Rupp wins 2nd straight U.S. Olympic marathon trials U.S.-based pro sports leagues monitoring coronavirus outbreak
Atlanta — Galen Rupp, Aliphine Tuliamuk and America’s other top distance runners have claimed their spots on the U.S. Olympic marathon team.
That’s only half the battle. Now they have to wait to see if the Tokyo Games will be held.
Rupp reclaimed his status as the nation’s top distance runner Saturday, winning his second straight U.S. marathon trials and earning a spot for an Olympics shadowed by a global virus.
“I’ve always been someone who says you can control what you can control,” Rupp said, adding the impact of the coronavirus on the Olympics is “a decision that’s way above myself.
“I’ll let the proper authorities or governing bodies deal with that when it comes. Right now I think all of us are just real excited to make the team and be representing Team USA.”
The trials were run amid the uncertainty about the Olympics. IOC member Dick Pound said this week there is a window of two to three months to decide if conditions are too dangerous to hold the Olympics in Tokyo.
Rupp pulled away in the final miles for a dominant victory. Carrying a U.S. flag in his right hand, Rupp was all alone as he crossed the finish line, almost 43 seconds ahead of Jacob Riley. Abdi Abdirahman also earned a spot on the U.S. team by finishing third.
Tuliamuk edged Molly Seidel by seven seconds in the closest women’s finish in the trials. Seidel became the first woman to make the U.S. Olympics team while running in her first marathon. Sally Kipyego was third.
Tuliamuk and Kipyego are from Kenya and have become U.S. citizens. Kipyego won the silver medal in the 10,000-meters in 2012 for Kenya.
“It’s incredible, I feel relief almost more than anything,” said Rupp, who completed his comeback from heel surgery.
Major North American professional sports leagues are talking to health officials and informing teams about the coronavirus outbreak that has led to the first reported death in the U.S.
Officials from the National Basketball Association, National Hockey League and Major League Baseball say they are all consulting with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other organizations on a regular basis about COVID-19. Washington State reported Saturday that a man in his 50s died from the virus.
There are no immediate plans to cancel or postpone games or have them held in empty stadiums or arenas. Some of those contingencies have been taken in other countries, including Italy, where soccer matches were postponed until May.
Pro sports in the U.S. for now are going on as scheduled, though leagues are closely monitoring the situation. The NBA and NHL are in their regular seasons and MLB in spring training in Arizona and Florida with Opening Day less than a month way.
“The health and safety of our employees, teams, players and fans is paramount,” the NBA said in a statement. “We are coordinating with our teams and consulting with the CDC and infectious disease specialists on the coronavirus and continue to monitor the situation closely.”
The new virus that first emerged in China in December has infected more than 85,000 people and caused more than 2,900 deaths. There have been 62 reported cases in the U.S., compared to 1,128 in Italy.
The NHL, which has seven teams based in Canada, is in contact with personnel from the CDC and Public Health Canada. Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said by email the NHL has not considered any cancellations.
“We are in regular communication with our clubs on the issue and have passed along best practices being recommended by CDC and Public Health Canada medical experts,” Daly said. “Most of these steps are common sense precautions, but there definitely involves consciousness raising.”