After setbacks, Karissa Schweizer is ready to challenge the world stage in the 10km again

Karissa Schweizer graduated from Missouri in 2018 and is one of the most accomplished track and field athletes in NCAA history.

A six-time NCAA champion, including twice in the 5,000 meters, Schweizer went on to become a world record holder, helping an American 4×1,500 relay team win the world record in 2020.

The Bowerman Track Club athlete made the U.S. Olympic team for the 2021 Tokyo Games, running in both the 5,000 and 10,000, but has since suffered several injuries that have kept the star out of the running. distance on the sidelines during key periods in recent seasons.

Schweizer underwent Achilles tendon surgery after Tokyo and was forced to withdraw from the 2022 World Athletics Championships final with a calf injury that was later also surgically repaired.

On Monday, Schweizer finished third in the women’s 5,000m final to secure her spot at the Paris 2024 Olympics later this summer in a time of 14 minutes, 45.12 seconds.

“I’ve had a lot of setbacks,” Schweizer said. “Sometimes in those moments it’s hard to really feel like you’re ever going to get healthy and have fun again. I’m happy to be back and running spikes again and I feel confident doing it.”

After a few days of rest, Schweizer will aim to qualify twice for the second consecutive Olympics in the women’s 10,000m final on Saturday.

“I think it’s a really good event for me,” Schweizer said. “In 2022, I felt like I was really able to hang on the world stage and I just wasn’t able to come back and show it again. I would love to be able to do that.”

Schweizer finished 11th in the 5,000 and 12th in the 10,000 in Tokyo and aims to finish even higher in 2024, hopefully in both. History also hasn’t escaped Schweizer, who noted that no American woman has ever won the 5,000 or finished in the top five at an Olympics.

“It’s been a big goal of mine for a while, to try to break that barrier,” Schweizer said.

Schweizer is one of three women who competed in Monday’s 5,000 final and are entered in the 10,000 less than a week later, joining Parker Valby of Florida and Rachel Smith of HOKA. Schweizer is the only one of the three to qualify for the Olympics in the 5,000.

“I’m going to focus on this match tonight and tomorrow I’m going to focus on the 10,000 and how to prepare for it,” Schweizer said Monday. “I’m going to talk about it with my coach and see what the best strategy will be for this, because I really like the 10k and I would like to be part of the team for both. This will be a difficult team to join. »

Here’s a look at some other events on Saturday’s schedule.

• Men’s discus throw final, 4:30 p.m. – Four Americans, Reginald Jagers III, Andrew Evans, Joseph Brown and Marcus Gustaveson, hold the Olympic standard, setting up what should be a battle for the top three spots to advance to Paris.

• Women’s 200 meters final, 5:27 p.m.

• Women’s Shot Put Final, 5:50 p.m.

• Men’s 200 meters final, 6:49 p.m.

Saturday schedule for the US Olympic Track and Field Trials

• 4:30 p.m. – men’s discus final

• 5:07 p.m. – Women’s 100-meter hurdles semi-finals

• 5:20 p.m. – Women’s long jump final

• 5:27 p.m. – women’s 200m final

• 5:41 p.m. – women’s 400 hurdles semi-finals

• 5:50 p.m. – Women’s shot put final

• 6:09 p.m. – Women’s 10,000m final

• 6:49 p.m. – Men’s 200m final

Alec Dietz covers University of Oregon football, volleyball, women’s basketball and baseball for The Register-Guard. You can reach him at [email protected] and you can follow him on @AlecDietz.

This article was originally published on Register-Guard: Karissa Schweizer Aims for Double Olympic Qualification Again