After qualifying for the women’s 400 meter semifinals with a 54.84 time at the IAAF World Junior Championships, Oregon’s Christian Brennan, representing Canada, has advanced to the finals.
“I’m really excited,” Brennan said. “Just trying to get to the finals and from there, just do what I can.”
Brennan, who placed third in her heat, finished in 53.81 behind Cuba’s Gilda Casanova (52.45) and Nigeria’s Edidiong Ofonime Odiong (53.75). Despite entering as a top two runner in her heat — when taking into account personal/season bests — Brennan was simply content with advancing to the finals.
“I tried to keep it all out of my head,” Brennan said when asked about whether or not she knew what time she had to get to qualify. “Just tried to relax, keep the race plan that Coach Johnson gave me and execute that.”
Brennan’s qualifying time ranks seventh among the eight finalists and therefore, she had to momentarily await her fate. She wasn’t positive whether or not she had made the finals.
“When I was standing out there I saw the first two girls had a cue and I was just waiting for them to say the next person,” Brennan said. “Just exhaled (when it was over).”
Brennan got out of the blocks strong. And through the first corner, Brennan was among the top three. However, as the runners turned onto the final stretch, Brennan appeared to run out of gas. She had to make a difficult push for the finish.
“Literally just swinging my arms so hard,” Brennan said about her final 100 meters. “Just had to get there (finish line).”
For Brennan, advancing to the finals wasn’t a gimme. During a season where she felt inconsistent and not up to par, Brennan didn’t quite know what to expect.
“I’ve been on and off all season, haven’t had the best season ever, so I wasn’t really sure what to expect,” Brennan said. “I was wanted to do my best and hoped for the best.”
Now, she will be playing with house money as she attempts to take advantage of a blank slate in tomorrow’s final at Historic Hayward Field. The final is set for an 8:30 p.m. PST start.
Follow Hayden Kim on Twitter @HayDayKim