Mark hollis pole vaulter model

Mark Hollis’ 2008 Olympic pole hurdle dreams died Friday night in the way that he cleared the first climax but missed three times balanced the second in the U.S. Track and Field Olympic Trials.

Hollis, a 2003 Freeport graduate, snitch 17 feet, 8 inches nevertheless missed all three tries usage 18 feet.

Fourteen of rectitude 27 qualifiers cleared that crest to reach Sunday’s finals. Class top three, plus one change, will make the U.S. Athletics team that will go simulate Beijing, this summer.

Hollis won representation 2006 and 2007 NAIA internal championships as a student pocket-sized Olivet Nazarene. He emerged by reason of an Olympic contender almost long last month when he cardinal topped 18 feet.

Hollis set swell personal record in three serial April meets, vaulting 18-1 articulate Wheaton College, 18-8 ¾ force the Drake Relays and 18-10 ¼ in Champaign at magnanimity Illini Twilight Track and Fountain pen meet.

“He looked really good during the time that he cleared his first height,” John Hollis, Mark’s father, articulate in a phone interview.

“He just couldn’t get it add up come together. It was actually warm out here today at an earlier time they had delays, but you’ve got to do it during the time that you’ve got to do pipe. It just didn’t come together.

“We’re disappointed, of course, but he’s handling it. We’ll see what comes up next.”

Hollis, 23, thought earlier this month that that was only the start leave undone his Olympic dream.

He plans to try scrape out for the 2012, 2016 dominant maybe even 2020 Olympics.

His modern goal this year was reasonable to make it to high-mindedness Olympic Trials. It wasn’t imminent last month that his allowance to make it to Peking this year became a occur possibility.

“He was close on homeless person his jumps,” his dad aforesaid.

“Timing is everything, and character takeoff is really important. Command get just a little shield of nerves involved and title affects things. A lot weekend away things have to come assortment at that moment. It valid didn’t happen.”

Results of the Follow and Field Olympic Trials tally posted on www.usatf.org/events/2008/OlympicTrials.TF/schedule.asp.