Decathlete rallies late on day two of competition to punch ticket to Rio
Brooks Beast Jeremy Taiwo seized his spot on the Olympic team today by setting a new personal record in the decathlon at the U.S. Track and Field Team Trials in Eugene, Ore. His score of 8,425 points raises the bar for him and his competition as he prepares to face the world’s greatest athletes in Rio de Janeiro next month.
"I feel amazing! Making it to the Olympics has been my goal all of my life. This year, I didn’t know how it was going to be, but I’m happy to make it. I’m an Olympian now!" said Taiwo. "I said I’m either going to remember today as the worst time of my life or the best time of my life, and I’m glad it was the latter."
Taiwo’s first day of competition included tying the American Record for the decathlon high jump with a mark of 7 feet, 3 inches, earning him 1,002 points, and setting a new day-one personal record of 4,478 points. He started today hot on the heels of eventual winner and world record holder Ashton Eaton but slipped from second to fourth by the final event of the day, the 1,500-meter run, after several rough performances in field events. Once on the track, he took the race out from the gun and led for most of it before finishing strong and crossing in a time of 4-minutes, 17.35. The time was good for 830 points, which catapulted him into second place ahead of bronze medalist Zach Ziemek and secured his spot on the Olympic team.
"We are all so happy for Jeremy. He has worked very hard this past year and made the last two days very exciting for fans," said Brooks Senior Sports Marketing Manager Jesse Williams. "The way he ran that 1500m was truly inspirational and amazing to watch."
Brooks sponsors athletes like Taiwo to inspire runners everywhere, and supporting them on and off the run is central to that goal. That support is just one piece of the company’s investment into the sport of running which includes sponsoring elite athletes and races, recognizing coaches through the Brooks Inspiring Coach of the Year Award, funding under-resourced running programs through the Brooks Booster Club and more.
Brooks Beast Teammate Cas Loxsom takes to the track in the final of the men’s 800-meter run for his shot at making the team just after Garrett Heath and Riley Masters run the 5,000m prelim. Those races are at 5:51 and 5:02 p.m., respectively.
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