THE ORIGINAL PLAN for 1500 specialist Elle St. Pierre was to skip the 5000, even though she had posted an impressive U.S.-leading 14:34.12 PR in May. But she ultimately had a change of heart. “I didn’t want to give up the opportunity,” she admitted. “I think it would have been hard to sit home and watch the 5000 go by.”
For those who did watch, it was fabulously entertaining. In a thrilling homestretch duel, St. Pierre edged Elise Cranny for the win in a photo finish, while Karissa Schweizer grabbed the final slot for Paris. All three are now 2-time Olympians.
Three days before the final, the heats had been a contrast in styles. NCAA sensation Parker Valby set an honest tempo from the start of the first section, with St. Pierre, a 1500 finalist in Tokyo, taking the lead at the bell and making a statement with a 15:13.82 win over Schweizer (15:15.42) and Valby (15:17.56). The second heat was nearly a minute slower through 3000, setting up a scorching close from Cranny, who covered the last 1600 in 4:29.21 to wrap up a 16:02.23 win.
In the final, Valby immediately went to the front, as has often been the strategy she employed while winning 6 NCAA titles for Florida over the past year. “I knew that if I was going to have a shot I needed to run my best race, which is running from the front and trying to get them that way,” she said.
She kept a steady tempo for the first 10 laps, clicking off kilometers of 3:00.23, 2:58.66, 2:58.68 and 2:58.57. By then, only St. Pierre, Cranny and Schweizer remained in contention. With 2 laps to go, St. Pierre made a decisive move to seize the lead. Valby couldn’t match that pace, but Cranny and Schweizer hung on.
After an initial attempt to take over on the backstretch failed, Cranny — winner of the past three national titles in the event — swung wide in the final 100 to draw even with St. Pierre. They matched strides all the way to the tape, with St. Pierre narrowly winning in 14:40.34, a meet record.
“I feel stronger than ever, to be honest,” said St. Pierre, who used a similar injection of speed to win the World Indoor 3000 gold in March. “The crowd was just crazy, so it felt like we were flying the whole time. I definitely loved feeling that energy.”
Cranny (14:40.36) was just 0.02 back, while Schweizer (14:45.12) took a comfortable 3rd. Valby (14:51.44)…
CLICK HERE to Read the Full Original Article at Track & Field News…