Britain’s Megan Keith secured a thrilling sprint finish at the Night of the 10,000m PBs in London, earning her a spot at the Paris Olympics.
The 22-year-old Scot completed the Olympic trial event in 31 minutes 3.01 seconds, surging ahead of Fiona O’Keeffe from the United States in the home straight.
O’Keeffe’s fellow American, Amanda Vestri, finished in third place.
“With 200 to go I thought she [O’Keeffe] had got the best of me but I rounded the bend and the crowd went insane,” Keith said.
“The atmosphere was incredible. The crowd carried me. I stayed relaxed and I’m so happy. Hopefully the good times keep coming.
“Winning gives you confidence but also the way I won. I’m very happy with how it played out.”
Keith had already met the Olympic qualifying standard but needed to finish as one of the top two British athletes on Saturday night to secure her spot at the Games.
Jessica Warner-Judd was the second-highest placed Briton, finishing ninth in 31:35.34, but did not meet the women’s Olympic qualifying time of 30:40.
In the men’s race, Britain’s Patrick Dever finished second behind Djibouti’s Mohamed Ismail.
Dever’s time of 27:23.78, one second behind Ismail, was outside the men’s Olympic qualifying standard of 27:00. France’s Felix Bour took third place.
Dever had fallen just eight seconds short of the men’s qualifying time in April. He led for much of Saturday’s race, but Ismail proved too strong in the final stages.
“The crowd here is incredible and I’m so glad to have raced here. It’s a very special night,” Dever said.
“I put my all into getting the 27 minutes but it wasn’t to be tonight.”
The Night of the 10,000m PBs has been nicknamed the “Glastonbury” of athletics.
Parliament Hill in London hosted 17 races, featuring athletes from over 30 countries. The event’s unique features included a DJ on the back straight and a beer-and-cheer tent in lane three.
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