Atlanta: The odd ones out
After a long buildup and a lot of anticipation, the 2020 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials are finally over.
The race was held in Atlanta, and the top three men’s and women’s finishers got to punch their tickets to Tokyo.
The odd man out
On the men’s side, Galen Rupp won decisively and outright, resolidifying his place as the U.S.’s best marathoner.
He was followed by Jake Riley, an unsponsored athlete, and Abdi Abdirahman who, like Rupp, is sponsored by Nike.
The odd man out was Leonard Korir, who trailed the Riley and Abdirahman duo by just four seconds.
Korir was going for an historic sixth olympic team.
Had he made the team, it would’ve been his second U.S. Olympic team, with his other four being under the Kenyan flag.
The odd woman out
The women’s trials saw the underperformance of some of the biggest names in american distance running.
Winning the race was Aliphine Tuliamuk, a Hoka One One-sponsored athlete running for Northern Arizona Elite.
The other two qualifiers were Molly Seidel and Sally Kipyego.
The odd woman out was Des Linden.
Linden was the 2018 Boston Marathon champion and remains one of the most popular american distance runners.
She also competed in the 2016 Olympic Marathon in Rio.