EUGENE, Ore. — Sanford native Rachel Schneider, who earned an Olympic berth in the 5,000 meters on Monday night, missed out on qualifying for a second event as she placed fifth in the 10,000 at the U.S. Olympic track and field trials Saturday at Hayward Field.
Schneider, 29, finished in 31:42.92. Emily Sisson (31:03.82), Karissa Schweizer (31:16.52) and Alicia Monson (31:18.55) earned the three Olympics spots. Elise Cranny was fourth in 31:35.22.
Standish native Emily Durgin finished ninth in a season’s best 32:25.45.
Sisson pushed the pace early and no one could keep up as she finished in a trials-record time of 31:03.82.
Sisson is headed to the Tokyo Games after not qualifying during the marathon trials in February 2020 on a cool day in Atlanta.
The temperature at the start of the race was 85 degrees. It was supposed to be held in the early evening when the temperature was expected to reach 102 degrees. There was a water table set up on the track for the athletes.
The runners stayed cool before the race any way they could. They wore ice vests, poured water over their necks and remained in the shade as long as possible.
Schneider qualified for her first Olympic team by finishing third in the 5,000 in 15:29:56 on Monday night.
Also Saturday, South Portland native Steven Smith finished fourth in the men’s 20-kilometer racewalk. His time was 1:35:54. Nick Christie won with a time of 1:30.48 in 70-degree weather. None of the U.S. men have achieved the qualifying standard for the Olympics, however.
In the women’s race, Robyn Stevens moved closer to her first Olympic team at age 38, finishing in 1:35.13. Stevens retired from the sport in 2004 but returned five years ago. Although she also doesn’t have a qualifying time, she can be named to the U.S. team if she stays in the top 60 in the world rankings next week.
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