It’ll be a busy Monday for BYU fans watching the Olympics, as three current or former Cougars chase their Olympic dreams.
One is in a final fighting for a medal, while the other two will compete in preliminary heats.
Whittni Morgan goes for gold
Whittni Morgan will run for a medal on Monday in the women’s 5,000-meter final as she wraps up an already remarkable summer.
Morgan had surgery at the end of last year and wasn’t at full strength during June’s U.S. Olympic track and field trials. She finished fifth, two spots away from the Olympic team, but was added to Team USA when two women who finished ahead of her at trials decided to drop out of the 5,000-meter event to focus on other races.
Morgan finished sixth in her heat on Friday to secure a spot in Monday’s final. Her time on Friday was just 0.07 seconds off her personal record, as the Deseret News previously reported.
The women’s 5,000-meter final at the Olympics is set to begin at 1:15 p.m. MDT. It will air on NBC and stream on Peacock.
Men’s steeplechase at the Olympics
Kenneth Rooks and James Corrigan will look to secure a spot in the men’s 3,000-meter steeplechase final during the preliminary heats on Monday.
Rooks is expected to make the cut, as the Deseret News previously reported. He’s in top form entering Olympic competition.
Corrigan faces longer odds to qualify for the final, since it took two miraculous runs — one at June’s U.S. Olympic track and field trials and one less than a week later to get him under the Olympic standard in the event — for him to even make it to Paris.
The men’s steeplechase heats begin at 11:04 a.m. MDT. They will stream on Peacock.
Men’s steeplechase final
The men’s steeplechase final is scheduled for Wednesday at 1:43 p.m. MDT. It will air on NBC and stream on Peacock.
On Tuesday, former BYU runner Courtney Wayment will compete in the women’s steeplechase final. She qualified to race for a medal by finishing fourth in her heat on Sunday, as the Deseret News previously reported.
The women’s steeplechase final is set to take place at 1:14 p.m. MDT on Tuesday. It will air on NBC and stream on Peacock.