9:49 AM Sun, Jun 29, 2008 | Permalink |
Track & Field
Success this afternoon for two UW grads who qualified for the Olympics.
Pole vault world champion Brad Walker made his first Olympic team with a vault of 18' 6.5". That put him third in the competition, which is all he needed to lock up a spot. Walker only made a couple of tries, clearing the height he needed to punch his ticket to Beijing. Walker and the other vaulters had to battle tricky winds throughout the competition.
Aretha Thurmond won the discus trials with a throw of 213' 11". This will be Thurmond's third Olympics with her winning distance coming on her second throw. Thurmond is a new mother. "I think this was just momma power out there," she said after the event. Cecilia Barnes, who also attended UW, finished fifth, two places short of making the Olympic team, with a throw of 186' 8".
Jordan Boase (UW, Bothell) advanced to the semis at 400 meters. Boase finished third in his heat with a time of 46.31, good enough for eleventh overall. The semis are tomorrow with the finals on Thursday.
Swimming
Ariana Kukors (UW, Auburn) finished sixth in the finals of the 400 meter individual medley. Katie Hoff set a new world record to win the event. Kukors next shot at an Olympic berth is on Tuesday in the 200 IM.
Margaret Hoelzer, who trains at King Co. Aquatic in Federal Way, failed to advance to the finals in the 100 meter butterfly. Hoelzer had the 11th fastest time in the semis. B ut, her best event is backstroke, where she's an Olympic medalist. She's back in the pool tomorrow for the 100 meter back.
12:15pm Update
Women's 400 Meter IM:
Ariana Kukors (Auburn/UW) easily advanced to tonight's finals. Kukors swam 4:40.36, the fifth fastest qualifying time. Kukors will need to finish in the top two tonight to make the Olympic team in this event. Kukors' sister Mattie also swam the 400m IM, posting a 4:56.66, which was not fast enough to make the finals.
10:15am Update
The heats for the women's 100 meter butterfly are over and King Co. Aquatic's Margaret Hoelzer is the lone local swimmer to advance to tonight's semifinals. Hoelzer had the fifth fastest time, a :58.67. Bremerton native Dana Kirk, who made the Olympic team in Athens, came up just short of the top 16, posting a time of 1:00.05. Kirk is on the comeback trail after back surgery. Other local swimmers: Lindsey Marchand, 1:00.17, Emily Silver 1:00.94, and Emily Kukors, 1:01.01.
9:45am Update
The swimming trials got underway this morning in Omaha, Nebraska. 13 year old Katie Kinnear from Issaquah was the first local swimmer into the water in the qualifying heats of the 100 meter butterfly. Katie finished seventh in her heat, posting a time of 1:02.97. She won't advance to the semis, but got great experience for the 2012 games in London. Bremerton's Dana Kirk and Margaret Hoelzer, who swims for King Co. Aquatic, will be in the water shortly.
Leave a comment
Please read our comment rules before posting comments