Local Razorback Alum Ready for Redemption at Olympic Trials
EUGENE, Ore. — The thrill of accomplishment and the agony of coming close is often separated by fine margins. On the track, those margins can be just a mere hundredth of a second.
Gracie Hyde, a native of Jonesboro/Lonoke, Arkansas and a Razorback and UCA Bears alumna, came just that hundredth of a second away from making the 3000-meter steeplechase final at the US Olympic trials, edged out by her college teammate Logan Jolly with a time of 9:33.91 for the final time qualification spot.
Hyde will go for redemption in the 1500 meters. She ran a qualifying time of 4:09.18, good enough for fourth place in her heat and comfortably through to the semifinals, where she will once again try to get a lane in the final.
She knows that the competition will get more fierce and she will need to eclipse her personal best time of 4:07.60 that she set earlier this month in a tune-up event before the trials to get through to the finals, but she's confident her training will allow her to do just that.
"I'm going to guess that based on strategics at the race [that it will] take at least under a 4:05 to make it," Hyde said. " I think I'm capable of that. There are three rounds to the 1500 meters, so I'm going to take it one round at a time and race smart."
Hyde's connections with the state run far deeper than just herself. Her dad, Steve, ran the steeplechase for Arkansas State and lit the competitive fire for his daughter.
"When I first started distance running and I learned that's what my dad did [because] I always wanted to be better than him," Hyde said in an interview with 103.7 TheBuzz. "You did it. I'm going to do it and do it better."
Hyde has done just that with a decorated college career that just wrapped up this spring that featured stops at Central Arkansas, the Hogs and Adams State. After entering the portal during COVID, Hyde was a part of two national championships with the Razorbacks and also became the Division II record holder in the 3000-meter steeplechase, a record she set this April while at Adams State.
The six-time DII record holder looks to add another feather in her cap by making it to the final of her second and final event at the trials.
Coverage of the Olympic Trials resume 6 p.m Friday and will be streamed on Peacock before switching over to NBC at 9 p.m. Hyde will run the semis of the 1500 meters at 7:58 p.m. You can read the full Razorback recap at the Trials here.
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DANIEL SHI