Davis has top overall leap in triple jump prelims

• By ADVOCATE NEWS SERVICES
• Published: Jul 5, 2008 - Page: 6C - UPDATED: 12:35 a.m.

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EUGENE, ORE. — Former LSU standout Walter Davis advanced to the triple jump final with the top overall leap in the preliminaries at the U.S. Olympic Trials on Friday night.

Davis, who is trying for his third Olympic berth, in the triple jump had a best of 55 feet, 3 inches.

“I had a couple where I mis-timed my jump, but I’ll take 16.80 (meters, actually 16.84) for today,” Davis said. “On Sunday, I just want to get the ‘W’. All I need is the ‘W,’ so that I can go home, train and get ready for Beijing.”

Another triple jump jumper with Louisiana ties former Northwestern State standout, Kenta Bell qualified for the final with a fourth-place leap of 54-5

“It was a decent day,” Bell said. “Today was about getting on the runway and trying to find a rhythm and get something established. I think
I did that. “I just need to come out and put a little bit more effort into it. It is about execution now because nothing else can be done.”

Ex Louisiana-Lafayette standout Lawrence Willis finished eighth overall with a jump
of 52-11-1/2 to qualify for the final.

Former LSU sprinters Stephanie Durst, Muna Lee, along with ex-Louisiana Tech standout Latonia Wilson moved on to the quarterfinals of the 200-meter dash.

Durst and Lee finished eighth and ninth overall with times of 23.15 and 23.27. Meanwhile, Wilson was 15th with a time of 23.56. The quarterfinals and semifinals for the women’s 200 are today.

In the men’s 200 meter dash, former LSU sprinter Xavier Carter remained in the hunt for an Olympic berth by advancing to the quarterfinals.
Carter finished 14th overall in the preliminaries and third in his heat with a 20.86. The quarterfinals and semifinals are slated for today, while the final is Sunday.

Two javelin competitors with state ties advanced to the final, but neither was Olympic Trials and American record holder Breaux Greer.
State competitors making the final (top 12 in prelims) included Destrehan native Leigh Smith, a former Tennessee standout and Sulphur native Chris Hill, a former Georgia standout. Hill finished second with a throw of 255 feet. Barry Krammes’ 259-1 was the top throw. Smith qualified by finishing fifth with a throw of 243-6.

Greer entered the trials with the top-seeded throw but did not qualify for the final after finishing 17th in the prelims.

He fouled on his first two throws before uncorking a throw of 220 feet, 6 inches but that was not enough to put him in the final.

“It was like I was skiing out there on ice,” he said.