Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Birth name | Elinor Purrier | |||||||||||||||||
Full name | Elinor Purrier St. Pierre | |||||||||||||||||
Born | Montgomery Center, Vermont, U.S. | February 20, 1995|||||||||||||||||
Height | 5 ft 3 in (160 cm) | |||||||||||||||||
Sport | ||||||||||||||||||
Sport | Athletics | |||||||||||||||||
Event(s) | 1500 m One mile 3000 m 3000 m steeplechase 5000 m | |||||||||||||||||
College team | New Hampshire | |||||||||||||||||
Club | New Balance Boston | |||||||||||||||||
Turned pro | 2018 | |||||||||||||||||
Coached by | Mark Coogan | |||||||||||||||||
Medal record
|
Elinor Purrier St. Pierre (born February 20, 1995), better known as Elle Purrier St. Pierre [a] , is an American track and field athlete who specializes in middle-distance and long-distance running. She won a gold medal in the 3000 meters at the 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow. Purrier is a two-time Olympian for the United States, making the final in the 1500m at both the 2020 and 2024 Olympic Games.
Purrier was raised in Montgomery Center, Vermont, a small town near the Canadian border. [1] [2] She lived on a dairy farm, where she woke up at 5 a.m. each day before school to milk cows and perform other chores, such as throwing hay bales and caring for pigs. [1] [3] At Richford High School, Purrier took up running alongside basketball. She competed at a high level in track and cross country, with first-place finishes at the New England Cross Country Championships and Northeast Regional championships for the Nike Cross Nationals. She was named Vermont Gatorade Cross Country Athlete of the Year three times, receiving the honor in 2010, 2011, and 2012. [4] Purrier was later inducted into the hall of fame of the Vermont Principals' Association in 2022. [4]
Purrier competed for the University of New Hampshire from 2013 to 2018, where she was NCAA champion and an 11-time All-American. [5] As a freshman, she ran 4:36 in the mile. [6] By her sophomore year, she improved her time to 4:29.71, setting a school record and achieving one of the top ten fastest times by a collegiate athlete. Her fast time in the mile marked her as a favorite to win the event at the 2016 NCAA Division I Indoor Championships. [6] At those championships, she finished third after leading for much of the race but was overtaken in the final stretch. [7] Later that year, Purrier improved one place to take second in the mile at the 2016 NCAA Outdoor Championships. Following several podium finishes at previous NCAA championships, Purrier won a title in the mile at the 2018 NCAA Division I Indoor Championships, finishing in 4:31.76. She led for most of the race and finished just ahead of Dani Jones and Niki Hiltz, with less than a second difference between them. [8]
Purrier also competed at a high level in the steeple while at the University of New Hampshire. In 2014, she won a national title in the 3000 meter steeplechase, [9] and went on to place ninth in the final of the event at the 2014 World Junior Championships in Athletics. Later in her collegiate career, she finished third in the steeplechase at the 2016 NCAA Division I Outdoor Championships. In 2016, the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association named Purrier its Northeast Region Track Athlete of the Year. [10] Purrier majored in nutrition, graduating in 2018.
Purrier signed with New Balance in July 2018. [11]
At the 2019 USA Indoor Championships, Purrier finished sixth in the mile and won the bronze medal in the two miles. At the 2019 USA Outdoor Championships, she won the bronze medal in the 5000 m. [12] Purrier competed at the 2019 World Championships in October and finished 11th in the 5000 m. [13]
At the 2020 Millrose Games on February 8, Purrier broke the American record for the indoor mile with a time of 4:16.85. [14] At the 2020 USA Indoor Championships, she finished fourth in the 5000 m. [12]
On February 13, 2021, Purrier broke the American indoor two mile record with a time of 9:10.28. [15] At the 2020 USA Olympic Trials, she won the gold medal in the 1500 m with a time of 3:58.03, setting a personal best and breaking the meet record. [16] Purrier competed at the 2020 Olympic Games in August 2021. She finished 10th in the 1500 m. [12]
At the 2022 USA Indoor Championships, Purrier won the bronze medal in the 1500 m and the gold medal in the 3000 m. She competed at the 2022 World Indoor Championships in March and won the silver medal in the 3000 m. [17]
While pregnant, Purrier competed at the 2022 USA Outdoor Championships and won the bronze medal in the 1500 m. [18] She competed at the 2022 World Championships in July and did not advance to the final of the 1500 m.
In February 2024, Purrier broke her own American record at the Wanamaker Mile race at the Millrose Games in New York City, running 4:16.41. [19] In her first major international competition since giving birth to her first child, Purrier won gold in the 3000 meters at the 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow, Scotland. [20] Her race set the American record for the 3000m.
Purrier is a dairy farmer from Vermont. [18] She married her longtime boyfriend Jamie St. Pierre in 2020 and gave birth to their son in March 2023. [12]
Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Time | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Representing the University of New Hampshire | ||||||
2014 | USA Junior Championships | Eugene, Oregon | 1st | 3000 m s'chase | 10:24.46 | |
2016 | USA Olympic Trials | Eugene, Oregon | 28th | 3000 m s'chase | 10:08.39 [21] | |
Representing New Balance | ||||||
2018 | USA Outdoor Championships | Des Moines, Iowa | 6th | 1500 m | 4:09.30 | |
2019 | USA Indoor Championships [22] | New York, New York | 6th | One mile | 4:32.69 | |
3rd | Two miles | 9:34.65 | ||||
USA Outdoor Championships | Des Moines, Iowa | 3rd | 5000 m | 15:17.46 | ||
2020 | USA Indoor Championships | Albuquerque, New Mexico | 4th | 3000 m | 8:56.56 | |
2021 | USA Olympic Trials | Eugene, Oregon | 1st | 1500 m | 3:58.03 PB | |
2022 | USA Indoor Championships | Spokane, Washington | 3rd | 1500 m | 4:06.14 | |
1st | 3000 m | 8:41.53 | ||||
USA Outdoor Championships | Eugene, Oregon | 3rd | 1500 m | 4:05.14 | ||
20th | 5000 m | 16:15.83 |
Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Time |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2014 | World Junior Championships | Eugene, OR, United States | 9th | 3000 m s'chase | 10:21.59 |
2019 | World Championships | Doha, Qatar | 11th | 5000 m | 14:58.17 |
2021 | Olympic Games | Tokyo, Japan | 10th | 1500 m | 4:01.75 |
2022 | World Indoor Championships | Belgrade, Serbia | 2nd | 3000 m | 8:42.04 |
2024 | World Indoor Championships | Glasgow, United Kingdom | 1st | 3000 m | 8:20.87 |
Olympic Games | Paris, France | 8th | 1500 m | 3:57.52 |
All sourced from World Athletics, as of February 11, 2024. [23]
Discipline | Mark | Venue | Date | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
800 meters | 1:59.99 | Irvine, CA (USA) | May 15, 2021 | |
1500 meters | 3:55.99 | Hayward Field, Eugene, OR (USA) | June 30, 2024 | |
One mile | 4:30.30 | Alexander Stadium, Birmingham (GBR) | August 18, 2019 | |
3000 meters | 8:46.43 | Cork (IRL) | July 16, 2018 | |
5000 meters | 14:34.12 | Los Angeles, CA (USA) | May 17, 2024 | |
3000 meters steeplechase | 9:43.65 | Providence, RI (USA) | April 15, 2017 | |
One mile road | 4:25.0 | Honolulu, HI (USA) | December 7, 2019 | |
4x800 meters relay | 8:47.16 | Durham, NH (USA) | May 7, 2017 |
Discipline | Mark | Venue | Date | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
800 meters | 2:03.64 | Boston, MA (USA) | February 24, 2018 | |
1000 meters | 2:46.02 | Durham, NH (USA) | January 16, 2016 | |
1500 meters | 4:00.20 | Armory Track, New York, NY (USA) | February 8, 2020 | |
One mile | 4:16.41 | Armory Track, New York, NY (USA) | February 11, 2024 | North American record |
3000 meters | 8:20.87 | Commonwealth Arena, Glasgow, UK | March 2, 2024 | North American record |
Two miles | 9:10.28 | Ocean Breeze Athl. Complex, New York, NY (USA) | February 13, 2021 | North American record |
4x800 meters relay | 9:15.98 | Durham, NH (USA) | January 16, 2016 | |
Distance medley relay | 10:33.85 | The Track at New Balance, Boston, MA (USA) | April 15, 2022 | World record (p) |
Sally Jepkosgei Kipyego is a Kenyan-born American long- and middle-distance runner. She was the silver medalist in the 10,000 metres at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics and the silver medalist in the same race at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. She has a personal record of 30:38.35 minutes for that event and her 5000 metres best of 14:30.42 minutes makes her the second fastest Kenyan woman for the distance.
Shannon Solares-Rowbury is an American middle-distance runner from San Francisco, California. After competing collegiately for Duke University, she turned professional in 2007. Rowbury has represented the United States at the 2008, 2012, and 2016 Summer Olympics, winning a bronze medal in 2012, becoming the first American woman to win an Olympic medal in the event. She also represented the United States at the World Championships in 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2017, winning the bronze medal in the 1500 meters in 2009. In 2015, Rowbury helped set the world record with the U.S. team for the distance medley relay event, and set a then-American record for 1500 meters on July 17, 2015, breaking Mary Slaney's 32 year-old mark with a time of 3:56.29.
Kathy Fleming is a retired American middle-distance runner. In 1994 she was the USA Track and Field National Champion in the indoor 3000 meters.
Matthew Centrowitz Jr. is an American middle-distance runner, who specializes in the 1500 metres. He won a gold medal in the event at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. He also achieved a bronze medal at the 2011 World Championships and a silver medal at the 2013 World Championships. Centrowitz is a five-time national champion in the 1500 m at the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
Emma Jane Coburn is an American middle-distance runner who specializes in the 3000-meters steeplechase. She holds the distinction of being a world champion, world silver medalist, Olympic bronze medalist, three-time Olympian and 10-time US National Champion in the steeplechase.
Grant Jackson Fisher is an American middle- and long-distance runner. Fisher holds American records in the 3000 m, two mile, 5000 m, and 10,000 m events. At the 2024 Paris Olympics, Fisher won bronze medals in the 5000 m and 10,000 m, becoming the first American to medal in both events at an Olympic Games.
Colleen Quigley is an American middle-distance runner, steeplechase specialist, and Olympian from St. Louis, Missouri. She is a current world record–holder in the 4x1500-meter relay. Competing in the 3000-meter steeplechase, she finished 8th at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio and 12th at the 2015 World Championships in Athletics in Beijing. She won the 2019 U.S. National Indoor Championship in the mile, running 4:29.47, and was the 2015 NCAA Champion in the 3000-meter steeplechase. In 2023, Quigley announced that she would start competing in triathlon events, but that she still plans to compete in track and field through 2024.
Raevyn Rogers is an American middle-distance athlete. She won a bronze medal in the 800 meters at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, becoming the fourth fastest woman in U.S. history in the event. At the 2019 World Championships, Rogers came from seventh with 100m remaining in the race to place silver over USA teammate Ajeé Wilson in bronze. She earned a world indoor title as a member of national 4x400 m relay squad that took gold at the 2018 World Indoor Championships.
Konstanze "Koko" Klosterhalfen is a German middle- and long-distance runner. She is the 2019 World Championship bronze medallist and 2022 European champion in the 5000 metres, becoming the first German medalist of the event at the World Athletics Championships and the first German winner of the event at the European Athletics Championships. At the European Indoor Championships, Klosterhalfen won silver medals for the 1500 metres in 2017 and the 3000 metres in 2019 and 2023. She took four individual medals at the European Cross Country Championships. In February 2020, she set a European indoor record in the 5000 m with 14:30.79, the fourth fastest time ever.
Karissa Schweizer is an American middle- and long-distance runner, Olympian and World Record holder in the women's 4x1500 meters relay. She competed in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in the 5000 meters and 10,000 meters events finishing 11th and 12th, respectively. In 2020, she set the indoor 3000 meters American Record with a time of 8:25.70.
Lemlem Hailu is an Ethiopian middle- and long-distance runner. She won the gold medal in the 3000 metres at the 2022 World Indoor Championships. Hailu earned bronze in the 1500 metres at the 2019 African Games.
Weini Kelati Frezghi is an American middle and long distance runner. Born in Eritrea, she claimed asylum in the United States in July 2014 and subsequently achieved multiple victories in state and national level competitions while attending Heritage High School in Leesburg, Virginia. While competing for the University of New Mexico, Kelati won the 2019 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships.
Ejgayehu Taye is an Ethiopian Olympic long-distance runner. She won the bronze medal for the 3000 metres at the 2022 World Indoor Championships. She also held the mixed world record 5 km road race from 2021 to 2024, with a time of 14:19.
Cooper Teare is an American middle- and long-distance runner. He is a two-time national champion, securing victories in the 1500 metres at the 2022 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships and in the 2024 USA Cross Country Championships. Teare has represented the United States at the 2022 World Athletics Championships, the 2018 IAAF World U20 Championships, and the 2017 Pan American U20 Athletics Championships, where he earned a bronze medal in the 1500 m.
Heather MacLean is an American middle distance runner.
Alicia Monson is an American long-distance runner who primarily competes in the 5000 meters and 10,000 meters. She holds the North American record over the 5000 m, 10,000 m, and two mile distances, all set as part of the On Athletics Club under coach Dathan Ritzenhein.
Cole Hocker is an American middle- and long-distance runner who specializes in the 1500 meters. He won the gold medal in the event at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, setting an Olympic record and an area record of 3:27.65.
Yared Nuguse is an American professional middle-distance runner who specializes in the 1500 meters. He was the 2019 NCAA Division I champion in the event and bronze medalist from the 2024 Summer Olympics. Nuguse is the North American outdoor record holder over the one mile distance, and the North American indoor record holder for the 1500 meters, one mile and 3000 meters.
George Beamish is a New Zealand middle- and long-distance runner, who won the 1500 metres at the 2024 World Indoor Championships. He holds the Oceania area record in the 3000 m steeplechase of 8:09.64 and the New Zealand record in the indoor 3000 m and 5000 m. He finished fifth at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in the 3000 m steeplechase.
Team New Balance Boston (TNBB) is a training group of professional distance runners sponsored by New Balance and based out of Boston, Massachusetts. The team is coached by Mark Coogan and was founded in 2014.