Sports

DeLoach delivers: Huge final jump earns Eielson grad an Olympics berth

Janay DeLoach stood on the runway at storied Hayward Field, mired in seventh place on a day when only the top three spots mattered, and she had just one long jump left to seize her dream.

The former Eielson High star and 2012 Olympic bronze medalist has made every Olympic and World Championship team since 2011 – a total of four – and Saturday she drew on that experience to ease her anxiety.

"All of that came to me in that one moment,'' DeLoach said. "I trusted I could do it. I know what it takes. I just had to trust myself, and go out and do it.

"There's so much pressure. I just had to calm myself. I wanted to just put it all on the line and know I gave it my best – kind of a 'Go big or go home' moment.''

DeLoach went big, and now she's going to the Rio Olympics.

[Leap of faith: DeLoach puts right leg forward in Olympic quest]

DeLoach, 30, unleashed a season-best jump of 22 feet, 9 inches, on her sixth and final attempt to claim third place at the Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon, and qualify for her second straight Olympics.

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"Pure relief, joy,'' DeLoach said by cellphone. "You're still amped because you've got so much adrenaline going through you, but I wanted to cry.

"That was the hardest competition I've ever been through. And there were some tears.''

Tears were well-earned, and well-shed. DeLoach's final jump marked the second time Saturday she leaped under enormous pressure, and delivered.

DeLoach fouled on her first two jumps, which meant she not only had to get a mark on her third jump, but needed one that vaulted her into the top eight through three rounds in the 12-woman field. Only the top eight earned three more jumps.

DeLoach went 21-7.75, good enough to move into sixth place though still 11.75 inches removed from third place.

"I did not intend to be in a nail-biting situation,'' she said. "I knew I just needed to get a good jump, just get a mark.''

DeLoach is an occupational therapist in Fort Collins, Colorado, and often works with stroke victims and patients who have undergone hip or knee replacement or suffered traumatic injury. Leading up to the Trials, she acknowledged the event's pressure and said she counters it with perspective.

"It's kind of like, 'What do you have to lose?' '' DeLoach said. "What's the worst that can happen? You don't make top three? But I didn't lose my life. I didn't get injured. That's what failure is for — to learn from it and get better.''

After DeLoach's sixth-round jump, she watched as Shakeela Saunders, who she supplanted in third place, took her last jump. Saunders fouled, securing DeLoach's Olympic berth.

DeLoach became the third Alaska-connected athlete to qualify for the Rio Games. Trapshooter Corey Cogdell-Unrein, a 2008 Olympic bronze medalist, is headed to her third Olympics. Former UAF shooter Matt Emmons, who owns Olympic gold, silver and bronze, has qualified for his fourth Olympics.

Later this month, Alev Kelter of Eagle River is expected to be named to the U.S. Olympic Team in women's rugby.

DeLoach, whose military family rotated to California about the same time she graduated from Eielson and headed to Colorado State in 2004, said she received encouragement from Alaska fans watching her compete Saturday. She stays in touch with friends she made in high school.

"Alaska has been one of my strongest supporters,'' she said. "The people there have always claimed me and supported me, and I'll always be grateful for that.''

Also qualifying for Rio along with DeLoach were winner Brittney Reese (23-11.75), the reigning Olympic gold medalist and five-time world champion, and runner-up Tianna Bartoletta (23-0.50), the reigning world champion and a 2012 gold medalist in the 4×100 relay.

DeLoach, whose family is in Eugene to watch her compete, is scheduled to race the 100-meter hurdles in the Trials.

DeLoach's third-place finish Saturday earned her $6,000 in prize money. She put in labor for that award.

"If I could never do that again … I could never do that again,'' she said with a laugh. "It was a little too close for my comfort.''

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[Alaskans aim for Rio at Olympic track and field trials]

Doyle Woody

Doyle Woody covered hockey and other sports for the Anchorage Daily News for 34 years.

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