OTC Elite Athletes Shine On Stage By Curtis Anderson Elite’s and continued to be among the shining stars on the Diamond League circuit in July. The two 800-meter runners closed out the month ranked second in the world in their re- spective events after posting stunning season-best marks just off their lifetime PRs. Niyonsaba placed second in Monaco on July 20 with a time of 1 minute, 55.96 seconds, adding to her overall lead in the Diamond League standings, 43 points in six races, with her fifth sub-1:58 performance of the outdoor season. Earlier in the month, the reigning 2016 Olympic silver medalist claimed Dia- mond League victories in Lausanne, Switzerland, on July 5 and Rabat, Moroc- Thompson, @elevation0m Photo by Travis co, on July 13. Nijel Amos “That’s one tough lady,” OTC Elite coach said of the back-to-back wins. “She ran in front and towed the rest of the athletes to a fast time. She showed her competitive nature down the home straight by refusing to relinquish the lead.” The native of Burundi set her personal best of 1:55.47 last year, and she clocked her season best of 1:55.86 in on June 30. After the race in Monaco, Niyonsaba flew home to Burundi to meet with government officials to discuss help- ing underserved women and children in that country through the establishment of her proposed foundation. She also represents UNICEF in Burundi as a motivational speaker. Amos dominated an outstanding field in Monaco with a blistering time of 1:42.14, hitting the tape more than a second ahead of his closest pursuer. He was aided in that effort by a superlative pacing job by OTC Elite teammate Harun Abda. Amos, a native of , traveled to two days later and turned in a fourth- place finish of 1:43.29. For Amos, it was his best showing in back-to-back races since claiming the silver medal in the 800m at the 2012 London Olympics with a PR of 1:41.73. He is tied with as the third-fastest 800m per- former of all-time. “Those who understand the sport will realize just how impressive Nijel’s weekend was,” Rowland said. “This was a great opportunity for him to see how he responds to two high-quality races in short proximity, just as he would in major championships over the next couple of years.” Other OTC Elite highlights in July: •  clocked a season-best 13:19.81 to place ninth in the 5,000m in London on July 21. The 2016 Olympian ran well against a deep and talented field, showing improved form despite a couple of interrup- tions to his training regimen this year. • 2016 Olympian returned to racing for the first time since the Pre Classic on July 20 with a seventh-place finish in the Liberty Mile (4:04) on the streets of downtown Pittsburgh, PA. •  claimed her first professional win on a global stage with a victory in the 800m at the Morton Games in Dublin on July 19. She crossed the finish line in 2:01.66. Green also placed fourth at the KBC Night of Athletics in Belgium on July 21 in 2:01.28. • Great Britain’s also competed in the 800m in London. The 2012 Olympic finalist placed 10th with a solid time of 1:45.25, just off his season best of 1:45.09.