While there were hot finals on the track on Saturday night, there were also Olympic spots on the line in the field for the women in the long jump and shot put.
The long jump provided ample drama early, as the favorite coming into these Trials, Tara Davis-Woodhall, had fouled her first two attempts, meaning she would need to not only get a mark on her third attempt, but to also make sure it was good enough to move in to top-eight position. On that third attempt, Davis-Woodhall was advised by her coach to make her start six inches back to take a foul out of play, reminding her she just needed a legal jump, and with her talent in the event, the distance should be there for top-eight. As she stood at the end of the runway, a typically exuberant Davis-Woodhall was stoic, focused on the task. She had a fair jump that was good enough to move her to fifth with a chance to compete for the title.
Following the first three rounds, Jasmine Moore was securely in first position with a season-best jump in the third round, a leap of 6.98 meters. It was in the fifth round that Tara would push herself onto the medal stand, launching herself to seven meters and the top position, two centimeters of Moore’s best jump on the day.
It was in the sixth and final round, however, that the third position for Paris was determined. Coming out of the fifth round, Monae’ Nichols was in fourth place and without the Olympic Standard. The Indoor World Championships silver medalist from Glasgow let loose her best jump of the season in that final attempt, hitting the Standard on the nose with a 6.86 meter jump, securing third place and a trip to the Games next month.
The women’s shot put was contested later in the day, and a field full of Standard holders were eager to punch their ticket to Paris.
Raven Saunders, silver medalist from the Tokyo Games, came out the gates early, throwing to nearly their personal best, just shy of the 20 meter mark, setting the tone for the field at 19.88 meters. Hometown favorite Jaida Ross, who is fresh off her NCAA Championship in the event for the University of Oregon, had her best throw of the day in the second round of 19.60 meters. She had likely firmly secured her place on the podium with that throw, and at the time, was good enough for second, which would hold until the fourth round.
In that fourth round, Chase Jackson, your two-time reigning World Championships gold medalist, stepped into the ring and launched the longest throw of the day, setting a mark just past the 20 meter mark in the sector, landing the shot put at 20.10 meters.
No other competitors in the field would come within two-thirds of a meter of the top-three, however Saunders was eyeing the USA Championship and went in for their final throw. Already with second place and a trip to Paris secured, Raven went for one final big attempt. They let loose and it looked to have potential to be a winner for Saunders, but fell just short of Jackson’s top-mark, settling in officially at 19.90 meters.
Full results from these USA Olympic Trials are available here from USATF
