SACRAMENTO ““”“ A trip to Greece was staring her in
the face. So was a 14-foot-11-inch bar.
At this weekend’s U.S. Olympic Trials, it was two inches
that separated UCLA pole vaulter Chelsea Johnson from competing in
Athens, Greece, at the 2004 Summer Olympics.
Unable to clear 14-11, Johnson was forced to settle with her
best attempt of 14-9, good enough to land her in fourth place but
not quite good enough to earn an automatic Olympic bid.
“Being the only contending collegiate in the finals is
really amazing,” UCLA pole vault coach Anthony Curran said.
“I couldn’t ask for anything more from her.”
“She could have taken one of those spots today. Who knows,
tomorrow she could have been number two as easily as she was number
four today. But she definitely proved she’s one of the top
vaulters in the nation,” Curran said
Had she finished in the top three, Johnson would have earned a
spot on this summer’s U.S Olympic team. Instead, she is an
alternate by nature of her fourth-place finish. Should top
finishers Jillian Schwartz, Kellie Suttle (who both cleared 14-11
Sunday) or world record holder and event icon Stacy Dragila ““
who finished first at 15-7 ““ not be able to compete for any
reason, Johnson will be a contender in Athens this August.
“It was a tough competition,” Schwartz said.
“It was amazing ““ one of the best meets we’ve
ever had in the United States.”
During Sunday’s final Johnson appeared to be done when she
was at the 14-5.25 mark. She took a disastrous fall in the pole box
on her second attempt but then cleared the height on her third and
final try. Then she passed on 14-7 after missing her first attempt
and went on to easily clear the 14-9 height.
“For a while there I thought she could have won it,”
Curran said.
For Johnson, clearing 14-9 this past weekend was a success in
itself after a roller-coaster season.
Although Johnson set a new collegiate record by clearing 15 feet
earlier this year, she then went through several weeks of
turbulence during which she struggled to surpass anything over 14
feet.
Curran said the lengthening of Johnson’s approach on the
runway was part of the problem.
“There were a couple of weeks that we were working on her
approach,” Curran said. “But her hard work has shown
through today.”
Even before today Johnson appeared to be rebounding. At the NCAA
Championships, she won the event with a clearance of 14-1 and
barely missed at 14-6.
Sunday was the first time in several months Johnson demonstrated
the ability to vault at a world-class level.
Besides showcasing her talent among the nation’s elite,
Johnson’s successful performance this weekend also helped to
fuel speculation that she might turn pro after already winning a
national collegiate title and holding the collegiate record as a
sophomore. But Curran quickly rebuffed the idea.
“She loves university life so much,” he said.
“I really don’t think that’s an option. She has a
lot to accomplish and she still needs to grow and
mature.”
For now, Johnson will settle for being an alternate and come
back again ““ four years later and hopefully two inches
higher.
Chelsea Johnson could not be reached for comment.