Sandi Morris failed to qualify for the United States Olympic women’s pole vault team in the 2024 Paris Olympics on Sunday at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.
Morris, who entered the qualifying finals ranked No. 2 among Americans and No. 7 in the world in the event, elected to pass the first two rounds (4.28 and 4.43 meters) and cleared 4.53, 4.63 and 4.68 meters on her first attempts. She faced trouble when she failed to clear 4.73 meters, the Olympic standard, to finish in fourth place.
The Greenville native is 31 years old and turns 32 on July 8. This was potentially her last chance to participate in the Olympics.
Katie Moon, Bridget Williams and Brynn King finished in the top three to qualify for the Paris Olympics. Athletes must finish in the top three at Olympic Trials and either have met an Olympic qualifying standard in the past year or be high enough in the World Athletics rankings to make the team.
Morris, who graduated from Greenville High School, 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 fails to qualify for U.S. pole vault team
