Photo by: Errol Anderson
Aggie senior Maggie Malone wins Olympic Trials javelin, Ameer Webb third in 200 final
Jul 09, 2016 | Track and Field
EUGENE – Texas A&M senior Maggie Malone won the javelin at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials with a throw of 199 feet, 7 inches (60.84) in front of 22,847 at Hayward Field on the ninth day of competition.
Joining Malone in making the U.S. team for the Rio Olympics was Aggie alum Ameer Webb, who placed third in the 200 meters with a time of 20.00 seconds.
Malone becomes the first female javelin thrower to win a NCAA title and Olympic Trials title in the same season and just the third thrower ever to accomplish the feat. Seilala Sua of UCLA won both titles in the discus in 2000 while Cal State Hayward's Maren Seidler won both titles in the shot put in 1972.
"This has been the most incredible journey," stated Malone. "I have the greatest coaches in the world and a great support system. It's surreal to be here and say that I'm going to Rio."
In bettering the field by eight-plus feet, Malone produced the second best mark in Olympic Trials history. The meet record of 201-9 (61.51) was set in 2012 by Brittany Borman, who placed fourth in this final.
Finishing behind Malone were Hannah Carson (190-11), Kara Winger (189-11) and Borman (185-8). Carson doesn't have the Olympic standard, so Winger and Borman will join Malone on the United States team that will compete in the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
"It was so great coming back to Oregon, I love it here," said Malone. "The facilities and fans are amazing. Hitting the Olympic standard at NCAAs really put me at ease coming into the Trials.
"My first throw was my best throw, and I just stepped over the line for a foul. I still have a lot to work on and I'll need to focus on little things heading into Rio. The wind was all over the place, so I was just focusing on certain technique things."
After the opening round foul, Malone took over the lead with a 197-1 (60.07) in round two. Marks of 184-1 (56.11) and 194-7 (59.31) followed in rounds three and four. An improvement to 199-7 came in the fifth round and then she finished her day with a 187-6 (57.15) in the final round.
Ariana Ince, a volunteer assistant coach with Texas A&M, placed eighth with a toss of 168-8 (51.42) while Audrey Malone finished 10th with a mark of 160-11 (49.06).
Audrey noted: "I didn't throw as well as I wanted to today, but Maggie reminded me how many meets I've competed in this season. The experience is absolutely great. You feel a little bit more pressure than when we were here for NCAAs.
"After Maggie's last throw I went up to hug here and told her you're going to Rio. I don't think it had hit for her yet. It's been great to see what she has accomplished this year. I'm excited to see how she does in the Olympics."
Webb, an NCAA Outdoor 200m champion with Texas A&M in 2013, finished third in the 200 final behind Justin Gatlin's winning time of 19.75 with LaShawn Merritt placing second in 19.79. Earlier this season Webb established a career best of 19.85 in winning a Diamond League meet in Doha and claimed another Diamond League victory in Birmingham, England.
"I've been working for this as long as I've been running track," said Webb. "I knew I was in there against LaShawn Merritt, Justin Gatlin and the two high school guys. I gave it the push of my life. I crossed the finish line, looked to my left and couldn't tell if I got third. I didn't know I made the team until I saw my name on the board.
"A lot of hard work went into this. It's my payoff today. This is awesome. I'm happy to be an Olympian. It's been a long time coming. I knew I was a great athlete and I got to prove it in front of everyone today."
Annie Kunz finished the first day of the heptathlon in seventh place with 3,654 points. She scored 1,041 points in the first event with a time of 13.56 in the 100m hurdles. Kunz then added 916 points in the high jump with a clearance of 5-8 ¾ (1.75). In the shot put her mark of 44-6 ¾ (13.58) picked up 766 points. Kunz then wrapped up the first day with a 24.52 in the 200m for 931 points.
Barbara Nwaba leads the heptathlon with 3,903 points ahead of the 3,892 produced by Georgia's Kendell Williams while Heather Miller-Koch is currently third with 3,822 points.
In the women's 200m semifinals, Aggie alum Jeneba Tarmoh snared the final time qualifier for the final with a time of 22.89 (0.4 wind) as she placed third in the last of three semis. Kamaria Brown finished seventh in her heat with a time of 23.44 (-1.7 wind).
Sunday's final day of the Olympic Trials will include the completion of the heptathlon for Kunz along with finals in the 400m hurdles for Ricky Babineaux and the 200m for Tarmoh.
Day 10 - Sunday, July 10, 2016
Joining Malone in making the U.S. team for the Rio Olympics was Aggie alum Ameer Webb, who placed third in the 200 meters with a time of 20.00 seconds.
Malone becomes the first female javelin thrower to win a NCAA title and Olympic Trials title in the same season and just the third thrower ever to accomplish the feat. Seilala Sua of UCLA won both titles in the discus in 2000 while Cal State Hayward's Maren Seidler won both titles in the shot put in 1972.
"This has been the most incredible journey," stated Malone. "I have the greatest coaches in the world and a great support system. It's surreal to be here and say that I'm going to Rio."
In bettering the field by eight-plus feet, Malone produced the second best mark in Olympic Trials history. The meet record of 201-9 (61.51) was set in 2012 by Brittany Borman, who placed fourth in this final.
Finishing behind Malone were Hannah Carson (190-11), Kara Winger (189-11) and Borman (185-8). Carson doesn't have the Olympic standard, so Winger and Borman will join Malone on the United States team that will compete in the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
"It was so great coming back to Oregon, I love it here," said Malone. "The facilities and fans are amazing. Hitting the Olympic standard at NCAAs really put me at ease coming into the Trials.
"My first throw was my best throw, and I just stepped over the line for a foul. I still have a lot to work on and I'll need to focus on little things heading into Rio. The wind was all over the place, so I was just focusing on certain technique things."
After the opening round foul, Malone took over the lead with a 197-1 (60.07) in round two. Marks of 184-1 (56.11) and 194-7 (59.31) followed in rounds three and four. An improvement to 199-7 came in the fifth round and then she finished her day with a 187-6 (57.15) in the final round.
Ariana Ince, a volunteer assistant coach with Texas A&M, placed eighth with a toss of 168-8 (51.42) while Audrey Malone finished 10th with a mark of 160-11 (49.06).
Audrey noted: "I didn't throw as well as I wanted to today, but Maggie reminded me how many meets I've competed in this season. The experience is absolutely great. You feel a little bit more pressure than when we were here for NCAAs.
"After Maggie's last throw I went up to hug here and told her you're going to Rio. I don't think it had hit for her yet. It's been great to see what she has accomplished this year. I'm excited to see how she does in the Olympics."
Webb, an NCAA Outdoor 200m champion with Texas A&M in 2013, finished third in the 200 final behind Justin Gatlin's winning time of 19.75 with LaShawn Merritt placing second in 19.79. Earlier this season Webb established a career best of 19.85 in winning a Diamond League meet in Doha and claimed another Diamond League victory in Birmingham, England.
"I've been working for this as long as I've been running track," said Webb. "I knew I was in there against LaShawn Merritt, Justin Gatlin and the two high school guys. I gave it the push of my life. I crossed the finish line, looked to my left and couldn't tell if I got third. I didn't know I made the team until I saw my name on the board.
"A lot of hard work went into this. It's my payoff today. This is awesome. I'm happy to be an Olympian. It's been a long time coming. I knew I was a great athlete and I got to prove it in front of everyone today."
Annie Kunz finished the first day of the heptathlon in seventh place with 3,654 points. She scored 1,041 points in the first event with a time of 13.56 in the 100m hurdles. Kunz then added 916 points in the high jump with a clearance of 5-8 ¾ (1.75). In the shot put her mark of 44-6 ¾ (13.58) picked up 766 points. Kunz then wrapped up the first day with a 24.52 in the 200m for 931 points.
Barbara Nwaba leads the heptathlon with 3,903 points ahead of the 3,892 produced by Georgia's Kendell Williams while Heather Miller-Koch is currently third with 3,822 points.
In the women's 200m semifinals, Aggie alum Jeneba Tarmoh snared the final time qualifier for the final with a time of 22.89 (0.4 wind) as she placed third in the last of three semis. Kamaria Brown finished seventh in her heat with a time of 23.44 (-1.7 wind).
Sunday's final day of the Olympic Trials will include the completion of the heptathlon for Kunz along with finals in the 400m hurdles for Ricky Babineaux and the 200m for Tarmoh.
Day 10 - Sunday, July 10, 2016
| 1:45 p.m. | Long Jump | Women | Heptathlon | Annie Kunz |
| 2:45 p.m. | Javelin Throw | Women | Heptathlon | Annie Kunz |
| 4:11 p.m. | 800m | Women | Heptathlon | Annie Kunz |
| 4:51 p.m. | 400m Hurdles | Men | Final | Ricky Babineaux |
| 5:11 p.m. | 200m | Women | Final | Jeneba Tarmoh |
Players Mentioned
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