Alexa Efraimson has often said competition brings out the best in her.
Therefore it’s no surprise she ran her fastest 1,500 meters Saturday against the best competition she’s ever faced.
The Camas junior ran 4:07.05 to finish 10th in the Adidas Grand Prix Diamond League track meet Saturday in New York City.
She was the lone American teenager in a 16-person field that included three of the top four ranked professionals in the world and two world champions.
One of those world champions, Abeba Aregawi, won the race in 4:00.13. A native of Ethiopia, Aregawi runs for Sweden.
Jennifer Simpson, the 2011 world champion, was the top American. She finished third in 4:02.54.
Efraimson’s previous fastest 1,500 meters was 4:16.00, which she ran last summer. On May 29, she broke the American high school record in the 1,600 meters, running 4:33.29 at the state track championships in Tacoma.
Saturday’s run was the second fastest 1,500 ever by an American high school runner. Mary Cain ran 4:04.62 in May 2013 for Bronxville (N.Y.) High School. She turned pro in November.
Also in the meet, Skyview graduate Kara Patterson placed fourth in the javelin with a mark of 62.47 meters. The 2008 Olympian has battled back from a torn anterior cruciate ligament suffered in 2012.
“Thrilled with today’s 62.47m” Patterson tweeted. “3 tosses over 61m, and best result since Rome 2011.”
