.

Men’s 110 hurdles, semi-finals

Grant Holloway is focused on making the Olympic team, and he showed it, running his second sub-13-second run of

the year. Both sub 13 second runs are the only ones in the world, in Eugene. Cordell Finch took second in 13.19, and Cameron 

Murray, 13.27.

Freddie Crittenden ran 13.05 for semi-final 2. Ja’Qualon Scott takes second in 13.23, and Trey Cunningham takes third.

Daniel Roberts wins semi-final 3 in 13.11, with Micheal Dickson in 13.19 for second and Devin Wilson for third in 13.23. 

Grant Holloway has been focused on Paris since Tokyo 2021 when he did not win gold. While it has been challenging for Grant, it has been great for fans of the 110m hurdles and 60m hurdles indoors. Grant Holloway is the finest hurdler of his generation. Do not discount his hurdling. You are seeing the hardest working guy in the 110m hurdles.

Women’s 1,500 meters, 

Cory McGee took the first heat in 4:15.75, leading six to the semi-finals. Elise Cranny, Nikki Hiltz, and Sage Hurta Klecker moved on. Elise Cranny had run the 5,000 meters, and Sage Hurta-Klecker had run the 800 meters. 

In heat 2, NB’s Heather Maclean won in 4:07.31, with Sinclaire Johnson, Helen Schlachtenhaufen, Gracie Hyde, Christie Aragon, Addy Wiley, and Anna Gibson. 

In heat 3, 5000m winner Elle St. Pierre ran the fastest heat in 4:06.41. Emily Mackay, Anna Camp-Bennett, Eli Donaghu, Dani Jones, 

Lindsay Butler, Jenn Randall, Eleanor Fulton, Alexina Teúbas, and Angel Piccirillo moved on. 

Women’s 200 meters

In the first round of the 200m, Sha’Carrie Richardson won heat 1 in 21.99, McKenzie Long won heat 2 in 22.49, 

Brittany Brown won heat 3 in 22.29, and Gabby Thomas won heat 4 in 22.11. The first round was non-sensical as all

Thirty sprinters moved on! 

Women’s steeplechase

Emma Coburn and Courtney French are injured. It was clear from the beginning that a new generation of steeplechasers 

would be making the team. 

Krissy Gear, the 2023 champion, had a very rough race and left the race about midway. Krissy later noted on IG that she had to shut down the season,

and she was having a tough time in both the heats and the final.

Valeria Constien had just returned to competition after recovering from an injury last year in Doha. Anna Rodenfels led through the 

First kilometer in 3:00.53. The race got exciting by 2k, led by Courtney Wayment in 6:08.23.

Then, it got interesting. 

The final 1000m was run in the mid-2:50s. 

Courtney Wayment, Valerie Constien, Marisa Howard, Olivia Markezich, Kaylee Mitchell, and Gabbi Jennings were all there, but the medal 

contenders, with Wayment, Constien, and Markezich as prime contenders. 

On the final water jump, Olivia Markezich clipped her foot at the final step in the water jump, and she spent the rest of the 

Race trying to fight back. Valerie Constien moved perfectly over the last barrier, running the last 1k in

2:54.70, going from third to first, running MR of 9:03.22 PB.

Courtney Wayment moved into second, running her last 1k in 2:58.27, running PB in 9:06.50. 

Marissa Howard surprised many with her big PB of 9:07.14, running 2:58. 46.

Olivia Markezich, 2023 NCAA champion, had a terrible last 200m, but she fought on, also clipping the final barrier, falling, but

Holding on, dropping from medal contender to sixth in PB of 9:14.85. She ran a gutty race and never gave up. 

This race was Valerie Constien’s. She had lived through a hellish year recovering from surgery and wondered if she would ever make another professional steeple race. Valerie led the first nine athletes to PBs, completely rewriting the American steeple list.

The steeple is a relatively new event, introduced in 1992. 

This writer recalls a story about our magazine, American Athletics. In 1992, we put Carla Borovick on the cover of the women’s steeple. I received a letter from a prominent University coach chastising me about placing a steepler on the cover, noting, “Next thing that we know, you will put a woman pole vaulter on the cover of American Athletics.” 

How things change! 

Complete results of the 2024 US Olympic Trials: https://results.usatf.org/2024trials/

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