ATHENS, Greece – Marysville’s Jarred Rome picked the wrong day to have a bad day.
The U.S. Olympic Track and Field trials men’s discus champion failed to advance to the Olympic finals after finishing 14th in Saturday’s qualifying heats with a toss of 61.55 meters (201 feet 11 1/2 inches). Only the top 12 advance to Monday’s final.
“When you know your goal is to medal and you don’t, that’s the worst thing,” said Rome, who competed at Boise State after graduating from Marysville-Pilchuck High School. “This year has been magical for me. I’ve had a killer season. To come here and do this is a letdown.
“This was my second worst meet of the year,” the 27-year-old Rome said. ”In the Olympics, you don’t want to throw this poorly. I wasn’t nervous. I felt like I was going to make the finals. To come here and throw four meters less than I have been throwing is a disappointment.”
Rome won the Olympic trials with a throw of 215 feet 9 inches on his final attempt.
”I felt great today,” Rome said Saturday. ”My warm-ups were good. I felt sure I would have a big throw today.”
Rome started slowly (59.35 meters on his first throw) and on his second throw hit the protective cage that surrounds the throwing ring. Rome said it was the first time in his career he had hit the cage, and it was another in a long line of continuing American struggles in the event. The United States hasn’t won a discus medal since 1984.
”I was a little rattled by it,” Rome said of hitting the cage.
Rome’s best effort came on his third and final throw.
I told myself to slow down on my last attempt and hit the crap out of it,” Rome said. ”But unfortunately I was too slow and didn’t get enough power off my legs.”
Casey Malone of Fort Collins, Colo., was the lone American to advance to Monday’s finals. Malone finished eighth in qualifying with a throw of 63.27 meters (207 feet 7 inches). Rome’s training partner, Ian Waltz of Post Falls, Idaho, finished 22nd with a mark of 58.97 meters (193 feet 5 inches).
”It was nice to come in under radar because there was no pressure to deal with,” said Malone, who was third at the U.S. trials. ”Jarred (Rome) and Ian (Waltz) are great throwers and it was disappointing that they couldn’t make it into the final.”
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