Cain finished the 1,500-meter preliminary race in 4:08.21, good for sixth-place, which qualifies her for the semifinals.
The top six in each of three heats advanced to Tuesday’s event. The fastest six times outside of that group will also compete to make it 24 women vying for a spot in the finals on Thursday.
The 17-year-old was running near the back of the pack, 11th out of 16, before making her move with 700 meters to go, coming in sixth, earning the berth.
Out of four American runners, Cain was second, behind Jenny Simpson, a former world champion, who ran a 4:07.16. The quickest qualifier was Genzebe Dibaba, of Ethiopia, who finished in 4:06.78. Earlier this season, Cain set a personal best time in the event with a 4:04.62, more than two seconds faster than Dibaba ran.
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