John Nepolitan

Men's Outdoor Track & Field

Matt Wilkinson qualifies for 2024 Summer Olympics

He finished second in the 3000m steeplechase at the U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials

Photo by @johnnepolitan
 
EUGENE, Ore. – Carleton College alum Matt Wilkinson '21 punched his ticket to the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. He finished second in the finals of the 3000-meter steeplechase at the U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials, putting him in position for a spot at the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad.

Wilkinson crossed the line with his arms extended and his mouth wide open in celebration and amazement at what he had accomplished. During a post-race interview on the NBC broadcast, Wilkinson said, "Am I dreaming? Somebody wake me up because I can't believe it. This is unreal. This whole season has been unreal."
 
Kenneth Rooks won the race with a time of 8:21.92, with Wilkinson crossing the line at 8:23.00. James Corrigan placed third at 8:26.78.
 
In most cases, the top-three finishers in the finals for each event at the U.S. Trials qualify for the upcoming Olympic games. However, competitors must also meet the Olympic qualifying standard for their event (8:15.00 for the steeplechase) or be listed high enough in World Athletics' world rankings. Neither Rooks, Wilkinson, or Corrigan has met the Olympic qualifying time of 8:15.00 this season, so they will need to use their World Athletics' rankings to punch a ticket to Paris.
 
In Sunday's race, Wilkinson was 10th after the first 200 meters of the race but moved up to second place during the next lap. After getting tangled up with another runner about 750 meters into the race, he briefly slipped back to fourth but shifted to the outside and moved into second place soon after.
 
Wilkinson was the race leader through sixth laps before Rooks made his move to the front with 800 meters remaining. Those two pulled away from the rest of the pack over the final lap, with Wilkinson turning in the fastest final 400-meters (59.87) in the field.
 
An eight-time All-American while competing in cross country and track & field at Carleton, Wilkinson won a pair of NCAA individual track titles while competing for the Knights, capping his senior year with first-place finishes in both the steeplechase (8:47.39) and 5000-meter run (13:55.27). After graduating from Carleton, he competed for the University of Minnesota (NCAA Division I) while pursuing his master of public health – epidemiology and added two more All-America awards to his résumé, finishing eighth in the steeplechase in 2022 and fifth in 2023.
 
The 2024 Summer Olympics will be held from July 26-August 11. The steeplechase competition is scheduled to begin on Monday, August 5.
 
Wilkinson will be Carleton's first Olympian since Phillip Dunn '93 competed in the 50-kilometer race walk at the 2000 (Sydney, Australia), 2004 (Athens, Greece), and 2008 (Bejing, China) Summer Games.

Watch 3000-meter steeplechase final highlights (via NBC Sports)