SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Serene Ross fell well short of her goal to throw the javelin 61 meters last night, but she performed well enough to advance through the preliminary round of the U.S. Olympic track and field trials.
Ross, a native of Edinburg, Mercer County, finished second at 53.95 meters. She needed to finish among the top 12 or to throw 55 meters to gain a berth in the final, which starts at 5:45 p.m. tomorrow. Her best throw was her second. The other two were 50.49 and 51.31.
Ross, 26, a former U.S. record-holder in the event and standout at Purdue University, was unable to train until earlier this year because of major elbow surgery. But her throws had been improving steadily with each meet, to the extent that she predicted Thursday that she was aiming to blow away the field. Her best throw of the year leading up to the trials was a 55.57 July 3 in Indianapolis.
Another Wilmington High School graduate, Inge Jorgensen, fared nearly as well and also advanced.
Jorgensen, 23, a New Castle native and senior at the University of Virginia, threw 51.8 meters to finish seventh. Her best throw was her last, the other two being 46.02 and 48.71. Her personal best is 54.21, set May 14 in Atlanta.
The top throw last night, 54.02 meters, was recorded by Kim Kreider, the woman who took Ross' U.S. record two years ago.
The javelin field, as a whole, is one of the weakest in many years. Even though the qualifying standard was lowered to 48 meters, only 19 of the 24 available spots for the trials were filled.
"I think that tells you something about where the sport of javelin is right now," Ross said. "I was throwing 48 meters in high school. I could throw that now from a standstill. It's pretty clear that we need to have better coaching. That's the key. Some of these girls, they compete hard and are great athletes, but they're not getting the coaching they need."
Earl advances in 800
Chantee Earl, a 2000 graduate of the University of Pittsburgh, advanced to the semifinal of the women's 800 meters, extending her bid to make the Olympic team for the first time. But not by much.
Earl, 25, finished fourth in her preliminary heat last night, 10th overall, with a time of 2:03.59. She had been second until trailing off in the final 10 meters. Only the top four in each heat, plus the next four fastest times, advanced. Hazel Clark had the best time at 2:02.65.
Earl entered the trials as a solid candidate to make the team, having turned in a qualifying time of 2:00.66, fifth best of any entry. She also won the 800 at the prestigious Home Depot Invitational May 22 in Carson, Calif.
The semifinal is at 9:50 p.m. today, the final at 10 p.m. Monday.
Extra laps
Amy Rudolph, a two-time Olympian from Kane, McKean County, finished sixth in the women's 5,000 meters semifinal with a time of 15:50.63. Marla Runyan was first at 15:36.75. The final is at 12:25 a.m. Tuesday. "With five people at or capable of the Olympic 'A' standard, it's a little nerve-wracking," Rudolph said. "It'll mean that two people in excellent shape won't get to go." ... The lone finals today are the men's shot put at 7:30 p.m. and the women's 100 meters at 8:50. ... Jeff Hartwig, the U.S. record-holder in the men's pole vault, failed to make the Olympics for the second consecutive time. He failed to clear any of his attempts. Even after his protest was upheld that he should have had one more jump -- officials had maintained he had run out of time -- he failed to make that one. "I said, after 2000, 'I'll never let myself be that disappointed again,' " Hartwig said. "This is par for the course for me at these kinds of meets." He ruled out trying again in 2008. ... Sandra Glover, the 2000 trials champion in the women's 400-meter hurdles, took a step toward repeating at age 30. Her time of 54.52 seconds was the best of the quarterfinal round.
First Published: July 10, 2004, 4:00 a.m.
