OTC Elite Athletes Shine On Diamond League Stage By Curtis Anderson Oregon Track Club Elite’s Francine Niyonsaba and Nijel Amos 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 Mark Rowland 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 Paris 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 Botswana, traveled to London 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 Sebastian Coe 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: • Hassan Mead 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 Ben Blankenship 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. • Hanna Green 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 Andrew Osagie 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..