As the 2024 Paris Olympics is on its verge, athletes are pouring their hearts and souls into preparing for the huge event. While some of them are already qualified for the upcoming Paris Olympics, many are yet to clinch a coveted spot at the event. Along the same lines, the USA’s middle-distance runner, Benjamin Blankenship was also aiming to clinch the ticket to the French capital after competing in the marathon trials. However, he withdrew his name from the event.
Despite having a spot at the 2024 Paris Olympics qualifiers, the distance runner withdrew his name from the trials. In a recent revelation, he declared that he will be taking an exit from trials, and will be focusing on different goals he has been eyeing for a long time.
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Benjamin Blankenship to change the routes of his tracks
As Ben F Blankenship is among the greatest runners in the USA’s track and field team, spectators expected him to not only compete but also clinch an Olympic medal this year. But, suddenly, the track-and-field star withdrew his candidature from the Olympics Marathon Trails.
In a recent announcement, Blankenship revealed his intentions regarding the upcoming Paris Olympics Trails by posting a couple of photographs and a heartfelt message on his Instagram account. Along with the pictures, he penned, “As you might’ve noticed from the old @Strava account… I won’t be running the Olympic Marathon Trials. Instead, on March 18th, I’ll make my 100-mile debut at the WolfCreekTC Rabid Raccoon. ”
The major reason behind this is Blankenship wanted to push his body, mind and spirit to unknown limits. In a recent Instagram post, he said, “I’ve been motivated by one thing in my career: to push myself into the unknown and find the limits of my body, mind, and spirit. That made this an easy decision – some might not understand, but it’s not for them.”
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But now the question is, what will he do instead of taking part in the Paris Olympics 2024?
What is Blankenship eyeing at?
By withdrawing his candidature from the Paris Olympics Trails 2024, Blankenship stated that he would be making his debut at Wolf Creek track club, Rabid Raccoon, at 100 miles. In the same Instagram post, he mentioned, “I’ve undergone a transformation since running my first marathon. I’ve been lifting like a monster. I’ve gone from 145 pounds to 160 pounds.”
He added, “I’ve run more vert in the last 2 weeks than in my entire career. I’ve run trails in the dark with a headlamp, crushed my legs on downhills, and tried to reach a summit daily. More to come – I’ll share the journey as we go. 9 weeks until we cover the distance.” Even though Blankenship is not taking part in the 2024 Paris Olympics qualifiers, there are chances that he may still take up an Olympics spot by performing well at other events. Will Blankenship perform at the 2024 Paris Olympics?
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Purva Jain