Estrada Continues to Work Towards Olympic Dream

Published by USATF on February 2, 2015

Olympian Diego Estrada captured his second USATF title at the Houston Half Marathon Championships on Jan. 18, and he’s looking forward to finally competing internationally as an American citizen.

“2014 was a tough year for me,” said Estrada. “I was waiting for a breakout race, and it never came. I told myself at [the] Half Marathon Champs I was going to treat it like it was still 2014. The course was great; the weather was perfect. I guess all I had to do was rise to the occasion.”

After leading most of the race and crossing the finish line with a winning time of 1:00:51, Estrada (Salinas, California) is now third on the all-time U.S. half marathon list.

To celebrate the win, the two-time USATF champion proudly displayed the American flag to show his unfaltering patriotism and his dedication to the dream of becoming a U.S. Olympian.

“It’s an emotional moment,” he said. “It brings me back to when I became a citizen and was holding a flag. I’ve been doing the Pledge of Allegiance since kindergarten.”