EUGENE, Ore. – UCSB’s Ryan Martin finished third in the second semifinal heat of the 800 meters at the U.S. Olympic Trials on Saturday, earning a berth in Monday’s finals.
Martin ran a 1:47.37 to edge Sharif Webb (1:47.95) and claim the coveted final spot in the finals. Tyler Mulder of Nike/Oregon TC Elite (1:46.14) won heat two while Nicholas Symmonds, also of Nike/Oregon TC Elite (1:46.82) finished second.
Martin’s time was actually the 11th fastest on the day. All eight runners in heat one finished under 1:47.00. The top qualifier, Khadevis Robinson of Nike, ran a 1:45.83 to win the first heat. Duane Solomon, Jr., of Saucony was second with a 1:46.03.
In all, heat one produced five of the eight qualifiers for Monday’s final. In addition to Robinson and Solomon, Elijah Greer of the University of Oregon (1:46.28), Charles Jock of Nike and UC Irvine (1:46.40) and Mark Wieczorek (1:46.48) who runs unattached also qualified.
Martin was a two-time All-American for the Gauchos. He finished second to Jock in the 800 meters at the 2012 Big West Championship meet and then fourth at the NCAA Championships. Martin will run side-by-side with his UCI rival in Monday’s final. He will be in lane seven while Jock will be in lane eight.
The men’s 800 meter final is slated to start at 7:47 p.m. (PDT) and will be the last event of Monday’s competition.
