Price joins Poland’s Wlodarczyk in 80-meter territory, Nageotte equals No. 3 all-time pole vaulter and Malone repeats as javelin winner, with Reese and Winger both making fourth Olympic teams; Suhr, 39, just misses qualifying for Tokyo as LeLeux Romero and Morris also secure berths in pole vault

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

Maggie Malone remained faithful throughout the javelin competition and was rewarded with a meet record.

DeAnna Price produced yet another American record in the hammer throw, this time reaching rarefied territory that previously was only occupied by Poland’s Anita Wlodarczyk.

Katie Nageotte took attempts at the world record in the pole vault and demonstrated she has the potential to contend for gold in Tokyo.

And veterans Brittney Reese and Kara Winger both made their fourth Olympic teams, with Jenn Suhr just missing an opportunity to achieve a similar feat at age 39.

BUILDING THE OLYMPIC TEAM

In every field event final Saturday at the United States Olympic Team Trials, there were many historical layers to appreciate at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore., but none more impressive than Price’s performance.

The reigning World champion produced the best series by any female competitor ever on U.S. soil, highlighted by a fifth-round throw of 263-6 (80.31m) to elevate to the No. 2 all-time performer and join Wlodarczyk as the only athletes to ever surpass the 80-meter barrier.

“To even be in the same sentence as Anita is like, ‘Holy Moly,’” said Price, who achieved the seventh-best performance in history and equaled the No. 15 all-time throw, including every mark recorded in a series.

“She is just this amazing athlete. With her being at 82.98m as her farthest throw, and me throwing over 80 meters, it’s like, ‘Oh wow, this is pretty crazy.’ Even just being in that territory, and being the second woman to ever throw over 80 meters is a true honor. To even be next to Anita’s name is incredible.”

Price achieved her third national title and returned to the Olympics following her appearance in 2016, along with third-place finisher Gwen Berry, who achieved a first-round throw of 241-2 (73.50m) to hold off Janee’ Kassanavoid at 240-11 (73.45m).

Brooke Andersen placed second at 255 feet (77.72m) to secure her first Olympic berth, giving the U.S. the opportunity to have multiple competitors in the women’s and men’s hammer throw contending for medals in Tokyo.

Price hopes by then her preparation will allow her to challenge the world record of 272-3 (82.98m) achieved in 2016 by Wlodarczyk.

“It’s mind-blowing, it really is. It is on my white board, so it is definitely in the sights,” Price said. “I didn’t even think (the American record) was a really good throw, but that’s when it gets a little bit crazy, because you know there is more in the tank, and there’s more that you can do.”

It took Nageotte only two clearances to make her first Olympic team in the pole vault, and then another two to take over the world lead and equal the No. 3 all-time outdoor competitor at 16-2.75 (4.95m).

“I wasn’t expecting the bar that made it to go. I was definitely expecting to fight for longer,” Nageotte said. “Once I was on the team and we passed to 4.80m, at that point it was just like, ‘Let’s have some fun, and work on what we’ve been working on and show people what we’ve been working on.’”

Morgann LeLeux Romero cleared 15-5 (4.70m) on her third attempt to place second, also making her first Olympic team.

Sandi Morris, who didn’t have a miss at 14-9 (4.50m) or 15-1 (4.60m) before exiting the competition following three misses at 15-5, earned the third and final spot based on a tiebreaker against Olivia Gruver and Suhr, who was looking to match Reese and Winger by making a fourth Olympic team, but couldn’t overcome an Achilles’ injury that has kept her out of competition all season and only allowed her to run for the past two weeks.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy for another athlete to make the team, and when Morgann made it, that made my heart happy because she’s worked so hard and she’s been fourth all the time. Every meet, if there’s a jumpoff, she’s been fourth,” Suhr said. “For her to make the team and what she’s put into it, that was special, and if anyone was going to make that team, I wanted her to take it.”

With the American roster solidified, including Morris becoming a two-time Olympian, Nageotte had the bar raised to 16-7.50 (5.07m) to take attempts at surpassing the 2009 world record of 16-7.25 (5.06m) held by Russia’s Yelena Isinbayeva.

“Toward the end, especially the last two attempts, I was just really gassed, and finally the emotion of it all and the heat caught up to me, but I’m glad I gave it good attempts,” Nageotte said. “I felt like my first attempt was really good, just a little bit of a blow through, so we went up a pole, and the second attempt, that’s when I was really starting to feel just how tired I was.

“The third attempt was a decent attempt, not my best, but I’m glad I took it, and after that I was just exhausted. I was just done and it took me a few minutes to catch my breath. But I was really proud of the attempts, especially with how gassed I was in warmups.”

Malone also wasn’t feeling her strongest in warmups and it carried over to the competition, struggling to surpass 200 feet on any of her first four throws. But the American record holder managed to produce one magical moment in the fifth round with a meet-record 208-4 (63.50m) to surpass the 201-9 (61.51m) mark achieved in 2012 by Brittany Borman.

“I could not believe that, to be quite honest, but that is Jesus because truly I do not understand how that was a meet record,” said Malone, who became the first female competitor to win the javelin at consecutive Trials since Donna Mayhew in 1988 and 1992.

“I was all over the place and I was tense, and I was like, ‘Alright God, I’m going to do this for you and I trust you,’ and I could not believe it went 63.50m. I’m so thankful and so grateful, and hopefully we can just keep building on that in years to come.”

Winger, who competed 10 months following surgery to repair a torn ACL, relied on a first-round throw of 201-8 (61.47m) to realize her Olympic dream once again. Avionne Allgood-Whetstone took third with a mark of 193-4 (58.94m), but doesn’t have the Olympic standard and will have to rely on the World Rankings to have the opportunity to join Malone and Winger in Tokyo.

“This being number four, I can’t believe it. I didn’t know for sure that I would be here after the knee injury. I’m so grateful for the team that I have,” Winger said. “Kelcie Wittman at USOPC Sports Medicine has been with me every day for 11 months putting my knee back together, and my coaches Jamie Myers and Dana Lyon, they’re both here, they’re both incredible and they’re both my friends first, and that’s what has gotten me through. That’s part of why I feel really good too.

“It’s super special to make Olympic team number four in the new Hayward. I’ve made all four of my Olympic teams here, but it just feels a little bit different this time.”

The same held true for Reese, who was the last women’s long jumper to produce a 7-meter effort in the old Hayward Field and the first to achieve the feat at the new stadium.

Reese soared past the 7-meter mark on each of her final three jumps, including a fifth-round performance of 23-4.75 (7.13m) to win her fourth Trials.

“With this being my last Olympic Trials and my last Olympics, I just wanted to live in the moment. I wanted to come out here and have fun, and I did exactly what I wanted to do and that was make the team,” Reese said. “It’s bittersweet, but my time has come. This is my fourth team, so I’m really excited about it and now I just want to go out with a bang. I got one goal done and that was going out and making the team, now it’s time to go get gold.”

Only the 2012 Trials produced a deeper competition than Saturday, where the top five finishers all achieved their best marks in the fifth round.

Tara Davis, the indoor and outdoor collegiate record holder and NCAA Division 1 champion representing Texas, jumped 23-1.50 (7.04m) to earn her first Olympic berth.

Quanesha Burks, an Alabama graduate representing adidas, jumped 22-10 (6.96m) to elevate from sixth to third and then held on through the final round to secure her trip to Tokyo.

Annie Kunz was the first-day leader in the heptathlon with 4,042 points, followed by ASICS athlete Taliyah Brooks at 3,946 points. Kendell Williams and Erica Bougard, both representing Nike and the only two American heptathletes entering the competition with the Olympic standard, were third and fourth at 3,924 and 3,912, respectively.