Brenda Martinez's painful lesson from U.S. trials pays off

Brenda Martinez stays out of trouble and advances in the 1,500.(Photo: James Lang, USA TODAY Sports)

Paul Myerberg, USA TODAY Sports

RIO DE JANEIRO — One of the lasting images from last month’s U.S. track and field team trials is of bitter disappointment: Brenda Martinez, a half lap from qualifying for her first Olympic Games in the 800 meters, tangling up with a teammate and stumbling, eventually falling out of contention.

It was a moment Martinez has carried with her since as motivation — and it’s working.

Three days after the 800-meter setback, Martinez began her push for the 1,500 meters and encountered a similar obstacle. She sat in sixth place in the final with one lap to go, only to edge ahead of teammate Amanda Eccleston at the finish line, eventually earning a third-place finish and a spot in the Rio Games by just three-tenths of a second.

“It was probably the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” Martinez said on Friday night, after advancing through qualifying (4:11.74) to reach Sunday’s semifinals.

“But my coaches just kind of taught me over every workout, every day, to be mentally tough, to just prepare for something like that. I feel like I moved forward.”

It was a tactical race that, at times, seemed strangely familiar. Competitors pushed, throttled back, pushed again; elbows brushed against elbows, bodies jostling for position during the final 150 meters.

The lesson learned during the trials — however hard, and painful, it was — paid dividends.

“I feel like I could’ve pushed it if we needed another surge,” Martinez said. “It was cat-and-mouse out there, but I’m happy with it. Next race I just need to stay out of trouble.”