Hamden native Alexis Holmes secured her spot in the women’s 400-meter final in Paris on Friday. She finished second in her heat with a time of 50 seconds, only behind Dominican Republic’s Marileidy Paulino.
Cheshire Academy hosted a watch party to cheer on the 2018 graduate.
“We know her, we know her spirit,” said Head of School Julie Anderson, who has known Alexis since middle school. “She has a tough, strong, completive spirit and we want to see her win.”
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The sprinter arrived in Paris coming off a personal and season’s best time of 49.78, which she ran at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.
In Wednesday’s semifinal, race the 24-year-old fell behind early, but a sprint on the last 100-meter stretch ultimately helped her finish second to advance to her first Olympic final. Holmes is the sole American woman to do so.
“To be able to have her come back from that position and actually close to get second and advance to the final, really proud,” said faculty member Joe Long.
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Throughout the party, student and faculty said they hope Holmes secures the gold, but say her legacy goes beyond the track.
“I think a lot of the times, kids think 'that could never be me,' and she’s really helping for our kids to see anything is attainable,” said Anderson.
The school will host another watch party on Friday and viewers can also catch Holmes run at 2 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock.
