Berkeley Woman Aces 800-Meter Race at U.S. Olympic Trials Monday

Wearing her signature plastic flower in her hair, Cal grad and Berkeley resident Alysia Montaño Monday took first place in the women's 800 meter run on day four of the 2012 U.S. Olympic track and field team trials in Eugene, Ore.

The 26-year-old finished in 1 minute, 59.08 seconds.

Patch photographer Ken Stone was there.

Victory tasted especially sweet after the 2008 Olympic trials when she hobbled off the track with a broken foot, she told the San Francisco Chronicle. 

"I looked up in the sky and thought my dream had passed me by," she said. "I picked myself up and realized 'Your dreams aren't gone.'"

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