Story Links
DEKALB, Ill. – Lorena Martin, a member of the Northern Illinois University women’s track and field team from 2014-18, will represent Spain in the 800 meters at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France.
Martin ran a personal best time of 2:00.33 at a meet in Madrid in June to attain the qualifying time standard for the Olympic Games. This will be the fourth time she has represented Spain at an international championship as she also competed at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary and at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in 2022 and 2024.
“I’m super excited to have this lifetime opportunity,” said Martin. “I have been running since I was 13 and it has been very rewarding to go through every step to get here. Since high school through my time in college at NIU to my pro career now, I think I have grown a lot as an athlete and as a person. I still say that the best opportunity I got out of running was to go to college at NIU and it has determined everything I have done after, so I’m forever thankful to be a Huskie.”
During her career at NIU, Martin won the 800 meters at the 2017 Mid-American Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships, running the third-fastest time in program history. A 2017 NCAA West Preliminary qualifier in the 800, Martin was also part of NIU’s school record setting distance medley relay team and was a seven-time Academic All-MAC honoree.
NIU Director of Track and Field Connie Teaberry, herself an Olympian who represented Team USA in the high jump at the 1996 Atlanta Games, is delighted to see Martin reach her Olympic dream.
“Lorena Martin, from day one when she arrived on campus, has been an athlete with goals and ambitions to be great,” said Teaberry. “She has worked extremely hard and persevered through injuries and mental setbacks to remain focused, never losing site of her big picture. That relentless attitude has now given her an opportunity to compete at the Olympic Games.
“This is an exclamation point to the dedication Lorena has given to her athletic career. I’m so very proud to call Lorena a Huskie and now she joins the Olympian club! ‘Huskie, MAC Champion and Olympian’ has a solid ring to it, and I can’t wait to watch her compete!”
The 2024 Summer Olympics begin on Friday, July 26 with the track and field competition starting on Thursday, Aug. 1. The opening round of the women’s 800-meter run is slated for Friday, Aug. 2.
Source link : https://niuhuskies.com/news/2024/7/22/womens-track-and-field-lorena-martin-to-represent-spain-at-2024-paris-olympics.aspx
Author :
Publish date : 2024-07-23 03:35:47
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.