EUGENE, Ore. — Coloradan Anna Hall won the women's 800-meter run event and the overall in the heptathlon during the U.S. Track and Field Olympic Team Trials Monday.
For those who don't know, a heptathlon is a competition that consists of seven events — the 100-meter hurdles, the high jump, the shot put, the 200-meter dash, the long jump, the javelin throw and the 800-meter run, according to Merriam Webster.
"No American woman has won an Olympic heptathlon since Joyner-Kersee went back-to-back in 1988 and 1992, and only one other female athlete, Hyleas Fountain, has medaled in the event, taking silver at Olympic Games Beijing 2008," Team USA said.
Hall holds the fifth highest heptathlon score in history, and second highest among active athletes, only trailing two-time Olympic champion Nafi Thiam of Belgium, according to Team USA.
Hall made an impressive showing at Monday's Olympic Trials after "a complex knee surgery in January," according to Team USA.
She told Team USA, her doctors and coaches worked together to devise a training plan to rehabilitate her ahead of the Olympic trials.
The Valor Christian High School graduate may have stumbled and crashed during the hurdles event at the 2021 U.S. Olympic Team Trials, our partners at The Denver Post reported, but she came back stronger Monday.
Olympic champion Athing Mu and presumptive Team USA member, on the other hand, struggled. She has also been dealing with injuries, according to Team USA. But the Olympic trials were her first meet of the year.
Mu got tangled up with a pack of runners and crashed, Team USA said. She got back to her feet and finished, but it wasn't enough.
Hall will now face Thiam at the Stade de France in Paris on Aug. 8-9.
*The Associated Press contributed to this report.
