Men's Sports, Men's Track & Field, Sports

LBSU track and field team well-represented at Olympic trials

Eugene, Ore. is the birthplace of Nike, the home of the University of Oregon and every four years, it becomes a track and field Mecca.

The Olympic trials are being held at Oregon’s Hayward Field for the fifth time, and a couple of Long Beach State athletes have made the trip. Ben Woodruff (javelin) and Matt Maldonado (1500m run) both traveled north to compete in front of tens of thousands of spectators for spots on the 2012 USA Olympic Team.

“It’s unreal,” Maldonado said. “The whole town is focused on the athletes and on the trials. There are posters all around the city with past and future Olympians and it’s amazing just to be a part of this.”

That sentiment was echoed by Woodruff, who just returned from Eugene after placing 12th in the javelin throw on Monday.

“It was awesome. The goal is always to get to Oregon – it’s something special,” he said. Unfortunately for Woodruff, only the top eight qualified for the Olympic team and only the top three will be competing in London. But for someone who has only been throwing for three years, even advancing to the finals is a notable accomplishment.

“It’s really cool to be on that level,” Woodruff said. “These are the top guys. I looked at the lineup and I saw the names of all of these guys that I look up to. Now that I’m at this level, I just wonder, how good can I be? [The next Olympics] are a long time away, but it’s another goal to reach.”

Woodruff, who graduated from Cal State Long Beach just last month, plans to take a few months off and eventually join a club to continue throwing.

“I’m just going to have fun with it,” he said. “I’ve put a lot of work and effort into this sport over the last three years and I’m not going to throw all of that away. I definitely have a special place for it in my life now.”

While Woodruff may be home after an exciting couple of weeks, Maldonado is still up in Eugene competing to keep his Olympic dreams alive.

“It’s every runner’s dream,” Maldonado said. “It’s that little bit of hope that keeps people like me going. That is the kind of excitement the Olympic trials bring and I just want to use it and enjoy the experience.”

Maldonado is seeded 20th in the 1500m. To make the team, he needs to finish in the top three. To do that, he needs to improve upon his previous mark of 3:37:68 by about four seconds.

Before he thinks about that, however, Maldonado must run at least a 3:35:50, which is the Olympic A standard. The top three athletes who meet that standard will walk with the rest of Team USA at Olympic Stadium.

“Regardless of what happens here in Eugene, I have had an amazing season,” Maldonado said. “I’ve set personal bests in every event this year and I have dedicated everything to this sport. But the Olympics only happen every four years, so I will be giving it my best shot. I’m not going to just give up because I’m not seeded in the top 10.”

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