Here’s how Pass Christian’s Cory McGee fared in the Olympic 1,500-meter finals
Pass Christian’s Cory McGee made it through two rounds of qualifying in the women’s 1,500 meters in the Tokyo Olympics, but she came up short of earning a medal in the finals on Friday.
McGee finished 12th out of 13 competitors with a time of 4:05.50. It was her first time competing in the Olympics.
Faith Kipyegon of Kenya blew away the field for the gold medal with a time of 3.53.11.
Laura Muir (3:54.50) of Great Britain earned silver and Sifan Hassan (3:55.86) of the Netherlands landed in third place for bronze.
“Cory raced in the 1,500 meters final against the fastest women in history,” said Jim McGee, Cory’s father. “Because of the injuries she sustained from the fall in the semifinal, she could barely run yesterday. She exemplified true grit and ran today anyway despite the pain. Cory did her absolute best despite being far less than 100%. Cory is a true champion.”
The fastest American in the race was Elle Purrier St. Pierre, who had a time of 4:01.75 for 10th place.
McGee advanced to the Olympic finals of the 1,500 meters thanks to the decision of a referee after tripping and falling in the semifinals Wednesday in Tokyo.
McGee, a 2010 graduate of Pass Christian High School, had a standout career on the collegiate level at Florida. During her prep career at Pass Christian, McGee earned 22 gold medals, one silver and three bronze in track and field and cross country.
McGee was twice named the Sun Herald’s Girls Athlete of the Year during her time at Pass Christian High School.
This story was originally published August 6, 2021 at 8:28 AM.
