OTC Elite sends three to World Championships in Doha
Photo by Jake Willard/TrackTown USA
By Curtis Anderson | Jul 28, 2019
EUGENE, Ore. – Oregon Track Club Elite closed out the U.S. Outdoor Track & Field Championships in thrilling fashion on a rainy Sunday afternoon at Drake Stadium in Des Moines, Iowa.
Hanna Green, a second-year pro out of Virginia Tech, led the way with a stirring stretch run to take second place in the 800 meters with a personal best of 1 minute, 58.19 seconds.
Green trailed only American record-holder Ajee Wilson across the finish line to earn a berth on the U.S. team that will compete at the IAAF World Championships in Doha, Qatar, Sept. 27-Oct. 6.
OTC Elite veterans Ben Blankenship and Hassan Mead, former teammates at the University of Minnesota, will join Green in Doha.
Blankenship, a finalist at the 2016 Rio Olympics, placed fourth in a bumpy 1,500m race at the U.S. meet in 3:45.60. However, third-place finisher Josh Thompson didn’t have the World qualifying standard, so Blankenship made his second World team.
It was a similar situation for Mead, who earned a spot on his third World team after placing fourth in the 5,000m at 13:28.04. Two runners ahead of Mead didn’t have the World standard.
Elsewhere, OTC Elite’s Harun Abda finished off a strong meet with a seventh-place performance in the 800m with a time of 1:46.98.
