An athlete who barely missed qualifying for the 2012 Olympics in hammer throw has a shot at redemption at the 2016 Olympic Track and Field trials this week. Wednesday was all about one event, the hammer throw, but Thursday returns to a full schedule of events. The challenge entering 2016 was how to make this event not only fit better in the confines of Hayward Field, but also find a way to get the fans out.
Advertisement
Campbell, a volunteer coach at Coastal Carolina University, earned her third Olympic berth.
The same couldn’t be said for the US men.
“That’s kind of awesome and I’m really proud of it”, she said.
Berry was found to have used a prohibited medication and was given a three-month ban for the violation, backdated to March 29. Price and Berry tied for second place with throws of 73.09 meters, both meet records. “It’s unreal to actually believe that I am a three-time Olympian; it’s a dream come true”.
The men’s event was won by Rudy Winkler of Cornell, but his throw of 76.76 meters (251-10) was short of the Olympic “A” standard of 77 meters (252-7) and he didn’t previously reach that mark.
The Americans will not have a male hammer thrower at the August 5-21 Olympics unless the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) opts to fill out the field to a targeted 32 athletes. “A great friend and mentor once said to me ‘Athletes and dancers die two deaths.’ Every time I see that I get a little chocked up”. I want to go for the win. “I’d love to go the Olympics but I’m just starting. I’ll be around for a while”.
Kibwe Johnson was second with 75.11m while Conor McCullough was third with 74.16m.
Advertisement
“I wanted to prove to the world that I’m here because of talent and because of God, and not because of an inhaler”, a delighted Berry said after qualifying on Wednesday.
