Maria Michta-Coffey finished 20th overall in the 20 kilometer race walk at the IAAF World Championships last week in Beijing.
Michta-Coffey was the top American racewalker in the event, finishing with a time of 1 hour, 33 minutes and 24 seconds.
China’s Hong Liu won the race in 1:27:45.
Miranda Melvilla, Michta-Coffey’s top American rival, 26th overall with a time of 1:35:19.
Michta-Coffey graduated from Sachem in 2004 and competed at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. She will attempt to qualify for the 2016 games in Rio next year.
-Words by Chris R. Vaccaro