Juan Diego Estrada Constantino (born 1989 in Chilchota,

Michoacán Michoacán, formally Michoacán de Ocampo (; Purépecha: ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Michoacán de Ocampo ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Michoacán de Ocampo), is one of the 32 states which comprise the Federal Entities of ...

) is a Mexican-American

long-distance runner Long-distance running, or endurance running, is a form of continuous running over distances of at least . Physiologically, it is largely Aerobic exercise, aerobic in nature and requires endurance, stamina as well as mental strength. Within e ...

. He competed in the

10,000 metres The 10,000 metres or the 10,000-metre run is a common long-distance track running event. The event is part of the athletics programme at the Olympic Games and the World Athletics Championships, and is common at championship level events. The race ...

at the

2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

in London for

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

. After some confusion about his eligibility after becoming a U.S. citizen, he was excluded from the U.S. Olympic trials even though it was later known that Estrada was misinformed on his eligibility possibilities. Estrada resides in

Flagstaff, Arizona Flagstaff ( ) is a city in, and the county seat of, Coconino County, Arizona, Coconino County in northern Arizona, in the southwestern United States. In 2019, the city's estimated population was 75,038. Flagstaff's combined metropolitan area has ...

. He became eligible to represent the United States internationally in May 2014.

Running career

High school

Estrada attended

Alisal High School Alisal High School is an American public high school opened in 1965 and located in Salinas, California. Alisal's school colors are green, black and white. Their mascot is Tommy the Trojan. Demographics Currently, there are about 3300 students a ...

(Salinas, California), for which he competed in track. In cross country he qualified three times for states, and in the outdoor track season he finished fourth in the 3200-meter, recording a high school personal-best time of 9:04.80.

Collegiate

Estrada was recruited by Northern Arizona, where he decided to major in Spanish for secondary education. In his sophomore year with

Northern Arizona University Northern Arizona University (NAU) is a public research university based in Flagstaff, Arizona. It was founded in 1899 as the final public university established in the Arizona Territory, 13 years before Arizona was admitted as the 48th state. ...

, one of his lungs collapsed, and Estrada's career was brought into question. Estrada ran NCAA regional qualifying 10K time at the

Payton Jordan Payton Jordan (March 19, 1917 – February 5, 2009) was the head coach of the 1968 United States Olympic track and field team, one of the most powerful track teams ever assembled, which won a record twenty-four medals, including twelve golds. ...

Stanford Cardinal The Stanford Cardinal are the athletic teams that represent Stanford University. As of June, 2022, Stanford's program has won 131 NCAA team championships. Stanford has won at least one NCAA team championship each academic year for 46 consecutive ...

Invitational (28:40.19) & NCAA regional qualifying 5K (13:49.35) in the 5K at the

Mt. SAC Relays The Mt. SAC Relays are an annual track and field festival held primarily at Hilmer Lodge Stadium on the Mt. San Antonio College campus in Walnut, California. The Relays are held in mid-April each year since the first edition held on April 24-25, 1 ...

. In his junior year, Estrada opened outdoor season with the third-fastest 1,500m time in NAU history at the

when he crossed the finish line in 3:41.80. At the 2011 NCAA Indoor Championships, finished fourth overall in a NAU indoor-record time of 13:29.01 for first All-America award on the track. Redshirt year, Estrada ran a personal-best time in the 10K (27:32.90) at the Payton Jordan Invitational as an unattached athlete to earn his ticket to

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. He competed in front of 80,000 fans at

London's London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a major se ...

Olympic Stadium ''Olympic Stadium'' is the name usually given to the main stadium of an Olympic Games. An Olympic stadium is the site of the opening and closing ceremonies. Many, though not all, of these venues actually contain the words ''Olympic Stadium'' as ...

on August 4 in the men's 10000 m at the 2012 Summer Olympics, finishing 21st in a time of 28:36.19. In his senior year, Estrada finished in third place in the 5000-meter race at the 2013 NCAA D1 Outdoor T&F Championships. Estrada earned his eighth and ninth

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

honors at the 2013 NCAA Indoor Championships in record fashion with a runner-up finish in the 5,000m (13:30.24), the second-fastest all time indoors at NAU, and a fourth-place mark in the 3,000 meters (7:49.53), the third-fastest in NAU history. Estrada capped his year at the International Association of Athletics Federations

2013 World Championships in Athletics The 14th IAAF World Championships in Athletics (Moscow 2013) () was an international athletics competition held in Moscow, Russia, from 10–18 August 2013. Initially, Russia won the most gold medals to top the table for the first time since 200 ...

where he finished 25th in the 5000 meters semi-final while representing

Post-collegiate

Diego Estrada is an Asics sponsored runner and coached by Joe Vigil, known for his spell with

Adams State Adams State University is a public university in Alamosa, Colorado. The university's Adams State Grizzlies athletic teams compete in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. History Adams State was founded in 1921 as a normal school, teacher's co ...

and coaching

Pat Porter Patrick ("Pat") Ralph Porter (May 31, 1959 – July 26, 2012) was an American distance runner. Born in Wadena, Minnesota, he graduated from Adams State in 1982 with a degree in marketing, after which he became one of the most dominant ...

2014

Diego Estrada finished 1st at 2014 USA Road 5k Championships.

2015

Estrada won his 2nd

USATF USA Track & Field (USATF) is the United States national governing body for the sports of track and field, cross country running, road running and racewalking (known as the sport of athletics outside the US). The USATF was known between 1979 and ...

Title in Houston on January 18, 2015 by running the 7th fastest American half marathon ever in 60:51. Diego finished 8th in the 10,000 metres in 28:36.06 at

2015 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships The 2015 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships were held at Hayward Field, University of Oregon in Eugene, Oregon. Organized by USA Track and Field, the four-day competition took place June 25–28 and served as the national championships in ...

. Diego came back to place 15th in 14:07.51 in the 5000 metres at

. Diego Estrada finished on the podium in

Providence, Rhode Island Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts Bay ...

at USA Road 5 km championships on September 20 in 14:22. Diego's half marathon is the 2015 US leading time. Diego is ranked second nationally in the 10,000m.

2016

In 2016, Diego ran the US Olympic Marathon Team Trials in February, and was in 10th place at 20 miles, but did not finish. At the New York Road Runners

New York City Half Marathon The New York City Half Marathon (branded as the United Airlines NYC Half) is an annual half marathon road running race from Brooklyn's Prospect Park to Manhattan's Central Park via the Manhattan Bridge, held since 2006. It passes through o ...

, Diego finished 5th in 1:02:15. Estrada finished 3rd in the elite field representing USA at

Bolder Boulder The Bolder Boulder (styled as BOLDERBoulder and previously BolderBOULDER) is an annual 10-kilometer run in Boulder, Colorado. The most recent race featured over 54,000 runners, walkers, and wheelchair racers, making it the second largest 10k race ...

10 km in 29:40 leading team USA red to a second place team finish behind Kenya. Diego Estrada ran a season best time on July 4 of 13:48.71 in 5000 meters to ultimately place 11th in the 5000 m final at 2016 United States Olympic Trials (track and field); after running in 10th place ~ 6 km and dropping out of the trials' 10,000 m.

2017

In 2017, Diego Estrada placed eighth at New York Road Runners

United Airlines United Airlines, Inc. (commonly referred to as United), is a major American airline headquartered at the Willis Tower in Chicago, Illinois.

half-Marathon in 61:54. Diego placed second at

Bank of America Shamrock Shuffle The Chicago Shamrock Shuffle is an 8 kilometer road race held in Chicago which was started in 1980. The race is held during celebrations of Saint Patrick's Day in the Chicago area. History For the first couple of decades, the number of particip ...

8K.

Stephen Sambu Stephen Sambu (born July 7, 1988, in Kenya) is a Kenyan long distance runner who specialises in road running competitions. College career Stephen Sambu ran for the University of Arizona, where he was coached by James Li, who is also Bernard Lagat ...

faced off against Olympian Diego Estrada, the seventh-fastest American over the half-marathon distance. Diego Estrada placed sixth at

Invitational 10,000 meters in 27:48.57. Diego Estrada anchored his country, United States to the team win! He was 3rd American at 2017

representing ASICS america. Estrada finished 6th at the 10,000 meters in 29:08.14 at

2017 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships The 2017 USA Track and Field Outdoor Championships were held at Hornet Stadium on the campus of California State University, Sacramento in Sacramento, California. Organized by USA Track & Field, the four-day competition took place June 22–25 an ...

and 16th at

2017 Chicago Marathon The 2017 Chicago Marathon was the 40th annual edition of the Chicago Marathon held in Chicago, Illinois, United States, and was held on October 8. The race had 44,508 finishers, and the number of spectators was estimated at over 1.5 million.

Personal Bests

* As of 22 December 2018

Road

References

External links

Diego Estrada twitterDiego Estrada NAU profileDiego Estrada facebook profileSports Illustrated Diego Estrada
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Estrada, Diego 1989 births Living people Sportspeople from Michoacán Sportspeople from Salinas, California Track and field athletes from California Mexican male long-distance runners American male long-distance runners American male marathon runners Mexican male marathon runners Olympic athletes of Mexico Athletes (track and field) at the 2012 Summer Olympics World Athletics Championships athletes for Mexico Northern Arizona Lumberjacks men's track and field athletes American people of Mexican descent