Army West Point Athletics
Brian Matthews Advances to Semifinals at Olympic Trials
June 28, 2024 | Men's Track and Field, Women's Track and Field
EUGENE, Ore. – Brian Matthews is moving on the semifinals in the 400m hurdles at the Olympic Trials after running a new PR of 50.81 which was good enough for fifth in his heat.
The semifinals take place on Friday at 9:16 pm est. Before that Brooke Stratman will be competing in the javelin competition at 7 pm est.
All of the events can be seen on Peacock.
HEAR FROM COACH SMITH
On Luke Griner- Luke executed the race plan today. He was in 4th place at the bell and he was in the hunt to qualify with 100 meters to go. He was right where he was supposed to be….but so were all the other guys in his heat. I think he had to work a little too hard to get in position to kick at the end of the race and his kick wasn't as sharp as his opponents. The other guys were better than him. After the race one of the first things he said to me was, "I just have to get better". He gave great effort today. 27 athletes advanced to tomorrow's semifinal and Luke's time of 1:47.74 ended up 29th of all competitors in the 800. It was the same ranking that he had coming into the meet. He had a great season and a stellar career.
On Brian Matthews- The US Olympic Trials 400 intermediate hurdle field was limited to the top 35 men in the United States. Brian Matthews got the last spot in this meet. His personal best time of 50.92 ranked him 35 out of 35. And then today in the qualifying heats of the 400 intermediate hurdles, Brian did what he always does; he ran his guts out. He got out fast and was in 6th place at hurdle 3. He moved up to 5th by hurdle 4 and was in 3rd by hurdle 8. But over the last two hurdles he gave up 2 places and he came across the line in a sweep with two other guys. It wasn't clear what place he got until it showed up on the board that he had claimed the 5th and final automatic qualifying spot for the semifinal. His time of 50.81 set a new Army program record eclipsing the mark from Justin Young set two years ago. It was the 2nd fastest time ever run by a service academy athlete in the 400 hurdles. By any stretch of the imagination, it was an astonishing result. Brian only learned to hurdle in April of last year. He didn't advance from the NCAA regional to the NCAA championships a month ago. Yet somehow over the last month, training alone, he got better. What he did today wasn't luck. It was a result of a relentless pursuit of a goal and a belief that he could achieve it. Now he gets one night of rest to regroup and go after it again tomorrow in the semifinals.
The semifinals take place on Friday at 9:16 pm est. Before that Brooke Stratman will be competing in the javelin competition at 7 pm est.
All of the events can be seen on Peacock.
HEAR FROM COACH SMITH
On Luke Griner- Luke executed the race plan today. He was in 4th place at the bell and he was in the hunt to qualify with 100 meters to go. He was right where he was supposed to be….but so were all the other guys in his heat. I think he had to work a little too hard to get in position to kick at the end of the race and his kick wasn't as sharp as his opponents. The other guys were better than him. After the race one of the first things he said to me was, "I just have to get better". He gave great effort today. 27 athletes advanced to tomorrow's semifinal and Luke's time of 1:47.74 ended up 29th of all competitors in the 800. It was the same ranking that he had coming into the meet. He had a great season and a stellar career.
On Brian Matthews- The US Olympic Trials 400 intermediate hurdle field was limited to the top 35 men in the United States. Brian Matthews got the last spot in this meet. His personal best time of 50.92 ranked him 35 out of 35. And then today in the qualifying heats of the 400 intermediate hurdles, Brian did what he always does; he ran his guts out. He got out fast and was in 6th place at hurdle 3. He moved up to 5th by hurdle 4 and was in 3rd by hurdle 8. But over the last two hurdles he gave up 2 places and he came across the line in a sweep with two other guys. It wasn't clear what place he got until it showed up on the board that he had claimed the 5th and final automatic qualifying spot for the semifinal. His time of 50.81 set a new Army program record eclipsing the mark from Justin Young set two years ago. It was the 2nd fastest time ever run by a service academy athlete in the 400 hurdles. By any stretch of the imagination, it was an astonishing result. Brian only learned to hurdle in April of last year. He didn't advance from the NCAA regional to the NCAA championships a month ago. Yet somehow over the last month, training alone, he got better. What he did today wasn't luck. It was a result of a relentless pursuit of a goal and a belief that he could achieve it. Now he gets one night of rest to regroup and go after it again tomorrow in the semifinals.
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Track and Field
/ Men's Track and Field
/ Women's Track and Field
Sprints/Hurdles
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