The women's 800 meters was expected to be a slam-bang race, one of the more anticipated in this week's U.S. Olympic trials in Eugene, Ore. It was all of that, alas, there was too much crash and bang.
A collision in the final curve took out two of the race favorites, Alysia Montano and Brenda Martinez, allowing Kate Grace to cruise through to the upset victory. Grace finished in 1:59.10, ahead of Ajee Wilson (1:59.51) and Crishuna Williams (1:59.59).
Grace, 27, who was an All-American at Yale, had shown the ability to finish strong throughout the earlier rounds.