Adva Cohen, an Israeli national record holder in the 3,000-meter steeplechase and All-American in cross country, indoor track and outdoor track during her career at New Mexico, joins DyeStat editor Erik Boal to discuss competing Aug. 18 in the steeplechase at the European Athletics Championships in Munich, Germany. Cohen, 26, became the first female athlete from Israel to compete in the steeplechase at the European Championships in 2018 in Berlin, running the national record 9:29.74 to finish fifth. She reflects on how meaningful it is to return to Germany to compete at another European Championships, along with examining how much she has been able to accomplish in the past four years, including representing Israel at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics as well as the 2019 World Athletics Championships in Doha and the most recent global meet in July at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. Cohen revisits the challenges she faced earlier in the year recovering from COVID-19 and how grateful she was to not only qualify for the NCAA Division 1 final in June with New Mexico teammate Elise Thorner, but also earn All-America honors in the June 11 championship race at Hayward Field, as Thorner placed fifth in 9:33.99 and Cohen earned eighth in 9:35.60 in her final collegiate race for the Lobos. She shares how meaningful it is to be competing again with Thorner, representing Great Britain, in the steeplechase in Munich, in addition to having New Mexico associate head coach Laura Bowerman in Germany attending the meet. Cohen also reminisces about being able to travel to Israel in June to compete at her national meet in Jerusalem, along with spending time at the World Championships in July in Eugene with former New Mexico teammate Gracelyn Larkin, who was competing for Canada in the 5,000 meters. She also speaks about having the opportunity to race Aug. 10 in the steeplechase in the Herculis Meeting EBS, the annual Diamond League event in Monaco, in addition to enjoying an extended layover in Paris to participate in some sightseeing before returning to Munich. Cohen analyzes the potential of the 15 athletes competing for Israel at the seven-day meet at Olympic Stadium, along with the recent success of many of her country’s top competitors at several global meets the past two years. She also explains how the current New Mexico athletes and the program’s alumni continue to honor the memory of assistant coach James Butler, who succumbed to cancer in December at age 41, and the strong bond Cohen had with him as her mentor in the steeplechase. She also looks forward to completing her Masters degree in sports management this fall and working as an assistant coach for the Lobos cross country team.