AMERY, Wis. — Editor's note: The video above first aired on Aug. 6, 2021.
After representing Team USA in the 2020 Toyoko Olympics, an Amery, Wisconsin native won her first professional track and field championship.
Olympian Ali Monson won first place in the women's 10,000 meter at the USATF 2022 Cross County Championship in San Diego on Saturday, 17 seconds ahead of second place.
Following the race, the 23-year-old said it was her first cross country win as a professional.
“This was my first win as a pro actually and also my first national title. It was a pretty big day for me,” Monson said, according to Runner's World.
Monson carried that momentum over into the Millrose Games on Jan. 29 by winning the 3,000-meter run with a time of 8:31:62.
At the Toyoko Olympics, Monson finished in 13th place in the 10,000 meters.
“It was a big growing year for me. I wasn’t quite sure how going pro would go out of college and it was my first full year as a pro, new coach," she said.
Monson hails from Amery, a small town of about 3,000 people in northwest Wisconsin. Her hometown supported her during the 2020 Olympics.
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