A glance at former Gators middle-distance runner Cory McGee, who is headed to the Tokyo Games this summer.
Her father, Jim McGee, worked as an FBI security liaison at the 2004 Athens Games in Greece, where the family lived for a time when Cory was growing up. She said watching “King of the Mile” Hicham El Guerrouj win gold in both the 1,500 and 5,000 meters in Athens helped fuel her passion for running.
And her Olympic dreams.
“You have to think about the reward in the end,”https://floridagators.com/” she said during her time at UF. “Being exposed to that when you are young makes you realize it’s a realistic goal. Maybe I can do it.”
Seventeen years after attending the Athens Olympics as a fan and after unsuccessful bids to make the U.S. Olympic Team in 2012 and 2016, the 29-year-old McGee is going to the Tokyo Games as a competitor.
AT A GLANCE
SPORT: Track & Field
EVENT: 1,500 meters
HOW SHE QUALIFIED: Finished second at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials with a personal-best time of 4 minutes, 0.67 seconds
TOKYO SCHEDULE: Round 1 of women’s 1,500 meters scheduled Monday, Aug. 2; Final scheduled Friday, Aug. 6
UF CAREER: Competed for the Gators from 2011-14, winning six Southeastern Conference titles as a middle-distance runner
NEED TO KNOW: McGee finished second to Elle Purrier St. Pierre at the U.S. Olympic Trials. Pierre St. Pierre’s time of 3:58.03 broke the USOT record (3:58.92) that Mary Slaney held for 33 years.
QUOTE OF NOTE: “It’s real. I’ve been working my butt off. We moved to Colorado two years ago and haven’t looked back, and that’s why I’m here today.” – McGee to NBC Sports on qualifying for the Olympics
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