Nick Christie, Robyn Stevens win men's and women's 20K race walk at U.S. Olympic Trials
Olympians Nick Christie and Robyn Stevens defended their titles Saturday morning in the men's and women's 20,000-meter racewalks at the U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials in Springfield.
Christie, of the New York Athletic Club, won the men's race in 1 hour, 24 minutes and 46 seconds.
"I felt good in the race, and I was just hoping to just go fast," the 32-year-old said. "It's my best time at U.S. nationals now, so I can't complain at all. ...With my results I have right now, any other year I'd be qualifying for the Olympics. It just so happens 2024 is like the hardest year ever for the walk."
Although Christie didn't meet the Olympic standard time of 1:20:10 on the 12.4-mile course, he said his goal coming into the event was to go under 1:25 with hopes of qualifying for next year's world championships. He also spent most of this year focused on qualifying in the race walk mixed marathon relay, which is making its debut at the Paris Games.
Christie was fast indeed, clocking 4:11 after the first 1,000-meter lap and hovering just around that pace every 1,000 that followed to maintain control of the lead throughout the entirety of Saturday's race.
Emmanuel Corvera, of New York Athletic Club, took second in 1:30:15, while Jordan Crawford, of Raleigh Walkers, finished in 1:30:52 to take third. None of the 13 other American men that completed the event met the Olympic standard time.
Stevens, of JOMA/Wolfpack Running Club, held back tears after she won the women's race in 1:37:38.
"I'm a cluster of emotions because this might be my last one, so I wanted to make the most of it," the 41-year-old said. "I had a bumpy couple years coming into this. This one is particularly special for me because I dedicated it to my golden retriever who passed away at the beginning of my comeback."
Stevens didn't meet the Olympic standard time of 1:29:20 but dedicated the race to her mom, dad, youth coach Claudia, physical therapist Jonathan and her dog that inspired her "Be Golden" mentality.
Miranda Melville, of New York Athletic Club, took second in 1:39:38, while 58-year-old Michelle Rohl finished in 1:42:27 to take third. None of the 11 other American women that completed the event met the Olympic standard time.
Stevens' main goal coming into Saturday was to defend her title from 2021 as a "redemption from the last couple of years" after reports of alleged abuse by her ex-coach.
Edith Noriega is a sports reporter for The Register-Guard. You may reach her at ENoriega@gannett.com and follow her on X at @Noriega_Edith.
This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Nick Christie, Robyn Stevens defend race walk titles at Olympic trials
