Olivia Baker may be joining fellow Maplewood native Ibtihaj Muhammad at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro this summer.
Baker handily bested the Olympic Trials qualifying time and posted a personal best of 2:01.02 when she placed fourth at the Payton Jordan Invitational at Stanford University on Sunday.
NJ.com reports that Baker’s 2:01.02 was under the Olympic Trials standard of 2:03.00 as well as the Olympic A Standard of 2:01.50, which is needed to compete in the Olympic Games.
The Olympic Trials will be held July 1-10 at Hayward Field in Oregon.
Baker is a sophomore at Stanford. Last year, she won a gold medal as a member of Team USA’s 4×400-meter relay at the Pan American Junior Track and Field Championships in Edmonton, Canada.
In 2014, NJ.com named Baker NJ Athlete of the Year, saying she boasted “arguably the most prolific track and field career in state history.”
