Sandi Morris made the final round of the United States Olympic team trials in the women’s pole vault Friday at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.
Morris, who entered the qualifying trials ranked No. 2 among Americans and No. 7 in the world in the event, cleared 4.50 meters (14 feet, 9 inches) to advance. She did not participate in the first two rounds (4.20 and 4.35 meters) of the trials because she qualified for the Olympic standard of 4.73 meters.
The Greenville native and 12 other competitors will participate in the U.S. women’s pole vault finals on June 30 (NBC/Peacock, 6:15 p.m. ET), where the top three finishers will qualify for the Paris Olympics.
Morris, who graduated from Greenville High School, is 31 years old and turns 32 on July 8. This may be her last chance to participate in the Olympics. In 2024, she set her season best of 4.82 meters on Jan. 12, which is an increase from her 2023 best of 4.80.
Morris earned a berth on the U.S. team for the 2020 Tokyo Games, but she was forced to withdraw after injuring her hip when her pole broke during warmups. She won silver in the 2016 Rio Olympics when she cleared 4.85 meters, and she holds the American women’s outdoor pole vault record after clearing 5 meters in a 2016 meet in Brussels.
Derrian Carter covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at dcarter@gannett.com and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DerrianCarter00
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: 2024 Olympics: Sandi Morris qualifies for U.S. pole vault finals
