Murphy's world mountain title earns her USATF Athlete of the Week honors

INDIANAPOLIS — Winning the world mountain and trail running championship by almost a minute, Grayson Murphy (Flagstaff, Arizona/USATF Arizona) earned recognition as the 22nd USATF Athlete of the Week award winner for 2023.
 
Running in the women's Mountain Classic senior race at the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in Innsbruck, Austria, the 27-year-old Murphy covered the two-lap, 15km course in 1:04:29 to win by 57 seconds over Sweden's Tove Alexandersson. The loop course started and ended in the city of Innsbruck, gaining more than 2,000 feet in elevation as it wound its way through the mountainous terrain surrounding the historic town.
 
Murphy, who was sixth in the 3,000m steeplechase at the 2021 U.S. Olympic Trials, had finished third in the Vertical race on Tuesday before her gold medal performance on Saturday. She was the 2019 World Mountain Running champion in Argentina and captured U.S. trail running titles in 2021 and earlier this year.
 
Other top performances from last week:

• Alyssa Jones of Stanford bettered the American U20 record in the women's long jump with a 6.86m/22-6.25 to place second at the NCAA Championships in Austin.
• Gabby Thomas won the women's 200m in a U.S.-leading 22.05 at the Paris Diamond League meet.
• Will Sumner of Georgia won the men's 800m by more than a second in a U.S.-leading 1:44.26 at the NCAA Championships, moving him to No. 5 on the all-time collegiate performer list and No. 2 on the all-time American collegiate performer list.
• Jasmine Moore of Florida set an outdoor collegiate record in the women's triple jump with a 14.78m/48-6 at the NCAA Championships. She also placed third in the long jump.
• Grant Holloway won the Paris Diamond League men's 110m hurdles in a world-leading 12.98, his fifth career sub-13 clocking.

Now in its 22nd year, USATF’s Athlete of the Week program is designed to recognize outstanding performers at all levels of the sport. USATF names a new honoree each week when there are high-level competitions and features the athlete on USATF.org. Selections are based on top performances and results from the previous week.
 
2023 Winners: January 17, Emily Sisson; January 24, Ednah Kurgat; January 31, Woody Kincaid; February 7, Grant Holloway; February 14, Yared Nuguse; February 21, Anna Hall; February 28, Talitha Diggs; March 7, Alicia Monson; March 14, Jasmine Moore; March 21, Keyzelle Thomas; March 28, Camille Herron; April 4, Hillary Bor; April 11, Valarie Allman; April 18, Britton Wilson; April 25, Brooke Andersen; May 2, Gabby Thomas; May 9, Connor Burns; May 16, Britton Wilson; May 23, Brooke Andersen; May 30, Ryan Crouser; June 6, KC Lightfoot; June 13, Grayson Murphy.

We welcome your nominations!
 
To nominate an athlete for USATF Athlete of the Week, please send a detailed email about their performance to communications@usatf.org.
 
Join the conversation with USATF on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook using the hashtag #USATF.
 
Photo Credit: Richard Bolt