By Christina Teller
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
In front of a sold-out crowd in Hornet Stadium, the 2000 Olympic
U.S. track and field trials began. Under the Sacramento sun,
records were challenged and hype was backed up with
performance.
Several UCLA alums held the spotlight and performed like the
Olympic veterans they are. And one of them broke a two-year
retirement.
Holding the U.S. record in the long jump but with only a few
months of recent practice under her belt, Jackie Joyner-Kersee
(’86) leapt her way into the final round on Sunday. Kersee,
whose name accompanies the seven best long jumps in American
history, qualified for Sunday’s final round on her third jump
of 21 3/4.
Before her final jump she thought to herself, “Twenty feet
““ girl, you better come up with something better than
that,” she said at a press conference Friday.
Listed as eighth on the qualifying list of 12, Kersee had to
fight her way into the top three to make the Olympics for the third
time.
Gail Devers (’88), an Olympic veteran with two gold medals
to prove it, took her heat with a time of 11.24 in the opening
round of the 100-meter dash. She ranked second entering the
semi-final round. Devers placed fourth in the semis behind the top
time of first place Marion Jones (10.93 seconds), who is gunning
for an unprecedented five Olympic golds.
“I’m still around,” Devers told the Sacramento
Bee. “I feel good and I’m confident. My thought was to
just come into the trials and run myself through the heats.
It’s coming.”
Though Devers dominated the event the past two Olympics, she
recognizes her world-class competition.
“Look at what they’ve done the last three years —
they’ve been extraordinary,” Devers said.
“They’ve helped make women’s track more
visible.”
Devers continued to the final round, but her fifth place finish
in 11.149 did not qualify her for the Olympic team.
In the 100m, Bruin junior Shekedia Jones placed fourth in her
heat of the qualifiers with a time of 11.25. She ended ranked
ninth, with her time of 11.32 just a tenth of a second ahead of
Angela Williams of USC, the NCAA 100m champion. Neither Jones nor
Williams made it to the finals.
The men’s 100m race was also close. With Mike Marsh
(’89) entering the semi-final round ranked fifth with his
time of 10.12, he advanced to the finals with his time of 10.199.
Marsh did not end up placing in the top eight in the finals.
Another Bruin unable to qualify was John Godina (’95) in
the shot put. A favorite for the Olympic berth, Godina entered the
final round on Saturday with his fifth-ranked mark of 65-3 1/2. In
the finals, Godina came up a few inches short and finished fourth
with his toss of 69-2 1/2.
High jumper Amy Acuff (’97), who qualified for the 1996
Atlanta Games but did not compete due to a hurt ankle in the
qualifying round, seemed to qualify effortlessly for the finals of
the high jump on her first attempt of 5-10 3/4. She managed this
despite recovering from a fender-bender just three weeks before the
trials.
“I’m a little relieved only because I haven’t
competed hardly at all,” Acuff told The Bee.
Bruin sophomore Darnesha Griffith no-heighted in the qualifying
round of the high jump.
Top of his pack was distance runner Mebrahtom Keflezighi
(’98), who took first in the 10,000m race with his time of
28:03.32. Keflezighi, who burst out to take the lead in the first
6,500 meters of the race, maintained a healthy lead throughout the
race.
Up against a tough field of competition, UCLA junior Christina
Tolson fell short of nailing a spot on the first-ever hammer throw
team. Tolson, who advanced to the final round of competition ranked
10th with her throw of 60.34 meters, finished 11th overall with her
best mark of 189-9. Tolson will compete in the shot put starting on
July 20.
Pole vaulter Scott Slover (’98) qualified for the final
round, clearing the opening height of 180-2 1/2.
Andrea Anderson (’99) entered the 400m dash ranked third,
after winning her heat in a time of 51.51.
With only a handful of the athletes having even stepped up to
the line so far in the trials, the week ahead will showcase more
close competition and the making of Olympic dreams.