TRIPPAS Edward

General
LATE OLYMPIC QUALIFICATION
He met the 3000m steeplechase qualification standard for the 2020 Olympic Games on the last qualifying day at a competition in Castellon, Spain, in late June 2021. "I didn't really feel pressure coming in 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. It is a cool story though that I qualified with two and a half hours remaining before the deadline." (aap.com.au, 30 Jun 2021)

STUDYING IN THE UNITED STATES
He took a year out of his studies at Princeton University in the United States of America in order to focus on sport, with the goal of competing at the 2020 Olympic Games. "There were guys a few years older than me who were moving to the NCAA [National Collegiate Athletic Association] and going to college for a few years and having some success there. I saw that as a pathway and possible option. That seemed like a really good option for me after high school because there were less resources and support in Australia. There was a whole team aspect that was really appealing to me in the US. I started looking at colleges. I reached out to coach Vig [Jason Vigilante at Princeton University] and emailed him and came to tour the campus and met him, and from there I knew it was the number one place I wanted to go to." (towntopics.com, 23 Jun 2021)