US Olympics Track and Field Trials 2016: Alysia Montano Stumbles, Ends Rio Bid
Alysia Montano's Olympic Dreams Bid Farewell in US 800-Meter Trials
In a matter of seconds, Alysia Montano's preparation efforts leading up to the 800-meter final at the U.S. Olympic track and field trials held last Monday went down the drain as she literally stumbled during the final lap.
Montano, who became famously known as the "running mom" after running 34 weeks pregnant at a U.S. 800-meter race, clipped Brenda Martinez's leg from the back, causing Martinez to fall. As Montano tries to steer clear of Martinez, she said, "I felt good about it, but somebody's kicked me out from behind and what can I do in that situation?"
Both Martinez and Montano lost their Olympic dreams after that fall. In an emotional interview, Montano said that while her hands and knees hurt on her way to the finish line to complete the race, what hurts more is her heart.
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Anti-doping Advocate
This year has been especially emotional for Montano as she has been strongly advocating against the use of doping. Montano believes that she failed to get three world medals because her opponents cheated with doping drugs.
The two Russian runners who placed first and third during the 800-meter event at the 2012 Olympics were found to have cheated with doping. In a 60-minutes interview, Montano said she was "racing against robots."
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) recommended, although it is yet to be done, that the medals of the two Russian runners who doped should be confiscated, with one given to Montano.
Montano also believes that the governing body of track and field, the International Association of Athletics Federation, is not firm enough when it comes to implementing anti-doping measures.
Finishing Seventh
After the rest of the players crossed the finish line, Montano was determined to finish the race as well. She fell several times, often in tears, but convinced herself to continue. She said her heart breaks every time she tells herself to get up, "but you get up and you're really far away."
She finished the race with a time of 3:06:77, more than one minute of the winner, Kate Grace. Chrishuna Williams finished third place, while Ajee Wilson finished second.
Incidental Contact
USA Track and Field ruled that the contact was incidental, which meant that no one in the race will be disqualified.
Carlos Handler, Martinez's husband and coach, insisted that Montano clipped Martinez, but Montano disagreed, saying, "I didn't touch anyone. Go back, and watch the footage. She jumped straight out. I was in lane three."
