US Olympic Trials 2016: Track and Field Results, Qualifying Times for Wednesday
Wednesday's qualifying for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro was a light affair featuring just the men's and women's finals in the hammer throw.
Kibwe Johnson and Amber Campbell were the top American finishers at the London Olympics four years ago, though neither managed to procure a medal for their efforts. Johnson came in ninth, while Campbell finished 13th.
Both athletes were hoping to find success on the court to make it to Rio. Here is how things played out for the men and women with Olympic dreams.
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| Results | Rudy Winkler (76.76m) | Kibwe Johnson (75.11m) | Conor McCullough (74.16m) | A.G. Kruger (73.31m) | Andy Fryman (72.73m) |
| Results | Amber Campbell (74.03m) | Gwen Berry (73.09m) | Deanna Price (73.09m) | Amanda Bingson (70.3m) | Heavin Warner (68.25m) |
Campbell once again led the way for the American women in the hammer throw, though she was on shaky ground heading into her final toss.
The 35-year-old took the lead on her last heave, sending the hammer 74.03 meters and easily finishing ahead of Gwen Berry and Deanna Price.
It was also a historical throw for Campbell, as Mark Haggard of ABC 15 in South Carolina pointed out:
The good news for Campbell is that throw is more than four full meters better than her effort at the 2012 Olympics (69.93 meters). The bad news, though, is it would still place her sixth among that group from four years ago.
Hopefully for Campbell's sake, she will find a little something extra in the tank next month. Berry and Price will be joining her in Rio.
National Throws captured an emotional moment between Campbell and Price after the final results:
Price will be making her Olympic debut this year. The 23-year-old previously finished second at the NACAC Championships last year, slowly building momentum before her breakout effort on Wednesday led to her trip to Rio.
She was in first place after her fifth throw went 73.09 meters, but her final toss went just 71.22 meters to drop her into third place.
Berry tied Price's throw of 73.09 meters on her final toss, easily her best of the day.
Per Todd Hefferman of the Southern Illinoisan, Wednesday turned out to be a good one for Southern Illinois University:
Berry does have a gold medal on her mantle in the hammer throw from the 2014 Pan American Sports Festival with a distance of 72.04 meters. Her improvement in two years since provides hope heading into the Olympic spotlight.
Rudy Winkler made his presence felt in the men's hammer throw, launching his victorious 76.76-meter toss on his fourth throw to finish well ahead of Johnson and Conor McCullough to earn his first trip to the Olympics.
As impressive as Winkler's toss was on Wednesday, ESPN's Dwight Stones noted he has been better before, even though the record books don't yet show it:
Winkler is nicknamed the Clark Kent of hammer because of the glasses he wears, but he plays the role of Superman on the hammer court.
Johnson will be the grizzled veteran for the Americans in Rio. He did make it to the Olympics for the second straight time thanks to a dazzling 75.11-meter throw on his third attempt.
Stones does like where things are moving for the U.S. in this event:
Johnson became the first American man to make the hammer throw final since 1996, when he made his mark four years ago 2012. This is his last, best shot to reach the medal round at the age of 34, so it's time to make it count.
Today's results are the final step on a journey that these athletes started four years ago. Campbell has been under this microscope before, while Berry and Price are getting their moments.
A lot of work still remains for all six participants to have a shot at earning an Olympic medal, but they can now focus all of their energy on that task for the next month.
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