By Romaine Soh
Wearing a purple full-length Nike singlet and tight-fitting black shorts, Christina Aragon was the odd one out among a field of professional athletes dressed in crop tops and triangular bottoms.
She also stood out as one of four teenagers competing at day eight of the U.S. Track & Field Olympics trials.
While Aragon and Kate Murphy failed to advance to the 1,500 final, Michael Norman and Noah Lyles more than made up for it in the 200, sprinting past big names such as Justin Gatlin and Walter Dix to secure their spots in the final.
Aragon clocked a time of 4 minutes, 12.71 seconds in the 1,500-meter semifinals, which ranked her 14th out of 23 women. Only 12 advanced to the final.
No matter. Aragon already has a spot on the U.S. team headed to the IAAF under-20 championships in Poland next week.
“It’s easier to have a stronger kick when you’re running against people your own age,” said Aragon, who has committed to Stanford. “You’re kicking against a bunch of kickers.”
Murphy’s time of 4:14.52 ranked her 20th overall, so she did not advance to the final. The U.S. junior national 3,000-meter champion will join Aragon in Poland.
“It’s nice to have her to talk to before the race,” said Aragon. “We’re in the same situation. We’re nervous. There’s a bunch of girls in our race that have run way faster than we’ve ever run before. It’s nice to have someone to talk about that and reflect with.”
Alexa Efraimson is one of Aragon’s inspirations. Efraimson, who won the 1,500-meter title in last month’s junior nationals, turned pro when she was a high school senior. She now runs professionally for Nike. Aragon said she hopes to emulate Efraimson’s level-headedness and her ability to focus during the big meets.
Now that Aragon’s first Olympic trials stint is over, she can switch from being an athlete to a track fan. Before she flies home on Tuesday, she plans to explore the other parts of the festivities and watch the 1,500 final on Sunday.
“When you’re racing, you’re focused on what you’re focused on,” she said. “You’re not worried about the side things.”
The power of youth was especially prevalent for the high schoolers in the men’s 200-meter semifinals. Norman, 18, sent the crowd roaring in approval as he beat Gatlin to the line by 0.02 seconds to win in the first heat. Lyles, the 2014 youth Olympic champion and the other high schooler in the 200 meters, was watching the first heat as Norman raced, and got excited as he saw his friend passing Gatlin.
“I was like, ‘Oh, snap, he just passed Gatlin. Oh my God!’” said Lyles, who won the second heat in 20.26 seconds.
Norman, who will run collegiately at USC, first met Gatlin at a Nike Elite camp in Beaverton last summer, where Gatlin was the mentor, Norman the mentee. This time, they are rivals vying for an Olympic berth.
After the race, when Gatlin shook his hand, Norman asked if he remembered him. Gatlin said yes.
The 200-meter final scheduled for Saturday evening will be a showdown of youth against veterans as the two high schoolers go up against big names such as Gatlin, Tyson Gay, and LaShawn Merritt in the hopes of making the Rio-bound team.
“Now, it’s just a race to see,” said Norman.
