Carson, Calif. – Shayne Culpepper’s chances of making the team for the world track and field championships in August suffered a crippling blow Thursday night when she finished fourth in the 5,000 meters at the U.S. Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
In order to assure herself of making the team, the Lafayette resident and two-time Olympian needed to finish in the top three. Shalane Flanagan won in 15 minutes, 10.96 seconds on an unusually cool night, followed by Lauren Fleshman (15:16.80) and Amy Rudolph (15:18.92). Culpepper finished in 15:23.31.
Culpepper can make the team if Fleshman fails to achieve the world championships A standard (15:08.7) in the next month, but she is likely to do so.
The turning point in Culpepper’s season came June 4 when she fell in a big pileup in a 1,500-meter race at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Ore. Culpepper had planned to run the 1,500 at the world championships, but she does not have the A standard (4:05.8) in that event. She hoped to get it at the Prefontaine meet, which figured to produce fast times. But after the fall she turned her attention to the 5,000 because she has the standard in that event.
After failing in the 5,000 on Thursday, Culpepper came back less than a half-hour later to run a 1,500-meter heat, but she finished 15th in 4 minutes, 20.15 seconds. She left the track in tears.
“I have nothing to say,” Culpepper said. “It’s been a really hard day.”
Culpepper’s coach, Brad Hudson, couldn’t explain what happened in the 5,000, an event Culpepper ran in the Athens Olympics.
“If you had told me it was going to be won in 15:10 and she’d be fourth in 15:23, I would have been very surprised,” Hudson said. “We were pretty confident she could handle almost anything.”
Perhaps the problem was trying to train for the 5,000 and the 1,500.
“Aiming for two races can sometimes water down both races,” Hudson said, “but we didn’t have a choice. I feel very bad for Shayne.”
Casey Malone of Fort Collins, a former Colorado State athlete who coaches throwers at the University of Colorado, finished fifth in the discus with a throw of 198 feet, 4 inches. Malone strained muscles in his back a week ago Wednesday.
“I didn’t know for sure if I was going to be able to throw at all,” said Malone, who finished sixth in the Athens Olympics. “My whole right side of my back is just locked up. Considering that, I’m pretty pleased with how it went. Of course I’m disappointed I didn’t make that team.”
The top discus throwers train full time at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, Calif. Malone is qualified to train there, but prefers to remain in Colorado, coaching and training when he can.
“Part of me wonders how much of a difference it would make if I was only training,” Malone said. “I do enjoy coaching. It’s kind of this balance. If I didn’t coach, I would miss coaching, I would miss the athletes. I really enjoy seeing their improvement, seeing their excitement and enthusiasm.”
A man struck in the head by a shot put during practice Wednesday for the championships has died.
USA Track & Field, the sport’s governing body, released a brief statement Thursday saying it “is profoundly saddened by the tragic shot put accident that took the life of Paul Suzuki on Wednesday.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
John Meyer can be reached at 303-820-1616 or jmeyer@denverpost.com.
