On the final day of the U.S. Olympic Team Trials, Billings’ Christina Aragon placed 10th in the women’s 1,500 meters at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore.
Wearing the red and white top of Bowerman Track Club, Aragon ran in what NBC analyst Kara Goucher called the “deepest field ever assembled” by the U.S. due to their previous accolades, but they proved it by eight of the 12 women in the race ultimately finishing in under four minutes and setting a new Trials meet record.
Elle St. Pierre immediately took the lead out quickly and stretched the race through the first 1,200 meters while Aragon hung on to the back of the pack. As the pace quickened on the final lap, Nikki Hiltz took the lead down the homestretch for the victory and the new Trials meet record of 3:55.33. Emily Mackay was second in 3:55.9 and St. Pierre was third in 3:55.99 to all secure trips to represent the U.S. at the Olympics in Paris later this summer.Â
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Aragon ran 4:06.54 for 10th and had worked her way up two places over the final two laps.Â
Aragon first made her Olympic Trials debut in 2016 as a recently graduated high school senior. She exited after the semifinal round and then went on to an All-American collegiate career at Stanford.Â
She made it back to the Trials this year as a professional for Bowerman Track Club and made it a step further by making the final.Â
After having the same personal best of 4:08.71 since 2016, Aragon has broke through that mark four times this season, including in the semifinal when she ran 4:05.36.Â
Aragon will try to continue that momentum as she said in an interview before the Trials that she had plans to continue her racing season this summer at other races in Europe.
Both she and her older sister, Dani, were excited to both be able to compete at the Trials this year in the 1,500. Dani was 11th in her first heat, but ran the fastest time that did not ultimately advance.
