Posted: August 1, 2004

Athletics: Tollefson Books Probable Olympic Team Berth

From David Monti

(c) 2004 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved RaceResultsWeekly.com

American Carrie Tollefson nearly clinched an Olympic team berth tonight at the KBC Night of Athletics meeting in Heusden-Zolder. If she can hold on to her spot, it will have been a most unlikely path to the Olympic Games for the former Villanova University star.

Tollefson, 27, had come to the U.S. Olympic Trials earlier this month in Sacramento with the objective of making the team at the 5000m distance. She had trained for the 5-K, and had gotten her "A" standard time of 15:04.07 at the Cardinal Invitational on 30-Apr.

However, she finished sixth at the Olympic Trials, and the top-3 finishers --Shayne Culpepper, Marla Runyan and Shalane Flanagan-- all had the Olympic "A" standard, so there was no longer the possibility of making the team at that distance for her.

Tollefson opted to double back at 1500m, an event which is weak right now in the United States. Four days after the 5000m final, Tollefson 4:09.87 in her 1500m prelim, then two days later won the final in 4:08.32. Jen Toomey finished second in 4:08.43 and Amy Rudolph finished third in 4:08.57. Suzy Favor Hamilton, who had finished second in her preliminary heat, did not contest the final, complaining of a sore hamstring.

Based on the USATF Olympic team selection process, four athletes were nominated for the women's 1500m team: Tollefson and Toomey (as 1-2 finishers in the final) then Marla Runyan (who had the "B" standard going into the Trials but had dropped out of the final, but had at least started it) and Suzy Favor Hamilton (who was the only athlete who elected to compete in the 1500m who had the "A" standard). Runyan later withdrew her name, deciding to focus exclusively on the 5000m, which promoted Rudolph as the third place finisher into the nomination pool.

With only one "A" qualifier behind her, Tollefson could knock Favor Hamilton out of her team spot by running at least the "B" time by 09-Aug. She came up short at Birmingham on 25-Jul (4:13.67) and again in London five days later (4:10.45). Tonight in Belgium, she won the 1500m in 4:06.30 getting under the "B" standard, but half a second shy of the "A" standard.

At the moment, Toffefson is the only member of the U.S. Olympic Team in the women's 1500m because a "B" Trials winner trumps an "A" Trials finisher who finished behind her, provided that there was only ONE "A" qualifier behind her. Should Tollefson improve her 1500m time before 09-Aug to the "A" standard, she will bring Favor Hamilton on to the team with her. Also, should Toomey improve to the "A" standard by 09-Aug, but Tollefson does not, she AND Favor Hamilton will knock Tollefson out because two "A" standard holders who follow a "B" winner trump the "B" winner.

It's not over, but Tollefson is the leading candidate to make it to Athens right now.