SACRAMENTO “”mdash; The stage was set for a memorable exit for
one of UCLA’s all-time greatest athletes. But unfortunately,
there would be no storybook ending for Chelsea Johnson.
The senior had set some lofty goals for the NCAA Championships,
but fell short on Saturday in what was her last competition in a
Bruin uniform.
Johnson, the favorite to win the pole vault, ended up in second
place behind Florida State’s Lacy Jansen, closing out her
UCLA career on a sour note.
“I always come to win, so anything other than first place,
I am going to be unhappy with,” said Johnson, who went out at
a meager 14-3.25. “Sometimes in pole vaulting you can clear
the bar by a foot, but still miss it somehow. Most people who
don’t pole vault can’t understand that, but
that’s just how the competition ended up.”
Johnson looked primed to capture her third individual title in
the pole vault on Thursday, easily qualifying for the finals, and
needing only one attempt to secure her spot. Even before she
started competing on Saturday, Johnson felt she was ready to uncork
another huge jump.
“During warm-ups I was jumping the best I have ever
jumped,” said Johnson, who owns the collegiate record at
15-1. “I just got unlucky at that bar.”
The senior was not alone in her struggles as no other athletes
remained in the competition besides her and Jansen after they both
cleared 13-11.25. There was a considerable cross-wind which all the
entrants had to face, though Johnson was quick to point out that
the weather was not the cause of her mishap.
“There was a pretty nasty cross-wind,” Johnson said.
“But I can’t blame the conditions. I’m not
blaming anything on anybody, except myself. There were some things
I needed to do, but I just didn’t do them.”
Johnson’s defeat is not solely based on her performance,
as the rise in collegiate competition she has faced over the years
shows just how much more symmetry there is now in women’s
pole vaulting. In fact, Jansen was the collegiate record holder for
a short period in April before Johnson regained her record at the
Pac-10 Championships.
“Lacy is a great vaulter,” Johnson said. “I
told her that we need to go 1-2 at (the USATF) nationals because I
think we are the two best vaulters in the country.”
Johnson should still be a force at the upcoming USATF National
Championships in Indianapolis in three weeks, as she still holds
the top mark in the nation, both collegiately and
professionally.
“The last few weeks this has been her money pole, but
today she just couldn’t penetrate,” pole vault coach
Anthony Curran said. “Sometimes the best athlete
doesn’t win, and that’s what I love about this sport,
even though we are on the losing end this time. I still think she
has 15-feet plus in her, it’s just a matter of being on and
coming back strong at USAs.”
The senior leaves UCLA as one of the most decorated athletes in
school history, accumulating three All-American honors in addition
to holding the NCAA, Pac-10 and UCLA pole vaulting records. Though
Johnson is leaving Westwood for what will undoubtedly be a
successful professional career, she will not let the bad taste of
Saturday’s competition characterize her time as a Bruin.
“I’m happy with my season and all that I have
accomplished throughout my time at UCLA,” Johnson said.
“I’m not going to let one competition define my career,
but it’s just hard to think about that right now.”