Come hell or polluted water, the urgency to compete in the 2016 Olympic Games drove some athletes to extreme measures. At the U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials last weekend, runners were throwing themselves across the finish line to finish in the top three and win a ticket to Rio de Janeiro. Many who missed out collapsed in tears. The 10-day trials at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, were the best show the sport has to offer.
It comes along only once every four years, the opportunity to perform on the Olympic stage. For athletes in track and field, it is a quest fraught with uncertainty. An injury or sickness at the wrong time, or a mishap in the competition, can shatter one’s dreams. By contrast, the U.S. team trials in swimming are predictable. Katie Ledecky is not going to hit a hurdle, or be boxed in, or bumped around during her races in the pool.
Some of the strongest favorites in the track trials were bounced out by misfortune. The most heartbreaking exit was by Alysia Montaño in the women’s 800 meters. She tumbled to the track during a collision on the final turn. Brenda Martinez, also knocked out of contention by the incident, came back Sunday and dove headlong at the finish of the 1,500 final to place third by three-hundredths of a second.