#56 - Michtrack at the Olympics - Rose Makes Final

Inside This Issue

• Rose Makes Discus Final

• Onwuzurike Will Go To Repechage

• Other Things

Mixed Results at Discus

We had two Michiganders entered in the discus here: Andrew Evans, our favorite brewer, who threw at Portage Northern and Kentucky, as well as Alex Rose, who threw for Ogemaw Heights and Central Michigan (back when that was a thing) and now represents Samoa internationally.

The qualifying round this morning resulted in only one of them making it to the

final set for Wednesday. Today featured the basic qualifying set-up we see at international championships: two groups of athletes, three throws each, an auto-qualifying standard (216-6/66.00 today), and the top 12 overall advance.

In the A group, Evans opened at 197-4 (60.15), fouled his next, and improved to 204-2 (62.25) on his final attempt. Would that be enough? Not likely. He placed 9th in his group. To advance, he would need no more than three throwers in the next group to better that 62.25.

The B group started 85 minutes later. Rose opened at 206-3 (62.88). He fouled his second and closed at 199-11 (60.94). When the results of the two groups were merged, Rose made it—by a hair. He was the final qualifier, beating Connor Bell of New Zealand, who had also thrown 62.88. It went to the tiebreaker, the better secondary throw. Rose’s 60.94 topped Bell’s 59.76. Evans ended up 17th overall, missing by 5 places and a mere 25 inches. In his previous Olympic experience in 2016, he finished one place better.

Rose posted on Instagram: “First Pacific Islander in 68 years to qualify for an Olympic final in Athletics. This has been a career goal for so many years.. third times the charm 😂 tense qualifying and happy to make it through!! Job isn't finished.”

Onwuzurike Headed To Repechage

The former Brother Rice star, Udodi Onwuzurike, is here representing Nigeria in the 200. In round 1 he drew the worst lane, 2 (1 is vacant). He threw his all into the turn, coming off in 2nd place. However, he lost ground approaching the finish and crossed in a non-qualifying 5th place in 20.55 (-0.1 wind). He will be eligible to run in tomorrow morning’s repechage round for a second chance to make the semis.

Other Things

New Coach Alert: Grant Fisher isn’t the only Grand Blanc alum who’s making news these days. His old teammate, Zach Kughn, has been named the new cross country and distance coach at Idaho State. He previously coached at Winona State, Montana Tech and Tiffin. As a Bobcat in his prep days, he was a 9:18 guy at 3200 and was 6th in that event at the D1 Finals his senior year in 2012; he also made all-state in cross country.

And Another: Austin Whitelaw has been hired as the men’s cross country (and assistant track) coach at Eastern Michigan. He previously had been an assistant at Tennessee and Connecticut. At Monroe High School, he was a 6-time all-stater and the D1 XC runner-up in 2010. He had bests of 4:18/9:17.

Amazing crowds here in Paris: Hyper-enthusiastic to say the least. I mean, they were loudly cheering makes in the pole vault warm-ups! Then, of course, they got to cheer out of their heads for a World Record!!

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