With a brief fist pump at the finish line, Flagstaff’s Nikki Hiltz placed third in the faster of the two Olympic women’s 1,500-Meter semifinals and advanced to Saturday’s final, along with Dark Sky Distance’s Susan Ejore, who finished fifth in the same heat.
Hiltz, coached by NAU’s Mike Smith, did what they had to do to move on, running 3:56.17 without seeming overly taxed. Still, it was second fastest 1,500 Hiltz has run, coming on the heels of their 3:55.33 personal best to win the U.S. Olympic Trials.
Ejore, a Kenyan who trains in Flagstaff with the Dark Sky group, ran her personal best of 3:56.57 to advance. Ejore has had a soaring progression this spring. She didn’t break the 4-minute barrier until May at the USATF meet in Los Angeles, but since then has lowered her marks.
The flagstaff-based runners essentially ran side-by-side for part of the race, and sandwiched themselves between world record holder Gudaf Tsegay, who wound up fourth in 3:56.41.
Saturday’s 1,500 final figures to be a fierce battle. The top two finishers in the second heat, Ethiopia’s Diribe Welteji and Australia’s Jessica Hull looked strong on Thursday, as did Kenya’s Faith Kipyegon (3:58.64 for first) and American Elle St. Pierre (3:59.74 for third) in the first section Thursday. Brits Georgia Bell and Laura Muir also look to be contenders in the final.
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