Day three of the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials began with the entire field of the women’s pole vault in the final round after rain forced the cancellation of the preliminary round on Friday. Jenn Suhr passed on the first three heights before clearing the bar at 4.55 and 4.60 meters to win the event. Not far behind was former Duck Becky Holliday, who earned the chance to represent her country in a major meet for the first time since the 20o3 World Championships.
“I have been competing unattached for 15 years,” she said. “I was injured for a lot of years and I think people thought I was gone and fallen off. I was just working a lot of jobs after leaving Oregon.”
Texas’ Marquise Goodwin took the victory in the men’s long jump with a final jump of 8.33 meters to break a tie with William Claye that had stood since the third round. Rounding out the top three was George Kitchens Jr., who entered the competition needing a jump of at least 8.20 meters to meet the Olympic “A” standard; Kitchens Jr. delivered with a third-round jump just one centimeter farther than the standard.
Stephanie Brown Trafton took top honors in the women’s discus, finishing ahead of second-place Aretha Thurmond who will make her fourth Olympic team adding another highlight to a storied career.
“It’s just been an awesome ride,” she said. “I think competing at this level has made me a better person … I’m just overwhelmed having been able to do this for this long, and it still excites me.”
Third-place finisher Suzy Powell-Roos wasn’t able to hit the Olympic “A” standard needed to advance, so Gia Lewis-Smallwood becomes the third member of the American contingent in the women’s discus despite placing sixth at the trials because she was the highest-placing finisher who had met the “A” standard this year.
A strong field in the men’s shotput added several more 70-foot throws to Hayward Field’s storied history with Reese Hoffa’s third round throw of 22 meters even, just inches short of the Olympic Trials record that has stood for 12 years. Joining Hoffa in London will be Ryan Whiting and Christian Cantwell, who each threw better than 21 meters.
“I think we have three really strong throwers,” Hoffa said. “We always send a strong team. Among the three of us, we have to (win gold) this time.”
All three members of the men’s American team in the 400 meters finished in better than 45 seconds, with sixth-place finisher Jeremy Wariner still finishing faster than the Olympic “A” standard time. LaShawn Merritt took home the win finishing in 44.12 with Tony McQuay and Bryshon Nellum placing second and third.
It’s a major milestone on a remarkable road to recovery for Nellum who was shot three times in the legs less than four years ago while a sprinter at USC.