Around Grace Upshaw’s neck Thursday night, just behind her long jump silver medal, peeked out a necklace with two words on it: Jump long.
“My sister just gave me the necklace a couple of weeks ago,” Upshaw, a former University of Oregon jumper, said. “I didn’t wear it on Monday, and I didn’t jump too well.”
No other words of advice were necessary for the 33-year-old long jumper, who made her second U.S. Olympic team with her leap of 22-7, her first personal best since 2004. Former Ole Miss star Brittney Reese won the event by jumping 22-9.75, making her first Olympic team. Reese, 21, won on her final attempt, knowing she had wrapped up second place already.
“The last jump I just said go for it, and I went for it and got a good jump in,” Reese said. “I just knew it was coming.”
Making the Olympics after jumping for only four years, the former basketball star called making the team “a dream come true.”
Despite coming down with a case of the nerves, Funmi Jimoh was third with 22-0.75. Characterizing her competition as “here and there,” Jimoh couldn’t put anything together after her best jump of the day was her second.
It still held up for third, an inch ahead of heptathlon champion Hyleas Fountain, who finished fourth after scratching a huge jump on her first attempt.
Not normally superstitious, Upshaw broke out her good-luck necklace for Thursday’s final, and it seemed to work. Needless to say, it will be finding its way into Upshaw’s suitcase for the trip to Beijing.
“Definitely,” she said.
With blonde hair and pink highlights, Anna Willard made more than just a fashion statement by running an American record 9:27.59 in the 3,000 steeplechase in front of 20,927 fans. Lisa Galaviz had held the former record of 9:28.75 since July 28 of last year.
Lindsey Anderson finished second with the fourth-fastest time in U.S. history, a nine-second personal best of 9:30.75. Not bad for the former Weber State runner who just wanted to run around 9:35 going in.
“To run 9:30 was just unbelievable,” Anderson said.
Collegian Jennifer Barringer of Colorado finished third with the sixth-fastest time in U.S. history, 9:33.11.
“I’m not going to sleep tonight because I’m going to be worried when I wake up in the morning none of this happened,” Barringer said.
With 800 meters left, as Willard made her push for the lead and record, Barringer said she became aware of her spot on the team – and instantly became nervous.
“It almost made it a lot harder,” she said. “I’ll try and break down and analyze and digest and in the end I hope I can sit quietly in my chair and be proud I’m an Olympian and not worry too much about how it all went down in the last 800 meters.”
Sanya Richards controlled the evening’s first final on the track, winning the 400m in a time of 49.89, improving her already third-fastest time in the world. After dealing with an illness for much of last season, and finishing fourth in the world outdoors 400m, Richards said her victory was part redemption, part confirmation that she still could still return from her 2006 season where she was the IAAF World Athlete of the Year.
“I wanted to win here today and go into Beijing as the heavy favorite,” Richards said of her “almost” perfect race.
Mary Wineberg followed in second in 50.85, and Dee Dee Trotter was third in 50.88.
Wineberg entered the meet with the third-fastest time in the United States this year, but felt it was a confirmation of her struggles in the past. She made a surge with 200 meters remaining to push Richards, who held her off in the final 150 meters.
“It’s been a long four years of struggling trying to get myself known,” Wineberg, 28, said of making her first Olympic team.
Trotter, while not exactly struggling in anonymity with her 2004 4x400m gold medal, was dealt a setback eight weeks ago with a partially chipped femur bone in her left leg. She expects to have surgery on her left knee after the season is done.
Admittedly stressed from her injury, Trotter held onto third coming from lane seven.
“Every round I just prayed to make it to the next round,” Trotter said. “I don’t know what happened out there; it was crazy.”
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