Stuczynski breaks her American Record; Marshevet Hooker dives onto 200m team
EUGENE, Oregon -
After starting out the competition with a bit of drama, Jenn Stuczynski ended it by improving her American Record to 16 feet, 1 3/4 inches in winning the Olympic Trials, while Marshevet Hooker added some flair of her own with a spectacular dive across the finish line for the bronze medal at 200 meters and a place of her own on the US squad.
"I'm standing there and the announcer said, "If she makes it, she's on the team and if she doesn't, she doesn't go," Stuczynski told a pack of reporters afterward. "I was like, 'that's nice,' but what are you going to do? It was exactly like he said. Make it and I'm on the team, so I tried to relax, have fun and jump."
Stuczynski entered the competition at 15 feet, 1 inch, but missed her first two attempts. With just one shot remaining and the pressure on, the 26-year-old from upstate New York cleared the bar easily and sailed onto her first Olympic team. She went on to win the competition with a vault of 15 feet, 3 inches before raising the bar to American Record height. She ended the day - and the Trials - by taking two jumps at the World Record before waving in appreciation to the crowd.
Earlier, Marshevet Hooker, who finished fourth at 100 meters, was in a battle for the third and final Olympic spot in the 200 against Lauryn Williams when she stumbled and dived for the finish line, thrusting herself forward with enough momentum to secure her plans for Beijing with a time of 22.20. It was a huge personal best. She landed hard, scraping her arm, hand and hip, but couldn't have been happier.
"All I remember is pushing my chest forward," she said. "I knew that was going to get me in the race. I felt good, I ran hard, I knew everyone else was going to run hard. I didn't feel the pain until afterward, but I was happy to feel every little thing I felt."
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