The penultimate day of the 2016 US Olympic Team Trials opened with the heptathlon. The women contested four of the seven events today: 100 meter hurdles, high jump, shot put, and 200 meters. The remaining events will be contested Sunday (long jump, javelin, and 800 meters.) In the 100 hurdles, Kendell Williams ran the fastest time (12.99) and opened the event with 1126 points. Sharon Day-Monroe finished the event in 9th with 1036 points. In the high jump, Barbara Nwaba cleared 6-2 ½ to earn 1106 points and move her from 10th to 3rd place. Williams maintained her lead with 2155 points after the second event. Day-Monroe vaulted into 2nd place overall (2901 points) after the shot put, with a put of 49-10, almost two feet farther than her competitors. Nwaba moved took the lead after that event (2939 points.) Williams again showed her speed in the 200 by running the fastest time of the day (23.67) and moved up to second place to end Day 1 of the heptathlon. Going into Day 2 the top five in the event are: Nwaba (3903), Williams (3892), Miller-Koch (3822), Day-Monroe (3813), and Bougard (3804). The five are the only ones in the field with the Olympic standard of 6200.
Twenty-one women split into three semi-final heats of the 200 meters. The big names, plus some young stars, will meet in the finals Sunday: Bowie, Stevens, Felix, Prandini, Thomas, Washington, Townsand, and Tarmoh. Tarmoh, who made the final on time, beat out Joanna Atkins by 0.01 in heat 3. Ellis-Watson, Solomon, and Candace Hill did not advance.
The javelin finals took place during several of the track events. Maggie Malone of Texas A&M won by almost nine feet (199-7 feet); her throw was the second best in Trials history. She won the NCAA’s last month where she set the collegiate record. Malone is the first javelin thrower in history to win the NCAA and Trials double. She will be joined in Rio by Winger and Borman. Hannah Carson finished in second place, but does not have the Olympic Standard (62 meters) so 4th place Borman will go in her place. Carson’s best throw at Trials was 58.19 meters.
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