When Elle Purrier St. Pierre surged to the front of the pack during her heat of the Olympic women’s 1,500-meter race, a gymnasium 6,500 miles away erupted in cheers.
The crowd at Richford Junior Senior High School started chanting the name that’s been up on banners and signs around town for weeks: “Ellie! Ellie! Ellie!”
Close to 200 people gathered on the bleachers and in chairs Sunday night to watch Purrier St. Pierre — who lives in Montgomery, but graduated from Richford High in 2013 — compete in the first round of the women’s 1,500 meters at the Tokyo Olympics.
The University of New Hampshire graduate finished third in her heat with a time of 4:05.34, which qualified her for the event’s semifinals on Wednesday morning. If she finishes high enough then, she will run in the finals on Friday morning.
Purrier St. Pierre ran just behind the leaders for most of the race, then took the lead heading into the final lap. She held first until the last 50 meters, when she was passed by two runners, who finished less than a quarter-second ahead of her.
At the U.S. Olympic Trials in June, Purrier St. Pierre ran the 1,500 meters in a time of 3:58.03, which was a personal best as well as a meet record. She also holds the American record in the indoor mile and indoor 2-mile races.
“It just feels unreal,” said Kaydeen Juaire, the counselor at Richford Junior Senior High School. “We’re such a small town. And now we’re watching her on big television.”
Juaire, who said she was on the school’s track team a year before Purrier St. Pierre, was wearing an American flag over her shoulders like a cape. Many supporters in the gymnasium Sunday night were dressed in red, white and blue.
Many also wore gray T-shirts bearing Purrier St. Pierre’s name. Proceeds from the shirt sales will help fund athletics in the Franklin Northeast Supervisory Union, which is the regional school district that includes Richford Junior Senior High.
Purrier St. Pierre’s name is all over the school’s gym, on state championship banners and Gatorade-sponsored flags hanging from the rafters. On Sunday, her family also put out mementos from her running career, including trophies and newspaper clippings
“This seems like the place to have it,” said Charlie Purrier, Purrier St. Pierre’s father, at the gym Sunday. “It’s kind of where she started. The support feels strongest right here.”
Charlie Purrier said he and Purrier St. Pierre’s mother, Annie Purrier, have been able to talk to Elle “every day or two” during the Olympics. She has been pretty confined in Tokyo because of the pandemic, he said, but still excited to compete.
Doug MacDonald, the runner’s 11th-grade math teacher, stood near the side of the gym during the race, wearing a Richford Junior Senior High T-shirt. He said it was “just incredible” to watch her compete at the Olympics.
“She continues to be an inspiration to everyone,” MacDonald said,” and just an excellent example of how grit and hard work can lead to wonderful things.”
Brianna Morse, who has been one of Purrier St. Pierre’s close friends since high school, was holding back tears after the race Sunday night.
“The whole community has always been behind her with everything that she has accomplished,” Morse said. “It’s amazing to see the journey.”
Purrier St. Pierre’s semifinal is scheduled for 6 a.m. Vermont time on Wednesday. She must finish in fifth place or higher, or run one of the next two fastest times overall, to advance to the final.
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August 02, 2021 at 09:27PM
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In Richford, big crowd cheers Elle Purrier St. Pierre on her way to Olympic semifinals - vtdigger.org
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