Alexa Efraimson wins USA junior 1500m title, plus other results from the weekend...
At the USATF Junior Championships in Clovis, California, Camas native Alexa Efraimson (left/photo by Paul Merca) won another national title in the women’s 1500, to get another shot at a world junior title next month.
Efraimson ran in front of high schooler Christina Aragon for the majority of the race, before pulling away on the final lap to win in a time of 4:16.75 to Aragons 4:18.07.
Efraimson, who was sixth at the world juniors two years ago in Eugene, earns a trip to Bydgoszcz, Poland for next month’s IAAF World U20 Championships.
Mountlake Terrace graduate Chinne Okoronkwo finished second in the triple jump to punch her ticket to Bydgoszcz.
Okoronkwo jumped a best of 42-2.25 (12.86m) in the fourth round, and had to sweat out in the final two rounds a late charge from Chaquinn Cook of Portland State University, who jumped 42-0.75 (12.82m) in the final round, but fell just short of the mark.
Bria Matthews of Georgia Tech won the event with a best of 43-2.2.25 (13.16m).
In the women’s 200 finals, Shorecrest HS grad Wurrie Njadoe finished fifth in 23.93, while High Voltage TC teammate and Bothell HS grad Maya Harewood was sixth in 25.17.
In Chula Vista, California Sunday, Washington alum Norris Frederick popped a season best in the long jump at the Chula Vista Olympic Training Center High Performance meet.
Frederick jumped a best of 26-2.25 (7.98m) on his fourth attempt with a +1.4 meter per second wind to take second behind Ted Hooper’s 26-7.25 (8.11m).
While Frederick’s mark is short of the US Olympic Trials standard of 26-5 (8.05m) and the Olympic Games standard of 26-9 (8.15m), he may get into the Trials, as only 11 jumpers this season have achieved the Trials standard.
The former Husky’s mark currently puts him #13 on this year’s US list, while the event has a recommended field of 24 athletes, which would get him into the meet.
Assuming Frederick gets placed in the meet (USATF men’s track & field committee makes the final decision of filling fields if there are not enough qualified athletes), he would still need to finish in the top 3 AND achieve the Olympic standard at the meet.
At the British Championships in Birmingham, England, University of Washington alum Jax Thoirs tied for second in the men’s pole vault, clearing a best of 17-2.75 (5.25m) on Sunday.
Luke Cutts won the event with a clearance of 17-8.5 (5.40m).
Another Washington alum and former Pac-12 champ James Alaka, finished fourth in his semi-final heat of the 100 in 10.49 Saturday, and did not advance to the finals. Alaka met a similar fate in the 200 Sunday, finishing third in his semi in 21.16, and missing the final.
Finally, in Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago, WSU grad Shawna Fermin finished second in the 400 meters (5th overall, as athletes from other nearby countries were allowed to compete in the meet) at the Trinidad & Tobago national championships Sunday.
Fermin ran 53.96, as Domonique Williams won the national title in 52.83.
In a Facebook post, she said that while she finished second at her national championships, she will not be going to the Olympics in that event, as she doesn’t have the Olympic standard of 52.20. However, she feels confident that the T&T team will go in the 4 x 400 relay assuming they can get the standard (top 16 countries).
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