Samuelson Joins Marathon Field

Joan Benoit Samuelson, the 1984 women’s Olympic Marathon champion, will try to qualify for the Atlanta Games in the U.S. Trials on Feb. 10.

Samuelson, who swept to a gold medal at Los Angeles in the first Olympic women’s long-distance race, did not defend her title in 1988 nor try to make the Olympics in 1992.

Also competing for the first three competitive spots on the U.S. Olympic team are Spokane’s Kim Jones, world-class runners Olga Appell, Anne Marie Lauck (formerly Anne Marie Letko) and Kristy Johnston.