Bor, Coburn, Keter, and McGee qualify for Team USA with top three finishes at USATF Championships

Colorado Results Scoreboard

(28-Jun) Thirty-three USATF Colorado members competed in the 2022 USATF Outdoor Championships that concluded on Sunday (26-Jun) in Eugene, Oregon.  The championships were the qualifying event for next month's World Athletics Championships to also be held in Eugene.  The top three athletes in each event who also met the world championship entry standards qualified to represent Team USA at the world championships.

Four Coloradans qualified for the world championships with Emma Coburn (Boulder; New Balance) and Hillary Bor (Colorado Springs; HOKA/American Distance Project) each claiming 3000m Steeplechase titles.  They will be joined in Eugene next month by Benard Keter (Colorado Springs; Nike/American Distance Project)in the 3000m Steeplechase and Cory McGee (Boulder; New Balance) in the 1500m.  Additionally, On Athletics Club teammates Joe Klecker (Boulder) and Alicia Monson (Longmont) each secured Team USA spots last month in the 10,000m at a separate qualifying race held in conjunction with the Prefontaine Classic.
 
In the women's 3000m Steeplechase, Coburn made a decisive move with 600m to go to break open a four-women pack that had formed just past the 800m mark.   No one was able to respond to her move and she went on to win by a margin of 1.47 seconds over runner-up Courtney Wayment. It was Coburn's eighth consecutive and 10th overall U.S. title in the event. Her time of 9:10.63 just missed her own championship record of 9:09.41 set at last year's Olympic Trials.  Finishing in fifth was Coburn's training partner Katie Rainsberger (Colorado Springs; New Balance - pictured above).  Her time of 9:29.77 was a career best by .41 seconds.  Valerie Constien (Boulder) finished eighth running 9:42.96.
 
In the men's 3000m Steeplechase, five (5) Coloradans toed the line in the 14-man field. Hillary Bor (Colorado Springs; HOKA/American Distance Project) and Benard Keter (Colorado Springs; Nike/U.S. Army) each earned their second-straight global Team USA spots as they finished first and third, respectively.  At last year's Olympic Trials they finished 1st (Bor) and 2nd (Keter) to secure Team USA spots for the Tokyo Olympic team. On Saturday, Bor ran 8:15.76 to win his third straight U.S. title while Keter ran 8:19.16. Finishing fifth was Anthony Rotich (Colorado Springs; NIKE/U.S. Army) in 8:23.15.  Brian Barraza (Boulder; adidas/Tinman Elite) and Frankline Tonui (Colorado Springs; Nike) finished 9th and 11th, respectively.
In the women's 1500m, Cory McGee (pictured above), who trains with Coburn, finished second running 4:04.52 to make her fourth career global championship team (2020 Olympics, 2016 World Indoor, 2013 World Outdoor).  The race was won by Sinclair Johnson in 4:03.29. McGee made a strong move with 250 meters to go that significantly strung the pack of six out. Johnson was the only one to cover McGee's move and the two separated themselves from the other four - Elle St. Pierre, Karissa Schwizer, Heather McLean, and Helen Schlachtenhaufen.   Coming off the turn into the final 100m Johnson went wide and was able to get by McGee and hit the line arms raised in victory. McGee was able to hold the gap she had formed over the chase group to easily secure the runner-up spot. Elle St. Pierre finished .67 seconds behind McGee but never really posed a threat to overtake her. McGee's training partner Dani Jones (Boulder; New Balance) finished eighth running 4:09.86.
 
In the women's 800m, Sage Hurta (pictured above) finished seventh running 1:59.43 in the finals.  In the semi-final round she set a personal best by 1.13 seconds running 1:58.30 to finish second in her heat to eventual event champion Athing Mu.

In the men's 5000m, Paul Chelimo (Colorado Springs; Nike) and Cole Sprout (Highlands Ranch; Stanford) finished 11th and 12th, respectively.

Off the track in the field events three locals finished in the top-15.  They were: 

• Qwazon Alkhaliq (Greeley; Univ. of Northern Colorado) 11th Triple Jump 15.96m / 52-4½
• Khayla Dawson (Colorado Springs) 13th Shot Put  16.94m / 55-7
• Hannah Meek (Colorado Springs; Univ. of Colorado, Colorado Springs) 15th Long Jump 6.03m / 19-9½

The complete Colorado Results Scoreboard as well as post-competition interviews can be found here.