Maui's McLean reaches new heights
Advertiser Staff and News Services
Pole vaulter Robert "Bubba" McLean, of Kula, Maui, and St. Anthony High School, qualified for tomorrow's pole vault final after yesterday's opening day of the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials in Sacramento, Calif.
McLean is one of three Hawai'i athletes in the trials.
Vera Simms, a 2000 Mililani graduate and Michigan alum, did not advance in the 400-meter hurdles. She finished sixth in her heat (1:00.91) and 23rd overall. Only the top 16 advanced to today's semifinals.
Bryan Clay, a graduate of Castle High (1998) and Azusa Pacific (2002), is among the top contenders in the decathlon, which will be held July 16-17.
McLean, 24, who has been working out with pole vault specialist Earl Bell in Arkansas for the past 10 months, vaulted 17 feet, 8 inches. The height tied him for 12th place.
"The question was whether they would take 11 or 13. Luckily, they took 13," said McLean, in a telephone interview. "It was a nail-biter."
McLean said he got his height on his second attempt and "that's how I got in."
McLean, who graduated from St. Anthony (1997) and California (2002), said he likes his chances tomorrow.
"Well, the crazy thing is everybody in the final has a shot," he said. "You never know how it's going down. Everyone has the capability. It's a matter of doing it when it counts. It's going to be a blast."
McLean credits his ascent to the training from Bell, a three-time Olympian and bronze medalist who trains a handful of vaulters.
"He built a big barn in Arkansas and that's where I lived the last 10 months," said McLean, who saw his vaulting improve from 18 feet to 18-8´.
"Without Earl, none of this would have been possible."
McLean said four of Bell's athletes qualified for the finals. Besides himself, the others are Daniel Ryland, Tye Harvey and Derek Miles, who are tied for the top mark (18-00.50).
Jeff Hartwig, the American record-holder and a four-time national pole vault champion, failed to clear any of his attempts, while Lawrence Johnson, the reigning Olympic silver medalist, also failed to qualify.
Jones is far from her dominating self in 100
Marion Jones, the three-time Olympic champion, finished second in her quarterfinal heat of the women's 100 meters at the U.S. Olympic trials last night, good enough to advance to today's semifinal but far from her dominating form of past years.
Jones began her bid for a spot on the U.S. squad for the Athens Games by finishing behind LaTasha Colander in the opening-round heat. Jones, who dominated the event in the late 1990s and is the reigning Olympic champion, finished in 11.38 seconds — just seventh fastest among the 24 competitors.
Jones, who remains under investigation by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, is known for her radiant smile and bubbly personality. But she remained serious yesterday and left the track without saying a word to fans or reporters.
Also qualifying for today's semifinals was Chryste Gaines, one of four sprinters who face a lifetime ban after being charged with steroid use. Her case is awaiting arbitration by the Swiss-based Court of Arbitration for Sport.
The fastest quarterfinal time of 11.13 was turned in by NCAA champion Lauryn Williams, who just finished her junior year at Miami.
When Jones last visited Sacramento, for the 2000 Olympic trials, she began her quest for a record five gold medals at the Sydney Games by winning her quarterfinal heat in 10.92. She routinely won races by large margins in those days.
When she won an unprecedented five medals in Sydney, three gold, she confirmed her status as track and field's reigning queen.
"She isn't at the point where she was in previous years," said Inger Miller, the 1999 world champion and second fastest in the quarterfinals yesterday with a time of 11.28. "It's yet to be seen where she is."
A lot of other things have changed in Jones' life over the past four years.
She was married to shot putter C.J. Hunter in 2000, the year he tested positive four times for steroids. Now she's divorced from Hunter, and has a 1-year-old son with Tim Montgomery, the world's fastest man and one of the four sprinters charged by USADA with steroid use.
Montgomery begins his bid for a spot on the U.S. Olympic team today. He and Gaines won a small victory yesterday when a federal judge in San Francisco rejected USADA's bid to review sealed grand jury testimony from the four sprinters charged with using performance-enhancing drugs.
