US' Nikki Hiltz, New Zealand's Maia Ramsden (centre) and Britain's Georgia Bell react after the women's 1500m heat of the athletics event at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on 6 August, 2024. Photo: Jewel Samad / AFP
New Zealand middle distance runner Maia Ramsden admitted after her first round 1500m race in Paris that she had miscounted the number of automatic qualifying spots and didn't realise she was set to miss out.
Ramsden ran 4:02.83, just outside her personal best, to finish sixth in her heat with the first six gaining automatic qualification for the semi-finals, while the rest go to a repechage.
Ramsden was midfield with a lap to go, but made up ground on the home straight.
"I miscounted, I thought I've just got to get to that next body and then I'm good, but I wasn't, so I'm really glad that I kept going."
Ramsden thought she was already within the top six nearing the finish line but was in fact in seventh.
She decided to keep sprinting for the line and a dip ahead of an Irish runner got her sixth place.
"Those were the words my coach said to me before we left, the race is not over until you cross the line."
She was then a little confused about her placing after crossing the line and had to wait for the official results to come up on the big screen.
"I just waited until it came up on the screen and then I could be happy."
The 22-year-old Harvard graduate thought she would have to run a personal best to grab one of the automatic qualifying sports, but her heat was run slower than the first where all six qualifiers went under four minutes.
"When I ran that (PB) time in Los Angeles, we had a rabbit and it was evenly paced, but here it was up and down and I think in some ways the faster ones are a bit easier as you get in one rhythm whereas today it was a bit stop and go."
However she does feel she will need a PB to get into the final.
"I think so, but I think I'm ready, I've done some real good work the last couple of weeks and I'd really love to lower that time."
Ramsden also got to start the race next to her idol Faith Kipyegon of Kenya who also qualified directly into the semi-finals.
The 1500m semi-finals are on Thursday (Paris time) and the final Saturday.
Ramsden was the last person added to the New Zealand Athletics team for Paris in early July.
She has had a phenomenal 2024, winning NCAA mile and 1500m gold, and setting a new 1500m national record of 4:02.58 in Los Angeles in May.