Morgan Uceny
| Personal information | |||||||
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| Born | March 10, 1985 Plymouth, Indiana |
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| Residence | San Diego, California | ||||||
| Sport | |||||||
| Country |  United States |
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| Event(s) | 1500 m | ||||||
| College team | Cornell Big Red | ||||||
| Club | adidas | ||||||
| Coached by | Terrence Mahon | ||||||
| Achievements and titles | |||||||
| World finals |
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Medal record
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Morgan Uceny (born March 10, 1985) is an American runner who specializes in middle distance events.
Contents |
[edit] Personal life
Uceny was raised in Plymouth, Indiana, with her father, Marty, her mother, Brenda, and her two older brothers Alex and Matt. She is of Czech descent. As a child she loved basketball and aspired to play in the WNBA. She ran track and played basketball in high school, also running cross-country her freshman and sophomore years, but decided to quit and focus on basketball and track. She won the state 800 meter championship her Junior year.
[edit] College career
Uceny attended Cornell University and graduated in 2007.
[edit] Professional career
Uceny started the 2011 season in spectacular fashion, winning the season title for the 1500m in the Brussels Diamond League, outsprinting a loaded field and setting the world leading time of 4:00.06, with a closing 400m of 61 seconds. At the 2011 IAAF World Championships in Daegu, she entered the 1500m final as the overwhelming favorite. With less than 500m to go, Uceny was tripped by Kenyan runner Hellen Obiri who had fallen, and ended up placing 10th in the final, well out of medal contention.[1][2] Despite the result, Uceny finished the 2011 season ranked No.1 in the world.[3]
Uceny won the 1500m final at the 2012 US track and field Olympic Trials, qualifying for her first Olympics. Uceny, Shannon Rowbury, and Jenny Simpson all qualified for the United States in the event. At the London Games, Uceny, along with Rowbury, made it to the final on August 10, but Uceny had misfortune once again. At the start of the final lap her left knee contacted the back-kicking left foot of the runner in front of her, Ekaterina Kostetskaya, and she fell hard onto the track as the pack moved on,[4] injuring her back and right side.[5] She did not finish the race and left the stadium in tears.[3] Fellow American Shannon Rowbury finished in sixth place. No American has ever medalled in this event.
[edit] Achievements
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Representing United States |
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| 2007 | Pan American Games | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | 11th (h) | 800 m | 2:04.13 |
| 2011 | World Championships | Daegu, South Korea | 10th | 1500 m | 4:19.71 |
| 2012 | Olympic Games | London, United Kingdom | DNF | 1500 m | DNF |
[edit] References
- IAAF profile for Morgan Uceny
- ^ http://daegu2011.iaaf.org/ResultsByDate.aspx?racedate=09-01-2011/sex=W/discCode=1500/combCode=hash/roundCode=f/results.html#detW_1500_hash_f
- ^ http://www.nbcolympics.com/wthr/news-blogs/track-and-field/morgan-uceny-hopes-upward-trajectory-continues-in-2012.html
- ^ a b Olympics 2012: Morgan Uceny falls during 1,500-meter final - Indystar.com, 10 August 2012
- ^ "U.S. runner Morgan Uceny falls during 1,500-meter final". USAToday. August 11, 2012. Retrieved August 12, 2012.
- ^ Creason, Tim (August 19, 2012). "Uceny Ponders Future After Heartbreaking Olympics". South Bend Tribune. Retrieved August 19, 2012.
