EUGENE, OR (WAVY) – Michael Cherry said he ran his best race at just the right time. In Saturday’s final of the 400 meter, the Oscar Smith High School alum ran a personal best time of 44.35 seconds, finished runner-up behind Michael Norman, and qualified for his first ever Olympics.
“I was super excited,” he told the Sportswrap’s Nathan Epstein on Monday. “I remember coming down the straight away thinking I just need to hold on right here, and I’ll lock in my first Olympic team. Especially making an individual event has me super super ecstatic.”