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Richmond Reaches Finals

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By PATRICK O'NEILL

Tribune correspondent

Published: July 2, 2008

EUGENE, Ore. - EUGENE, Ore. - Rose Richmond is one jump away from realizing her Olympic dream - again. The former Lakewood High standout leaped 21 feet, 4 inches late Monday to earn a berth in Thursday's long jump final at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials at historic Hayward Field.

If the 27-year-old Richmond is among the top three finishers in the final, she will punch her ticket to Beijing for her second Olympic journey. Richmond failed to make the final four years ago at the Athens Games. In this highly technical event, which requires speed, agility and follow through, Richmond knows what she must do to make another U.S. team.

"I think I can fare very well in the final," said Richmond, a nine-time state champion at Lakewood and All-American at Indiana University. "All I have to do is put it together on one jump; just about everything needs to be perfect."

Unlike 2004, this year's long jump is a stacked event, Richmond said.

"Everyone's feeling the pressure of the Olympic trials," she said. "This will be one of the most competitive women's long jumps in a very long time. Everyone's got the Olympic standard. It's just a matter of who gets in the top three."

Richmond said she will have to jump close to her personal best of 22-9, a wind-aided mark she set in winning her lone U.S. title in '06.

Tampa's Nauta Falls Short At Swim Trials

After posting a lifetime best in the morning qualifying session of the 200-meter freestyle, Tampa's Chelsea Nauta saw her Olympic hopes end in the event when she finished 16th in the semifinals Tuesday night at the U.S. trials in Omaha, Neb.

Nauta, a Tampa Prep product who just completed her freshman season at the University of Georgia, swam 2 minutes, 0.17 seconds in the semifinals at the Qwest Center. The eight qualifiers for the finals all broke 1:59, including No. 1 seed and American record holder Katie Hoff, who went 1:57:10. Hoff's American record is 1:56.08.

Also in the women's 200 free first-round qualifying, 17-year-old Megan Romano of Northeast High, finished 46th overall and sixth in her heat at 2:01.91.

In the 200 individual medley, Countryside's Melanie Margalis had the 69th-fastest time (2:20.02).

Natalie Coughlin set a world record in the women's 100-meter backstroke for the second straight day, while Aaron Peirsol bettered his world mark in the men's event.

Coughlin, 25, lowered the mark to 58.97 seconds (from 59.03) in winning the final.

Peirsol, 24, won the men's 100-meter backstroke final in a time of 52.89, shaving .09 second off the record he set last year in Melbourne.

Staff writer Bill Ward contributed to this report.

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