The Eleventh Hour | Ed Trippas' Road to Tokyo

There’s leaving things late, and then there’s Ed Trippas.

With 2.5 hours left in an Olympic qualifying period that spanned 13,200 hours, the 22-year-old Australian found himself in Spain – desperate to launch himself at one final attempt of securing the Olympic standard in the 3000m steeplechase.

The required time of 8:22.00 was a stubborn mark – one that only three Australians in history had ever dipped under.

Entering the season with a personal best of 8:33.90, it was only after the Australian Track and Field Championships that Trippas hatched his Olympic dream. He was the third man across the line in a new personal best of 8:31.09.  

“After nationals I genuinely believed that I could qualify through rankings, however as the season went on it was clear I was going to have to run the qualifying time, so I started looking for races to run fast,” he said.

Trippas searched far and wide, returning to the USA where he attends Princeton University – carving another chunk off his personal best when running 8:26.25.

The dream was alive.

Next stop was France on June 12, where his hopes took a blow with the clock reading 8:40.44 as the deflated Trippas crossed the line – prompting the Australian to reset.

“I felt like I needed some time to train, adjust and reset after arriving in Europe – it felt like my best chance was going to be a race as late as possible, so I decided to go all-in,” he said.

Two weeks passed and whispers emerged that the nomadic steeplechaser would appear in Spain with 2.5 hours remaining on the clock for one last roll of the dice.

Sure enough, there he was. The kid from down under proudly sporting his Bankstown Athletics Club singlet as the rapid Spanish commentary was broken up by the occasional mention of his name.  

Trippas proceeded to do the unthinkable – tearing his way around the track in a time of 8:19.60 to punch his ticket to Tokyo and climb to third on the Australian all-time list.

“Once the time got announced I grabbed my phone and ran back to the hotel so I could get WiFi and I called my parents crying because it was such a special moment,” he said.

“I wouldn’t be in this position without my parents and family who have been along for the ride via FaceTime and have without hesitation said yes to support whatever I needed to qualify.”

The soon-to-be Olympian was quick to reflect on his Australian origins.

“It’s cliché but starting the sport from Little Athletics and growing up doing athletics in Australia, it was always the dream to make the Olympics. To have actually done it hasn’t sunk in yet,” he said.

“Wearing my Bankstown singlet brings me so much pride because of the support the club has given me over the years. To be able to represent the club and qualify for the Olympics wearing the same singlet given to me by Lindsay [Watson] eight years ago when I joined is special.”

Trippas also sang the praises of Colin and Matt Whitbread of the Bankstown Athletics Club, before emphasising the support of his coach from Princeton University – Jason Vigilante.

“Five years ago when I met him I remember him told me he would help get me to an Olympics. I didn’t always believe that, but he was right,” he said.

“He has been awake at all hours of the night to give guidance, answer questions and chat which has been so helpful.”

Having just delivered one of the most clutch performances of the Olympic qualifying period, the 22-year-old conceded he was able to remain calm under pressure through a great dose of perspective.

“I didn’t really feel pressure because I would either run the qualifying time, or miss it and still finish the season with a good PB and momentum heading into next year - probably sitting on a beach in Europe for a few days enjoying myself,” he said.

Trippas has since linked up with the likes of Jye Edwards, Peter Bol and Jeff Riseley in Germany as the Australians put the finishing touches on their Tokyo preparations.

He will be joined by Ben Buckingham and Matthew Clarke in Tokyo to form a strong Australian trio in the men’s 3000m steeplechase, with the first round of the event on at 10:00am AEST on July 30.

By Lachlan Moorhouse, Athletics Australia
Posted: 22/07/2021