It was a weekend filled with some good and bad news for Kansas standout Bryce Hoppel at the 2019 Toyota USATF Outdoor Track & Field Championships at Drake Stadium.
The good was the fact Hoppel earned a spot in the IAAF World Championships in September, as he ran a time of 1:46.31 during his third-place finish in the 800-meter final. Donavan Brazier (1:45.62) and Clayton Murphy (1:46.01) of Nike Oregon Project claimed the top-two spots in the event. Hoppel’s impressive streak of 21 consecutive victories also came to an end this weekend, however.
Hoppel’s 21-race streak, which began on Feb. 2, was snapped in the 800-meter semifinal. It was a run that included a national title in the 800-meter race at both the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships as well as the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships during his junior season.
“Right now, I kind of feel a little bit free from it and focused on more of the important races instead of this getting every single one,” Hoppel told FloTrack. “Yeah, Donavan; he’s a great guy to lose it to.”
Hoppel became the third Jayhawk to punch his ticket to the IAAF World Championships.
Zachary Bradford did so in men’s pole vault, as he finished fourth in the event. Mason Finley may have finished seventh in the men’s discus competition on Thursday, but his throw at the Kansas Relays in April (220-3 ft.) qualified him in men’s discuss.
The IAAF World Athletics Championships will take place in Doha, Qatar at the renovated multi-purpose Khalifa International Stadium between Sept. 28 and Oct. 6.
