Women's Steeplechase Makes a Splash at Olympic Trials
The women's 3000-meter steeplechase will have its Olympic debut in Beijing this August.
Tonight in Eugene, Oregon, the best Americans will begin their quest to earn a spot on the team at the U.S. Olympic Trials for track and field (June 30, 11:05 pm/ET, USA). The race, which is just under two miles, features 28 barrier-like hurdles (2-feet, 6 inches high), plus seven additional barriers over a precarious water jump.
The leading contenders include the University of Colorado's Jenny Barringer, who recently won the NCAA championship in the event and is the defending U.S. champion; Anna Willard, runner-up at the '07 nationals; and Lisa Galaviz, who set the current American record in the event last year, 9 minutes, 28.75 seconds.
Another athlete to watch is Delilah DiCrescenzo, best known as the inspiration for the
Plain White T's hit song,
"Hey There Delilah." The band's guitar player, Tom Higgenson, met DiCrescenzo in 2002 and was so enchanted
he wrote the song in her honor. No relationship ever developed, but DiCrescenzo has been a good sport about the attention. "I'm just happy that it's had so much success and I don't mind playing along with it,"
she said on the Today show earlier this year. She even
accompanied Higgenson to February's Grammy Awards, where "Delilah" was nominated for song of the year. (It lost to Amy Winehouse's "Rehab.")
The Columbia University grad has made big improvements on the track this year, lowering her personal best to 9:41.68, which ranks her sixth among the entrants at the trials. Qualifiers from tonight's semifinals advance to the
Thursday's final (July 3, 11 pm/ET, USA), where the top three will make the team for Beijing.
UPDATE: DiCrescenzo finished fifth in her
semifinal (9:56.44) and advanced to the finals.
UPDATE No. 2: After a valiant front-running effort, DiCrescenzo faded badly in the
finals, finishing 14th and last. Anna Willard won the race in the American Record time of 9:27.59.
