Highlights from the first night of the Los Angeles Grand Prix:
— Former NAU star Abdihamid Nur, who is just starting to ramp up his racing year, reeled off an impressive race, gaining the Olympic standard in the 5,000 meters for the second time, by less than a second on this night, winning the “B” race in 13:04.40. Nur bided his time in the pack until less than a mile to go before making a decisive move.
Two NAZ Elite runners, Ahmed Muhumed and Olin Hacker both got the Olympic Trials qualifier., Muhumed, newly married this week, finished third behind Nur and Drew Hunter in 13:08.73, a big personal best. Two Dark Sky runners, Lalo Herrera (13:12.20) and Kasey Knevelebaard (13:13.23) placed seventh and eighth, respectively.
— In a speedy women’s 5,000, won by Olympian Elle St. Pierre in 14:34.12 to attain the Olympic standard, Naz Elite’s Abby Nichols finished sixth in 15:03.17, a personal best and team record, while Elly Henes of the Mike Smith group placed ninth in 15L12.69 and NAZ Elite’s Katie Wasserman 11th in 15:14.15.
— Matt Wilkinson of Dark Sky led for most of the race in the men’s steeplechase but ended up getting nipped by Canada’s Jean-Simon Desgagnes, 8:16.49 to 8:16.59. It was a personal best and Olympic Trials standard for Wilkinson. Teammate Isaac Updike finished ninth in 8:25.88.
— In the women’s steeplechase, Dark Sky’s Angelina Ellis finished sixth in a personal best of 9:25.25 to achieve the Olympic Trials standard.
— In the men’s 800, won by Hobbs Kessler, Dark Sky’s Abe Alvarado got the Olympic Trials standard with a fifth-place finish in 1:45.62.
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