American half marathon record holder Weini Kelati will add another accolade to her illustrious resume: Olympian. The 27-year-old won the women’s 10,000 meters in 31 minutes, 41.07 seconds and will represent the United States in Paris.
Six-time NCAA champion Parker Valby, 21, came in second in 31:41.56, and Carissa Schweitzer, 28, who had already made the national team in the 5,000 meters on Monday, came in third, just one second behind in 31:41.56. But despite their podium finishes, it’s not yet clear whether they’ll make the Olympic team.
That’s because Kelati was the only athlete who entered the race in 30 minutes, 40 seconds, the automatic Olympic qualifying time — faster than any woman who ran tonight. But there’s another way to qualify: the World Athletics Rankings. The answer won’t be known until July 7, but Valby and Schweitzer still have a good chance of becoming Olympians in this event.
Why? As previously explained, each athlete is assigned a performance score for each qualifying race based on their completion time and placement. The top two scores are then averaged to calculate a ranking score. Based on the results of tonight’s race, Valby’s ranking score will increase from 1,161 to 1,213, and Schweitzer’s ranking score will increase from 1,182 to 1,209.
Currently, they need 1,236 points to qualify and move up in the rankings, but some of the skaters above them, including American Alicia Monson, who tore her meniscus in April, won’t be competing. If that happens, the number of points needed could be reduced and Schweitzer and Valby could earn a spot on Team USA.
Katie Izzo, 27, is well positioned to qualify in the world rankings due to her placements in cross-country races in November and December. She finished 13th in 32:30.31 and could be named to the team if Valby or Schweitzer do not qualify or decide not to compete (Schweitzer could choose to run only the 5,000 meters in Paris, for example).
The race got off to a relatively slow start, with Susanna Sullivan taking the lead after about a lap and maintaining that position until the 6,400m mark, but after a number of 79-80 second laps Erica Kemp took the lead and quickened the pace, pulling with her a pack of about six runners including Kelati, Valby and Schweitzer.
With five laps to go, Valby took a bold step and increased her pace to her trademark 71-second lap. Unlike the 5,000m, she planned to conserve energy by not taking the lead early and waiting for her coach, Will Palmer’s, signal, she told reporters after the race. “Every lap I watched him and when he told me to go, I went. And it paid off,” she said.
Schweitzer and Kelati were close, and the three quickly passed the others. Seconds before the gong rang, Schweitzer surged ahead. With about 200 meters to go, Kelati appeared to make a final move to take the lead. Soon after, Schweitzer and then Valby passed her again, and Kelati looked to have to settle for second or third place. But it wasn’t over yet. With 80 meters to go, Kelati sprinted around the inside of Schweitzer to pass her and take the win.
Kelati, who is originally from Eritrea, said he gets emotional every time he returns to Eugene — he raced here in 2014 and then decided to defect rather than get on a flight home — but tonight he found solace by focusing on the present, not the past.
Looking to the future, she is hoping for a strong performance in Paris. “For me, I’m more competitive at the international level than in the championship races,” she said. “Right now I’m very happy to have been selected for the team, but I feel like I can race my best.”
Jess McClain, who made a blistering return from a break from professional running to place fourth at the Olympic Marathon Trials, finished fourth again in a time of 32:04.57 and said she was once again more proud than disappointed, with tonight’s strong finish having erased some of her less-than-stellar memories from track racing.
“I was super excited about the time I put up in the marathon and am really thrilled to come in fourth today,” she said. “This is a great way to end a great year and now I’m more motivated than ever to get back to marathon pace.”
Cindy is a freelance health and fitness writer, author, podcaster and regular contributor. Runner’s World Since 2013, she has Breakthrough Women’s Running: Dream Big, Train Smart, Rebound: Training Your Mind to Bounce Back Stronger After Sports Injuriesa book on sports injury psychology published by Bloomsbury Sports. Cindy specializes in injury prevention and recovery, everyday athletes who achieve extraordinary things, and the thriving community of her beloved Chicago, where deep bonds form between those brave enough to continue training through the winter.
