Poised for the podium and an Olympic team spot, Sara Hall finished off the pace Friday in the women's steeplechase at the U.S. track trials in Eugene, Ore.
Coming into the race with the third-best qualifying time, Hall finished eighth. The Montgomery High grad (then Sara Bei) and Stanford All-American recognized that being a leading contender was no guarantee of placing in the top three to make the Olympic team.
"It all comes down to that day," Hall said ahead of the trials.
Still, the result at familiar Hayward Field on the University of Oregon campus was not what Hall expected. With fresh legs coming off a remarkable season, Hall put herself in great position in the 3,000-meter steeplechase -- an event she took up seriously little more than a year ago.
Finishing back in the pack in two previous Olympic trials and never making an outdoor World Championships or Olympic team in the 1,500 or 5,000 meters, Hall's hopes were renewed with steady gains in the steeplechase.
"I've physically matured, but I also have mentally come to see myself that I should be there," Hall said.
She won her first steeplechase at the Stanford Invitational in May 2011. That same month Hall ran a personal best in the event at the Rome Golden Gala -- her 9:39.48 met the Olympic "A" qualifying standard.
Winning gold for Team USA at the Pan American Games in Mexico elevated Hall on the international scene. Hers was the first-ever steeplechase medal for an American woman in any major international competition.
Running a fast qualifying heat Monday buoyed Hall's confidence going into Friday's finals.
Running stronger than she can remember this late in the track season, Hall took advantage of rest between the races.
"It's nice having three days to recover. I feel much better this time than last year," she said. "I've done everything I can to prepare."
With race favorite Emma Coburn getting out and staying in front, Hall fell back into the pack. Coburn, Bridget Franek, with the second-best trials qualifying time, and Shalaya Kipp pushed ahead and finished in that order with the winning time 9:32.78.
In the Monday heat Hall broke ahead and helped set the pace, finishing second. Hall's time Friday was 9:47.63, just three seconds slower than her race three days earlier.
Watching the lead runners hit the finish as she kicked down the straightaway was not the ending Hall expected following a reinvigorating year of training and racing.
In her seventh year as a professional, the 29-year-old Hall said she will continue competing. It's a decision she and husband Ryan Hall, a U.S. marathoner headed for London, revisit every year.
Healthy and among the best U.S. women's distance runners, Sara Hall is having fun.
"Now I feel much more energized," she said. "I'm still doing this because I love to compete. I feel the most excited I have as a professional."
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