Close is little comfort: DeLoach 13th in Olympic women's long jump qualifying

Four years ago in London, Janay DeLoach savored the sweet side of her sport, in which the smallest margin can deliver a dream — she won the Olympic women's long jump bronze medal by a mere centimeter, less than a half-inch.

Tuesday in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, she endured the agonizing side of the equation — DeLoach came 1.5 inches shy of qualifying for the Olympic long jump final.

The former Eielson High star finished 13^th in the field of 38 athletes.

Only the top 12 finishers advanced to Wednesday's final.

DeLoach, 30, delivered her best effort on the second of three qualifying jumps, reaching 21 feet, 4 inches (6.50 meters). That positioned her in a tie for 10^th place through two rounds.

But the four athletes who finished in ninth, 10^th, 11^th and 12^th all delivered jumps farther than 21-4 on their final jumps. That left DeLoach, who did not improve on her third jump (21-2.50), on the bummer side of the bubble.

Great Britain's Jasmine Sawyer seized the 12^th and final qualifying spot at 21-5.25, three centimeters, or 1.5 inches, better than DeLoach's best.

The other two Americans in the field, defending Olympic champion Brittney Reese and 2015 world champion Tianna Bartoletta easily reached the final. Reese was one-and-done — her first-round jump of 22-3 exceeded the automatic qualifier of 22-1.75 and placed her third. Bartoletta qualified in fifth, going 21-11.75 on her second of three jumps.

At the London Games in 2012, DeLoach's bronze-medal jump of 22-7.25 pushed her onto the podium by just one centimeter — technically, just .39 of an inch.

DeLoach experienced another close call in July, when she qualified for her second Games by finishing third, the final qualifying spot, at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon. She sat in seventh place through six of seven jumps, but uncorked a leap of 22-9 to earn a trip to Brazil.

[Read about Janay DeLoach's dramatic Olympic Trials jump to reach Rio]

That proved DeLoach's second tense moment in Eugene. She fouled on each of her first two jumps, putting her in jeopardy of failing to finish among the top eight through three rounds — only those top eight earned three more attempts. But DeLoach went 21-7.75 on her third attempt to move into sixth place.

DeLoach has been on the comeback trail the last two years after injury forced her to make a dramatic change in her jumping. Two surgeries on her left ankle in 2014 prompted her to switch to her right leg as her take-off leg after a lifetime of jumping off her left leg.

DeLoach spent her four high school years at Eielson near Fairbanks — her father was stationed at the Air Force base there — and won four consecutive state long jump titles. She still owns the state record.

[Check out how Janay DeLoach came back from two ankle surgeries]

DeLoach last month returned to Alaska for her induction into the Alaska Sports Hall of Fame. She lives in Fort Collins, Colorado, where she is an occupational therapist. She competed in Fort Collins for Colorado State and graduated from the school.

DeLoach was the last of four Alaska or Alaska-connected athletes to compete in Rio.

Trapshooter Corey Cogdell-Unrein of Eagle River, a three-time Olympian, captured a bronze medal to go with a bronze she won in 2008 in Beijing, China.

Eagle River's Alev Kelter made her Olympic debut by leading Team USA in scoring in the Games debut of women's rugby sevens. The Americans finished fifth.

And former UAF shooter Matt Emmons, a four-time Olympian, finished a disappointing 19^th in the three-position rifle after entering ranked No. 1 in the world. Still, Emmons in previous games earned ample Olympic medals — one gold, one silver and one bronze.