EUGENE, Ore. — Yet another athlete from right here in Arizona will be making the flight to Paris next month as a member of Team USA after Phoenix Track Club's Freddie Crittenden booked his ticket at the U.S. Olympic Track & Field Team Trials at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, on Friday.
Crittenden clinched his spot in his first-ever Olympics by running a personal best time of 12.93 seconds, finishing in second place of the men's final, just 0.07 seconds behind winner (and reigning Olympic silver medalist) Grant Holloway.
Crittenden originally hails from Utica, Michigan, and ran track in college at Syracuse. He was a two-time first-team All-American, two-time second-team All-American and was named All-Atlantic Coast Conference four times.
His family is currently raising money to get his parents and siblings to Paris so that they can cheer him on in person. You can contribute to their gofundme here.
He has been training with the Phoenix Track Club at Grand Canyon University in preparation for the Trials.
Crittenden topped his previous personal best (13.00 seconds), which he ran in Aug. 2022 and his season-best time (13.05), which he ran in the semifinals on Thursday.
That continued his rise in recent months, as Crittenden ran a time of 13.16 seconds at the Prefontaine Classic in late May, which was also held at Hayward Field.
The first round of the men's 110-meter hurdles will be held on August 4 at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, France. The semifinals will be held on Aug. 7 and the final will be held on Aug. 8.
Arizona sports
The city of Phoenix is home to four major professional sports league teams; The NFL's Arizona Cardinals, NBA's Phoenix Suns, WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury and MLB's Arizona Diamondbacks.
The Cardinals have made State Farm Stadium in Glendale their home turf and the Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix is home to both the Suns and the Mercury. The Indoor Football League’s Arizona Rattlers play at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale.
Phoenix also has a soccer team with the USL's Phoenix Rising FC, who play at Phoenix Rising FC Stadium in Phoenix.
The Valley hosts multiple major sporting events every year, including college football's Fiesta Bowl and Guaranteed Rate Bowl; the PGA Tour’s highest-attended event, the WM Phoenix Open; NASCAR events each spring and fall, including Championship Weekend in November; and Cactus League Spring Training for 15 Major League Baseball franchises.
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