BYU teammates are headed to Paris as first-time Olympians

PROVO, Utah — Seven current or former BYU track and field athletes will compete in the Paris Olympics this summer, including Whittni Morgan and Courtney Wayment, who have run thousands and thousands of miles together on their way to becoming Olympians.

I'm excited," said Wayment. "I know that we have some really fun new traditions that we are going to start going to Paris, getting some matching things because we love to match. I think it will be fun."

"I'm just so excited," said Morgan. "It's a blessing to able to be an Olympian and to be able to have this experience. I think the mindset is to really just soak it in and to enjoy it, enjoy it together and make it a special experience for both of us."

Wayment, who's from Kaysville, earned her spot on the U.S. Olympic team in the steeplechase. The top three finishers earn a spot on the team. After finishing fourth and missing out on the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, she had a great closing stretch to finish second this time.

WATCH: Pair of Utahns & BYU alumni heading to Olympic marathon

"I felt very empowered in that last 150 meters where I knew what I needed to do," said Wayment. "I was confident in taking care of business, and I knew that I had been trained from Coach Taylor to be able to secure that spot."

"It was just really incredible to see her show up on this stage and with these stakes," said Morgan. "It was really awesome to see her do it, and she didn't just do it like cross the line, she was gritting to the finish. It was very inspiring to watch."

Morgan, who's from Panguitch, ran in the 5,000-meter final at the Olympic trials, just six months after she had knee surgery. But when two runners who finished ahead of her elected to skip the 5,000 and focus on other events, she moved up into the 3rd and became an Olympian.

"A lot of things had to perfectly happen for me to be fit even on that day," said Morgan. "To be here and be an Olympian is nothing short of a miracle."

"We call her 'gritty Whitty,' but we call her that for a reason. That girl is tough as nails," said Wayment. "She said the words 'I'm an Olympian' and it gave me more chills for her than I feel like I have felt for myself."

Earning a spot on the U.S. Olympic team has been a major goal, so what are their expectations going into the games in Paris?

"I'm hoping to make a final, hoping to run some fast times, just honestly I'm just going to give it everything I have," said Morgan.

"I've made the last two world teams, which is very similar to an Olympic team," said Wayment. "I made the world final in both of those, and I'm not looking to just be a finalist anymore, I would like to do better. Whatever that looks like, I hope it's something that I can walk away proud from."