EUGENE, Ore. – Harrison Williams '18 came close to making the Olympic team, placing fourth in the decathlon at the U.S. Track and Field Olympic Trials on Sunday at Hayward Field.
Williams was unable bring himself into a top-three position until the eighth event, but was unable to hold that place and earn a trip to Tokyo for the Summer Games. Williams moved into third after the pole vault, Steven Bastien regained the third spot with a personal best in the javelin and Williams had too much ground to make up in the final event, the 1,500 meters, to mount a comeback.
Williams scored 8,306 points, and earned his highest finish at this meet. In his first try, in 2016, after his sophomore season at Stanford, Williams crashed in the 110 hurdles to open the second day and did not finish.
Williams was good in nearly every event this weekend, but not great enough in any single event to put him over the top. The pole vault was his best event and gave him some momentum, but it wasn't enough to maintain a qualifying position.
Williams was in fifth after seven events, but moved up with a 16-10 ¾ (5.15m) clearance on his third try in the pole vault, earning enough points to move into fourth. At 17-2 ¾ (5.25m), Williams cleared on his first try, and gained 93 points on Bastien to supplant him in third, holding an 18-point lead.
Williams, however, lost ground in the javelin. Bastien fired a personal best 200-9 (61.20m), good for third in the competion, and Williams managed 13th at 172-10 (52.69m). Facing a 110-point deficit for the third spot, Williams needed to beat Bastien by 16 seconds in the 1,500 against a runner of similar ability.
Williams went out hard and created a gap, but couldn't hold the pace and faded, with Bastien passing him. Garrett Scantling, who was fourth at the 2016 Olympic Trials, won with 8,647 points, Bastien earned enough points, 8,485, to finish second overall, and Zach Ziemak was third with 8,471, 165 points ahead of Williams.
Day Four of the Trials, on Monday, includes two current Cardinal – Julia Heymach and Keyshawn King. Heymach is the first Stanford runner to reach the women's 1,500 final since Regina Jacobs in 1984. King is the first Stanford undergrad in the men's triple jump final since John Kelly in 1960 when the Trials were at Stanford Stadium.
Rebecca Mehra '16 also is in the 1,500 final and Elise Cranny '18 and Vanessa Fraser '17 race in the women's 5,000 final. Sean McGorty '17 runs in the first round of the 3,000 steeplechase.
Harrison Williams. Photo by Chuck Aragon.
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U.S. Olympic Trials
At Hayward Field
(Results of 2021 Stanford athletes and alumni)
Men
Decathlon (final) – 4, Harrison Williams '18 (unat.) 8,306.
Harrison Williams (event, place in event, mark, points, place in competition):
First day: 100 – 8.79, 908 (8); Long jump – 5, 24-9 ¼ (7.55m), 947 (4); Shot put – 10, 46-8 ¾ (14.24m), 743 (5); High jump – 10, 6-6 ¼ (1.99m), 794 (6); 400 – 3, 48.21, 899 (6). First-day total: 4,291.
Second day: 110 hurdles – 5, 14.37, 927 (5); Discus – 7, 144-0 (43.90), 744 (5); Pole vault – 3, 17-2 ¾ (5.25m), 988 (3); Javelin – 13, 172-10 (52.69m), 628 (4); 1,500 – 4, 4:32.49, 728 (4), Second-day total: 4,015. Final total: 8,306.
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Stanford's Schedule
Monday
TV: NBCSN, 4-5 p.m.; NBC, 5-6 p.m.
4:29 p.m. – Men's 3,000 steeplechase first round (Sean McGorty).
4:40 p.m. – Men's triple jump final (Keyshawn King).
5:05 p.m. – Women's 1,500 final (Julia Heymach, Rebecca Mehra).
5:40 p.m. – Women's 5,000 final (Elise Cranny, Vanessa Fraser).
Thursday
TV: NBCSN, 6-9 p.m.
6:04 p.m. – Men's 1,500 first round (Sean McGorty).
6:31 p.m. – Women's 200 first round (Alexa Rossum).
7 p.m. – Women's 800 first round (Olivia Baker, Rebecca Mehra).
8:04 p.m. – Men's 5,000 first round (Grant Fisher, Sean McGorty, Thomas Ratcliffe).
Friday (June 25)
TV: NBCSN, 2-5 p.m.
1 p.m. – Women's javelin qualifying (Virginia Miller).
3:02 p.m. – Women's 800 semifinals.
4:05 p.m. – Men's 1,500 semifinals.
4:25 p.m. – Women's 200 semifinals.
4:42 p.m. – Men's 3,000 steeplechase final.
Saturday (June 26)
TV: NBC, 6-8 p.m.
(9:35 a.m. PT – British trials, men's 5,000 final (Charles Hicks)).
5:30 p.m. – Women's javelin final.
6:44 p.m. – Women's 10,000 final (Sara Bei Hall, Elise Cranny, Vanessa Fraser, Fiona O'Keeffe).
7:24 p.m. – Women's 200 final.
Sunday (June 27)
TV: NBC, 4-5:30 p.m.
4:30 p.m. – Men's 5,000 final.
4:52 p.m. – Women's 800 final.
5:10 p.m. – Men's 1,500 final.