Texas A&M-Corpus Christi head track and field/cross country
coach Shawn Flanagan watched Saturday night's women's marathon in
the 2008 Summer Olympics with special interest cheering on his
former athlete Liza Marie Hunter-Galvan who competed for New
Zealand.
"I was glued to
my TV Saturday night watching her compete," said the Islander head
coach. "This was Liza's second time to compete at the Olympics and
this was a much better performance. She was in the lead pack until
the half way mark. You could she her with the leaders for about
hour and fifteen minutes of the race. It was really thrilling. In
Athens, other than the opening shot you never saw her.
"When you
consider she was the oldest runner in the race at 39, and finished
35th in 2:34.51, it is even more remarkable."
She finished
eight minutes behind Romania's Constantina Tomescu, who claimed the
goal in 2:26.44. Hunter-Galvan placed 51st in the 2004 Olympic
Summer Games in Athens, Greece.
Flanagan
coached Hunter-Galvan at UTSA from 1989 to 1993. She worked with
Flanagan at cross country each year at UTSA after graduation and
has assisted with the cross country camp here on six occasions.
"Liza is just
an amazing person a tremendous athlete, mother of four and wife,"
said the coach."It has been very enjoyable to see one of your "own"
have that much success especially this late in her career."
