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Leah Falland

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Leah Falland
Personal information
Birth nameLeah O'Connor
NationalityAmerican
Born (1992-08-30) August 30, 1992 (age 32)[1]
Home townCroswell, Michigan[2]
Height171 cm (5 ft 7+12 in)[1]
Weight55 kg (121 lb)[1]
Websitehttps://leahkayo.wordpress.com/
Sport
SportAthletics
Event(s)3000 metres steeplechase, mile run
College teamMichigan State Spartans[2]
ClubOn Athletics Club
Achievements and titles
Personal best

Leah Falland (née O'Connor; born 30 August 1992) is an American steeplechase runner and NCAA DI indoor track and field championships record holder in the mile run.

Biography

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O'Connor was raised in Croswell, Michigan where she first learned to run on her family farm.[3] She attended Croswell-Lexington High School and was state champion in the 800 m and 1600 m.[2]

She competed collegiately for the Michigan State Spartans track and field and cross country teams starting in 2011, and qualified for the NCAA Division I Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championships every year from 2012 to 2015.[2]

Her best NCAA finishes were 1st in the steeplechase at the 2014 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships, and 1st at the 2015 NCAA Indoor championships mile run in a championship record time of 4:27.18.[2][4][5]

O'Connor competed in the 2016 United States Olympic Trials, where she won her semi-final of the women's steeplechase despite competing with a torn plantar fascia.[6][1] She was 14th in the final the next day.[6] In 2018, Falland set the Drake Relays record in the steeplechase with a time of 9:32.23.[7]

At the 2021 United States Olympic trials, Falland tripped and fell in the steeplechase final, finishing 9th and failing again to qualify for the Olympic team.[8]

From August 2020 to October 2022, Falland was a member of the professional training group On Athletics Club and was coached by Dathan Ritzenhein.[9]

Statistics

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Personal bests

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Event Mark Competition Venue Date
3000 metres steeplechase 9:16.96 Stockholm Diamond League Stockholm, Sweden 4 July 2021
Mile run 4:27.18i 2015 NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships Fayetteville, Arkansas 14 March 2015

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Leah Falland at Tilastopaja (registration required)
  2. ^ a b c d e "Leah O'Connor – Cross Country". Michigan State University Athletics. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  3. ^ "NCAA Champ Leah O'Connor: 'I'm Just Now Falling in Love with Running'". Runner's World. 28 April 2015. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  4. ^ "Leah O'Connor of Michigan State Sets NCAA Meet Record in Women's Mile, Takes Down Shelby Houlihan". Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  5. ^ Sheehan, Matt. "O'Connor races to another NCAA title". Times Herald. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  6. ^ a b "Leah (O'Connor) Falland – 4 Years Ago Project". Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  7. ^ "2018 Drake Relays Results". Drake University Athletics. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  8. ^ Friend, Phil. "Olympic heartbreak for former MSU star Leah Falland after tripping in 3,000-meter steeplechase final". Lansing State Journal. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  9. ^ "For anyone interested in a (probably overdue) career update— swipe away!". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
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