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OSAKA, Japan - U.S. men's javelin record holder Breaux Greer bettered the automatic qualifying mark on his third and final attempt during Friday morning's qualifying at the 2007 IAAF World Outdoor Track & Field Championships at Nagai Stadium.
Greer (Scottsdale, Ariz.) failed to surpass the automatic qualifying mark of 82.00 meters/269 feet on his first two throws, but after releasing the javelin on his third attempt, he immediately turned his back on it and pumped his fist believing he had qualified for the final. He was right. Greer's third throw sailed 86.78 meters/284-8, which was the best of both qualifying groups. The men's javelin final is Sunday.
A three-time NCAA All-American while at the University of Arkansas, Eric Brown (Fayetteville, Ark.) competed in javelin qualifying Group B on Friday, producing a best toss of 73.07m/239-8. He did not qualify for the final.
The first day of the men's decathlon competition got under way this morning with reigning world champion Bryan Clay (Glendora, Calif.) getting off to a flying start. His time of 10.44 seconds in the 100 meters placed him in the lead with 989 points, with nine events remaining over the two-day competition.
2004 Olympian Paul Terek currently sits in 12th place after finishing the 100 meters in 10.95 seconds, and 2003 World Outdoor champion Tom Pappas (Knoxville, Tenn.) is in 13th place off his time of 10.96. Two-time NCAA champion Robert Arnold (Santa Rosa, Calif.) ran 11.14 and sits in 21st position.
Six-time USA Outdoor champion and three-time Olympian Amy Acuff (Isleton, Calif.) qualified for Sunday's final of the women's high jump with her clearance this morning of 1.94 meters/6 feet 4.25 inches. 2000 Olympian Erin Aldrich (Dallas, Tex.) cleared 1.88 meters/6-2, but did not qualify for the final.
In the women's 20 km race walk, three-time USA champion and 2004 Olympian Teresa Vaill (Gainesville, Fla.) was disqualified.
For complete results, quotes and Team USA reports, visit USATF.org.
Fans can watch Team USA on national television broadcasts on NBC and Versus, or online via live, daily Webcast at www.wcsn.com. For complete TV listings, visit USATF.org.
Team USA quotes - Friday a.m. session
Men's javelin qualifying
Breaux Greer (Scottsdale, AZ): "I think someone put some ice on the runway on that first throw. I planted so hard, and I chewed up the runway, and pieces were flying all over the place, so that's a good sign. The throw was set up right, but when I hit the ice patch, the javelin went off to somewhere. If the runway's dry, I think I'll knock one out of here. Several throwers had the same problem in the first round, and were getting nervous. On the second throw, the wind caught it. The wind was swirling a lot more than people thought... I hope we can see four guys over 90 meters [in the final], and ideally I'll be on top of that."
Eric Brown (Fayetteville, AR): "It was a good experience. This is the first world championships team I've made, so it was good to at least go out and get close to my season best. Of course I wanted to throw further, but it wasn't working. It was great, a fun time. This was a good experience, and hopefully I'm ready for next summer, and I'm gonna try to make that next team.
Breaux is doing everything right right now. I think a lot of it is that fire he has. We (the other javelin throwers in the U.S.) think we have it, but we're not quite there yet. That's the reason why Breaux is out there...he has the fire.
Women's high jump qualifying
Amy Acuff (Isleton, CA): "I felt like a cooked rice noodle today. That's good, because you never have a couple of days in a row where you feel super sharp. I should be good for the final. The runway is real fast. A few times I was not really ready for how fast it was. A couple of times I didn't get my act together for the takeoff."
Erin Aldrich (Dallas, TX): "I'm disappointed, but I can't say I'm too disappointed, because I haven't been able to jump in the last two months leading up to the championships. It hasn't been the ideal circumstances for me. The runway is great out there. Tons of people cleared 1.94. It will be an incredible final. I'm disappointed I'm not going to be there for the final. I hope Amy does real well. I got injured two months ago and haven't been able to plan on the take-off. I pulled the tendon on the inside of my left heel on the take-off foot. That's kind of the important piece."
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