Photo by: GoDucks.com
Johnson Caps Trials With Olympic Berth
06/30/24 | Track and Field
The ranks of Oregon track and field alums who will compete in the Summer Olympics continued to swell Sunday.
The ranks of 2024 Olympians produced by the Oregon track and field program continued to swell Sunday, at the final day of the U.S. Olympic Trials at Hayward Field and also in the host country for this year's Summer Games.
UO alum Alaysha Johnson finished second in the 100-meter hurdles Sunday at Hayward Field, clinching a spot in Paris for this year's Olympiad. And on the other side of the globe in France, two-time 2024 NCAA Outdoor all-American Shana Grebo clinched a spot in the 400 hurdles field when her home country hosts the Olympics later this summer.
Johnson joined Cole Hocker (1,500) and Jaida Ross (shot put) in clinching Olympic berths at this year's U.S. Trials. Grebo joined Ross and Poland's Klaudia Kazimierska (1,500) in qualifying for the Summer Games after competing as Ducks this past year.
Johnson, a seven-time all-American who won Pac-12 titles in the 100 hurdles and 4x100 relay while at Oregon in 2017, ran a personal-best time of 12.31 seconds in Sunday's Trials final. After fighting to establish her professional career despite a lack of sponsorship at times in recent years, Johnson is now an Olympian.
"I knew this was gonna happen," said Johnson, who finished just behind Masai Russell's world-leading and meet-record time of 12.25. "I knew I was ready to make this team, and I knew nothing or nobody was going to come in between me making this team. So I feel fulfilled."
Just two years after hitting the first two hurdles and not finishing her semifinal in the 2022 World Athletics Championships at Hayward Field, Johnson was jubilant on Sunday.
"Everything that has happened before this has been me building up to becoming the person that I am," Johnson said. "So now I was able to receive my blessings the way that I needed to."
Just prior to the hurdles final, Hocker, Cooper Teare and Sam Prakel took to the track for the 5,000 final, a week after each also competed in the 1,500. Hocker, the winner of that 1,500 final, was the top finisher among the trio in Sunday's 5,000, taking seventh place in 13:20.99.
Teare was 12th in 13:42.50, and Prakel was 16th in 14:17.87.
Hocker, feared for his strong kick, went to the front of the pack at the start in an attempt to set the pace. Woody Kincaid, runner-up in the 10k nine days earlier, shot to the front and opened up a gap on the field, looking to set a faster pace and get himself under the Olympic standard.
Ultimately the field answered the call and reeled him in; Kincaid didn't get the standard but did change the complexion of the race.
"They did exactly what they needed to do to keep me out of it," Hocker said. "I'm not letting that take away any from the '15,' and I'm still super happy with how I raced this entire 10 days — and leaving here with a trip to Paris."
Teare came up short of an Olympic berth in both the 1,500 and 5,000, after a hot and humid final attempt Sunday.
"I think five races caught up to me; it was hot," he said. "I just wanted to really be in position to settle in, and I think a couple moves early and it being kind of hot got me. By 3k out I knew it was gonna be a really outside shot to do anything. I just was hurting."
Teare had no regrets about trying the 1,500-5,000 double, however, and neither did Hocker.
"I didn't want to have any doubts at all — 'maybe I would have made that team, maybe I whatever,'" Hocker said. "So, really happy with committing to both races. It (would have been) easy to win that '15' title and just be like, 'That's all I needed to do, actually I don't need to suffer through a 5k.' But I put myself through it, I know I'm coming out of this way fitter and I did what I said I was gonna do."
Grebo ran a personal-best 53.78 in the 400 hurdles at the French Championships earlier Sunday, achieving the Olympic standard and earning a berth in the Summer Games.
Notable: Redshirt freshman Kobe Lawrence finished second in the shot put at the Jamaica National Trials. He had a day's best of 19.58m/64-3 on his fifth attempt of the competition. Lawrence has not reached the Olympic standard in the event.
UO alum Alaysha Johnson finished second in the 100-meter hurdles Sunday at Hayward Field, clinching a spot in Paris for this year's Olympiad. And on the other side of the globe in France, two-time 2024 NCAA Outdoor all-American Shana Grebo clinched a spot in the 400 hurdles field when her home country hosts the Olympics later this summer.
Johnson joined Cole Hocker (1,500) and Jaida Ross (shot put) in clinching Olympic berths at this year's U.S. Trials. Grebo joined Ross and Poland's Klaudia Kazimierska (1,500) in qualifying for the Summer Games after competing as Ducks this past year.
Johnson, a seven-time all-American who won Pac-12 titles in the 100 hurdles and 4x100 relay while at Oregon in 2017, ran a personal-best time of 12.31 seconds in Sunday's Trials final. After fighting to establish her professional career despite a lack of sponsorship at times in recent years, Johnson is now an Olympian.
"I knew this was gonna happen," said Johnson, who finished just behind Masai Russell's world-leading and meet-record time of 12.25. "I knew I was ready to make this team, and I knew nothing or nobody was going to come in between me making this team. So I feel fulfilled."
Just two years after hitting the first two hurdles and not finishing her semifinal in the 2022 World Athletics Championships at Hayward Field, Johnson was jubilant on Sunday.
"Everything that has happened before this has been me building up to becoming the person that I am," Johnson said. "So now I was able to receive my blessings the way that I needed to."
Just prior to the hurdles final, Hocker, Cooper Teare and Sam Prakel took to the track for the 5,000 final, a week after each also competed in the 1,500. Hocker, the winner of that 1,500 final, was the top finisher among the trio in Sunday's 5,000, taking seventh place in 13:20.99.
Teare was 12th in 13:42.50, and Prakel was 16th in 14:17.87.
Hocker, feared for his strong kick, went to the front of the pack at the start in an attempt to set the pace. Woody Kincaid, runner-up in the 10k nine days earlier, shot to the front and opened up a gap on the field, looking to set a faster pace and get himself under the Olympic standard.
Ultimately the field answered the call and reeled him in; Kincaid didn't get the standard but did change the complexion of the race.
"They did exactly what they needed to do to keep me out of it," Hocker said. "I'm not letting that take away any from the '15,' and I'm still super happy with how I raced this entire 10 days — and leaving here with a trip to Paris."
Teare came up short of an Olympic berth in both the 1,500 and 5,000, after a hot and humid final attempt Sunday.
"I think five races caught up to me; it was hot," he said. "I just wanted to really be in position to settle in, and I think a couple moves early and it being kind of hot got me. By 3k out I knew it was gonna be a really outside shot to do anything. I just was hurting."
Teare had no regrets about trying the 1,500-5,000 double, however, and neither did Hocker.
"I didn't want to have any doubts at all — 'maybe I would have made that team, maybe I whatever,'" Hocker said. "So, really happy with committing to both races. It (would have been) easy to win that '15' title and just be like, 'That's all I needed to do, actually I don't need to suffer through a 5k.' But I put myself through it, I know I'm coming out of this way fitter and I did what I said I was gonna do."
Grebo ran a personal-best 53.78 in the 400 hurdles at the French Championships earlier Sunday, achieving the Olympic standard and earning a berth in the Summer Games.
Notable: Redshirt freshman Kobe Lawrence finished second in the shot put at the Jamaica National Trials. He had a day's best of 19.58m/64-3 on his fifth attempt of the competition. Lawrence has not reached the Olympic standard in the event.
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