Olympics / Team USA Local Olympics Spotlight: Maria Michta-Coffey (Nesconset, NY), Team USA Track & Field by Daniel Popoloski August 4, 2016 Maria Michta-Coffey (GoFundMe.com) Looking for a better result in her second Olympics, Maria Michta-Coffey of Nesconset, New York will head to Rio, again as part of the 20km race walk. She punched her ticket to Rio when she won the 20km race at the U.S. Olympic Trials, ahead of New Jerseyan Miranda Melville. It was the second Olympic bid of her career, after winning the same race in the 2012 Trials. Despite being on the circuit for many years, Michta-Coffey hasn’t found much success. Her highest finish in a world championship race was 20th last year, and at age 30, she isn’t going to be getting much better either. In London, she finished a disappointing 29th, as the top American. However, she does have four U.S. national championships, meaning she is probably the best female American race walker right now. Michta-Coffey won’t likely find herself on the medal stand in Rio. She hasn’t finished on the podium in any international races. Even in the Pan-Am games with less competition, she could only muster up a seventh place finish last year. Cracking the top-20 finishers would be the ultimate and best case scenario for her. Not having the Russian women participating in the event due to the doping ban will boost her placing quite a bit, but it still won’t help her get a medal. At this point in her career, it’s possible this is her last shot, and she posted a personal best in the last Olympics, so there’s a chance that she will go all out and shock many with a great finish in Rio. Even with a career defining performance, it’s unlikely that Maria Michta-Coffey will come home with an Olympic medal. She graduated from LIU Post campus as the valedictorian with a degree in microbiology. She missed her college graduation for a World Cup race. She then became a doctorate candidate at Mount Sinai Medical School in biomedical science. She volunteers as an assistant track coach at Sachem East High School in New York, where she graduated from in 2004. She is part of the Walk USA track club. Post Views: 2,027 The following two tabs change content below.BioLatest Posts Daniel Popoloski Dan is a Staff Writer here at DoubleGSports.com with a focus on Team USA and the Rio Olympics Latest posts by Daniel Popoloski (see all) Team USA Proves it Can Win without Phelps, Lochte - July 30, 2017 Sydney McLaughlin becomes first Repeat Gatorade Athlete of Year - July 18, 2017 Local Swimmers Looking to Thrive at World Championships - July 18, 2017 Sydney McLaughlin Dominates New Jersey Meet of Champions - June 14, 2017 Related TopicsMaria Michta-CoffeyNew YorkOlympicsRioRio OlympicsTeam USA Click to comment You must be logged in to post a comment Login Leave a Reply Cancel replyYou must be logged in to post a comment. Newsletter Subscription Can't Miss Posts! Women in Sports: NHL Network Host, Jackie Redmond by Nicholas Durst | posted on March 4, 2019 Lochte, Dressel and Ledecky all Chasing Gold at 2021 Tokyo Olympics by Anthony Paradiso | posted on April 18, 2021 You Know I’m Right, Episode 109: The Athletic’s Marc Carig (Audio/Video) by Nicholas Durst | posted on April 19, 2021 Whoop Rewards Employees With $100 Each Month To Sleep by Inesh Chari | posted on March 22, 2021 You Know I’m Right, Episode 112: New York Jets’ Insider Brian Costello (Audio/Video) by Nicholas Durst | posted on April 27, 2021 More in Olympics / Team USA Lochte, Dressel and Ledecky all Chasing Gold at 2021 Tokyo Olympics The 2021 Summer Olympic games are scheduled to take place from July 23 –... You Know I’m Right, Episode 94: Olympic Gold Medalist Lilly King (Audio/Video) On the 94th episode of You Know I’m Right, Nick Durst was joined by olympic... The Tokyo 2021 Olympics Will Feature New Amazing Sports Surfing, skateboarding, sport climbing, karate, baseball and softball will compete at the Summer Olympics. You Know I’m Right, Episode 82: NBC’s Mary Carillo (Audio/Video) On the 82nd episode of You Know I’m Right, Nick Durst and Joe Calabrese are joined by... Local Olympic Spotlight: Darby, PA Native Darrell Hill Hoping For Shot Put Medal Local Olympic Spotlight: Franklin’s Jeff Porter Making Second Olympic Appearance for US Track & Field