June 26th 2024.
It was a moment that will go down in history – track star Kendall Ellis earning her spot in the Olympics, despite facing an unexpected obstacle. Just before her crucial semifinal at the U.S. track trials, the 28-year-old 400-meter runner found herself in a panic when the door of a portable toilet jammed, leaving her trapped inside.
Ellis shared her harrowing experience on social media, expressing gratitude to the "kind sir" who eventually freed her. She recalled how she was "crying and sweating" during her confinement, locked in the bathroom just an hour before the race. But despite the pre-race drama, Ellis didn't let it get her down. In fact, she turned the incident into a positive, saying "crazy things happen right before something great is about to occur."
In an interview posted on the Citius Mag Instagram page, Ellis reflected on the incident and how it may have actually helped her. "Maybe I needed that to get all the nerves and adrenaline out," she said. Her fellow athletes could relate, with Emily Richards commenting, "Was it the one on the warmup field all the way to the left?!...it got me too." And Brooklyn runner Sarah Stafford dubbed it "every runner's nightmare."
But Ellis didn't let the porta-potty predicament hold her back. In fact, she went on to achieve her first personal best in six years during the semifinal, with a time of 49.81 seconds, according to Post and Courier. And in the final, she surpassed that feat, clinching victory with a time of 49.46 seconds and securing her place in her second Olympic Games.
This is not the first time Ellis has tasted Olympic success. In the Tokyo Games, she won gold in the 4x400 women's relay and bronze in the mixed relay. She also has a track record of gold medals from world championship relay teams and this year's World Athletics Relays. And let's not forget her stunning comeback in 2018, when she bobbled the baton and overcame a 30-meter deficit during the anchor lap of a 4x400 race, ultimately clinching victory.
So despite the unexpected and unfortunate incident, Kendall Ellis has once again proven herself as a fierce and determined athlete, securing her spot in the Olympics and continuing to make her mark in the track and field world.
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