PARIS - East Alton-Wood River High School graduate Jayden Ulrich had a throw of 61.08 meters, but missed on qualifying for the finals of the women's discus throw at The Games of the XXXIII Olympiad Friday afternoon at the Stade de France in Paris.
Get The Latest News!
Don't miss our top stories and need-to-know news everyday in your inbox.
Ulrich passed on the first two of her three attempts before taking her third attempt and throwing the 61.08 meters, which was short of the 64.00 meters distance required for automatic qualification.
She finished 12th in Group B, with seven of the group going through to Saturday's final, with two going through from Group A.
Valarie Allman of the United States was the overall top qualifier with a toss of 69.59 meters, while Sandra Elkasevic of Croatia was second at 65.63 meters, and Bin Feng of China was third at 65.40 meters. Vanessa Kamga of Sweden was fourth at a national record 65.14 meters, and rounding out the top five was Jorinde Van Klinken of the Netherlands, who threw a 64.81 to automatically qualify.
The other automatic qualifier was Alexandra Emilanov of Moldova, who had a toss of 64.33 meters. Also qualifying for the final were Irina Rodrigues of Portugal, and Claudine Vita and Marike Steinacker, both of Germany. The other American in the competition, Veronica Fraley, also failed to qualify for the final.
Ulrich, 21, was a IHSA Class 1A champion in the discus for the Oilers before going to Indiana University in Bloomington, then transferring to the University of Louisville to join her personal coach. She finished second in the Olympic Trials in Eugene, Ore., to qualify for her first-ever Olympics.
The Games of the XXXIV Olympiad will take place in Los Angeles July 14-30, 2028. while the Games of the XXXV Olympiad are scheduled for July 23-Aug. 8, 2032 in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
