Alysia Montaño on devastating collision that ended her Olympic dream

@alysiamontano/Instagram
@alysiamontano/2Instagram

Runner Alysia Montaño spoke out about the heartbreaking collision that ended her Olympic dream.

On Monday, July 4, millions tuned into the 2016 Summer Olympics trials as sprinter Alysia Montaño dropped to her knees and wept, following a gut-wrenching collision that knocked her off her feet during the women’s 800 meter race.


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“I still have this gutted feeling in my stomach where I wake up and I’m like, ‘Oh, this is real life and that’s the end of my chance at fighting for a podium spot at the Olympic Games,’ ” Montaño, told People.


With less than 120 meters left in the race, Montaño hooked shoes with Brenda Martinez, who began to swing wildly after making contact with another runner. The impact was hard enough to knock the six-time national champion to the ground. In spite of it all, the 30-year-old rose to her feet, only to fall to her knees again, letting out a painful cry. Following several attempts to bear the loss, Montaño got back up twice before crossing the finish line where she collapsed in tears.

“In that moment, it was really my mind, my body, my soul and my heart fighting with each other,” Montaño said at the launch of the Team U.S.A. Bootcamp Workout at 24 Hour Fitness. “I knew that when I stepped on that starting line, regardless of what happened, I was going to finish.”

“There were a couple times where I started to sprint and then I realized I didn’t have to sprint because the race was over, my shot was over,” she recalled. “It was something that just didn’t feel real.”

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Unfortunately for Montaño, this is where her 2016 Summer Olypmic dream ends. According to U.S. Track and Field officials, the tape which was reviewed following the race indicated that the contact was incidental. In other words, no one will be disqualified — the results stand. “I did not make the Olympic team — there is no redo,” says Montaño, holding back tears.

In the 2012 Olympic Games in London, Montaño finished in fifth place behind two Russian runners who have since been implicated in a widespread doping scandal. “I was supposed to be on the podium [in 2012] and that was stolen from me,” Montaño said. “That was my chance. There isn’t going to be a rerun for what has been taken from me.”

Now, four years later, many track observers expect that the two athletes will be disqualified, awarding Montaño a bronze medal, for what she dubbed a ollow victory. “There’s no ceremony that happens, your national anthem isn’t playing, your flag isn’t being raised — that moment cannot be replaced,” she said. “Even if a medal shows up in my mailbox.”

@AlysiaMontano/Twitter
@AlysiaMontano  – Twitter

As for the most bitter part of missing the Rio Olympics, Montaño said she will miss out on the opportunity to show a generation of young athletes that clean runners can win. “I wanted to have the opportunity to show younger athletes that you don’t have to succumb to the pressure of doping, that you can be the best version of yourself without it,” she says.

Moving forward, Montaño hopes to find another outlet to get her message across. “The Games may not be a possibility for me, but I hope my voice still resonates.” In the meantime, at least there’s one individual who will be impacted by her courage and persistence — her 23-month-old daughter, Linnéa.

“If my daughter told me she wanted to become a runner like me, I will have felt like I’ve done my job,” said Montaño. “I want to show her that it isn’t about the medals, it’s about working hard and if you do it honestly and with integrity then no one can take that from you.”

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