July 6, 2008
Eugene, Ore. – In his fourth United States Olympic Trials appearance, University of Kentucky track and field assistant coach for throws secured his best finish with a fourth-place throw of 205-6 just ahead of rising senior Rashaud Scott who took fifth with a personal-best toss of 203-4 in the men’s discus final held at the University of Oregon’s Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore., Sunday.
Reynolds threw his distance on his first attempt of the six throws of the finals. The UK coach remained in third after the first two rounds as only four throws by the top three finalists edged the mark over the final four rounds.
Reigning NCAA Champion Rashaud Scott only threw one legal throw among his six attempts, but made it count with a personal-best measurement during his second time in the circle. Scott’s throw ranks third all-time at UK as he becomes just the third man to don a Kentucky uniform and throw over 200 feet. Scott joins teammate Chase Madison and two-time Olympian in discus Mike Buncic in the feat.
The top three finishers in each of event at the Olympic Trials event must have made the Olympic “A” standard over the past 18 months to automatically represent their country in the Games. If the athlete has not achieved that mark at or prior to competition in the trials, the next best finisher in each event that has cleared the standard could be chosen for competition at the Games despite not finishing in the top three positions of their respective event.
One Wildcat that has attained an Olympic standard is sprinter Jose Acevedo who will represent Venezuela at the games after making the cut at the Mideast Regional Championships in May. Acevedo placed third in the 200m dash event final with a time of 20.79 at the Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Championships held in Cali, Colombia this weekend.
Also at the CACs, UK hurdler Mikel Thomas of Trinidad and Tobago finished seventh in the 110m hurdles with a time of 13.84. Two former Cats also performed well as 2007 graduate Luis Luna placed sixth overall in the 400m dash with a time of 46.68 while representing Venezuela. Class of 2004 alumnus David Freeman finished sixth in the men’s 800m run final with a time of 1:49.32. Acevedo and Luna were also the two final legs of the Venezuelan 4x400m relay team that finished fourth overall in a time of 3:06.10.
The 2008 Beijing Games will be the first to have two athletes represent Kentucky track and field as Acevedo will compete for Venezuela in the 200m dash while alumnus Freeman represents Puerto Rico in the 1500m run. UK track and field has been represented by one participant at every summer Olympics since the 1976 Montreal Games with the exception of the heavily boycotted Moscow Games in 1980.
Stay tuned to UKathletics.com for Olympic Games updates and more post-season news.
University of Kentucky 2008 Summer Olympic Games Track and Field Participants
Jose Acevedo (Venezuela) — 200m dash
David Freeman (Puerto Rico) — 1500m run
