Amy-Eloise (Neale) Markovc is once again competing on the world’s biggest track and field stage.
The Glacier Peak High School distance running legend, who represented Great Britain at last year’s Summer Olympics, is set to run for her home country again when she races in the women’s 5,000 meters at the World Athletics Championship on Wednesday in Eugene, Oregon.
Markovc, a 10-time high school state champion in cross country and track, qualifies to run for Great Britain because she was born there before her family moved to Snohomish when she was 2. She earned her spot at worlds by winning the 5,000 meters at the British Athletics Championships last month in Manchester, England. Markovc used a late kick to win the race in a time of 15 minutes, 37.23 seconds.
Always leave something in the tank ⛽
The late surge of European indoor champion Amy-Eloise Markovc won her the 5000m #MullerUKChamps title and secured her seat to Oregon later this summer ✈️#WhereItStarts #NextStopOregon pic.twitter.com/dlmtotBCBa
— British Athletics (@BritAthletics) July 11, 2022
It was the 26-year-old’s first British outdoor title and second title overall, joining the indoor 3,000 national championship she won in February. Her victory, combined with having already bested the qualifying standard of 15:10 at previous races, meant she received an automatic berth to worlds.
Markovc’s participation at worlds comes less than a year after she raced in the 5,000 at the Olympics in Tokyo, when she placed 20th with a personal-best time of 15:03.22.
Markovc, who is ranked 29th in the world in the 5,000 by World Athletics, competes in the heats of the 5,000 at 4:25 p.m. Wednesday. If she advances past the heats she’ll compete in the final, which is at 6:25 p.m. Saturday.
Worlds isn’t the only international championships Markovc will be competing at in upcoming weeks. She was also selected to represent England in both the 5,000 and 10,000 at the Commonwealth Games on Aug. 2-7 in Birmingham, England.
Gray plays in another Swiss Bowl
Arlington High School graduate Max Gray, now a linebacker/safety and return specialist for the Calanda Broncos in the Swiss Nationalliga A, the top professional football league in Switzerland, fell just short of winning his third straight Swiss Bowl.
Calanda faced the Bern Grizzlies in Swiss Bowl XXXVI last Saturday in Grenchen. The Broncos finished second in the league during the regular season behind the undefeated Grizzlies. Calanda, which won the previous four Swiss Bowls, nearly pulled off the upset, but lost 26-22.
Gray was one of Calanda’s two American players and a key performer in the Broncos’ Swiss Bowl victories in 2019 and 2021. The 2020 season was wiped out by the coronavirus pandemic.
Detlor qualifies for junior track nationals
Snohomish resident Addie Detlor qualified in three events for the USA Track & Field Junior Olympic National Championships based on her performance at the Region 13 Junior Olympic Track and Field Championships on July 7-10 in Eugene, Oregon. Competing in the girls 13-14 classification, Detlor qualified for nationals by winning the shot put (30 feet, 11 inches), finishing fifth in the discus (61-9) and eighth in the javelin (54-7).
Detlor joins a host of Snohomish County natives who qualified for nationals, which take place July 25-31 in Sacramento, California.
If you have an item for the community sports roundup, email Nick Patterson at npatterson@heraldnet.com.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
