Bend high school swimmer Tommy Brewer is a rising star. Only 15, Brewer qualified for the 2012 Olympic Trials in swimming, his first major national meet experience. Brewer gained an enormous amount of experience, both in the pool and in dealing with the crowd, the media exposure, and the sheer enormity of the U.S. Olympic swimming scene. Tommy spoke with 1859 prior to the Trials about what making the Trials means for his career and what his future goals are.
Amy Yoder Begley is a Nike-sponsored distance runner living in Portland. A 2008 Olympian and member of the 2009 World Championship team, Begley was a favorite to make the 2012 Olympics in the 10,000 meters until a series of Achilles’ injuries derailed her preparations. Forced to withdraw from the Trials in order to recover, Begley has to sit on the sidelines as her competition heads to London. She took time out of her recovery to speak with 1859 about being injured in an Olympic year and how she has been coping.
Duck standout and two-time NCAA champion Jordan Hasay ran in her second Olympic Trials last week. Though she did not make the team in the women’s 1500m, the U of O junior gained valuable experience that should serve her well four years down the road.
1859 interviewed Oregon Track Club Elite runner Tyler Mulder before the 2012 Olympic Trials (where he finished an agonizing fifth, missing the Olympic team by less than a second). He spoke about his injury history, his long-term goals, and his favorite Eugene bars.
Track cyclist Kevin Mansker loves going fast, whether its on his bike or in his car. The up-and-coming Mansker did not qualify for the 2012 Olympic team in the match sprint (only one US athlete qualifies), but he has his sights set on Rio in 2016. He spoke with 1859 in May.
Oregon native Rachel Yurkovich punched her ticket to the 2012 Olympics in Eugene at the end of June. She’s looking to keep her momentum rolling with a top finish in London.
Three-time Olympian Dathan Ritzenhein holds the rare distinction of having tried to make the Olympics in the marathon, failing, then coming back to make the team in a different event. He spoke with 1859 in May about the ups and downs of his career and what brought him to Oregon.
Kelsey Campbell never dreamed of being an Olympian when she went out for the wrestling team at Milwaukie High School. But after taking to the sport like a fish to water, she has been a wrestler on the rise. She spoke with 1859 about qualifying for her first Olympic team and bouncing back from a career-crippling defeat in 2011.
1859 takes you behind the scenes of our glamping photo shoot.
