Long Beach athletes vying for Olympic spots

The saying goes that the hardest team in the world to make is the United States Olympic team. That goes for USA Track and Field, USA Swimming and, really, just about any sport. There are so many elite athletes in this country of both genders that making the final cut for an Olympic team is far less likely than getting a college scholarship or making the NFL or NBA.

Yet every Olympic year, Long Beach athletes either make the cut or fall just short. Last weekend and all this week and weekend there will be plenty of Long Berch athletes trying to ea the right to wear red, white and blue.

Ariana Washington

The biggest Fourth of July fireworks for local athletes came in Eugene, Oregon where Long Beach Poly High School alum Washington put herself in the ruing for a spot on the team. Washington, 19, ran blistering times in the 100 meters first round and semifinal to ea her way into the final, where she finished sixth with a time of 11.01.

Only the top three finishers qualify to the Games automatically and only those three will get a chance to run as individuals. While Washington was hoping for one of those spots, her excellent runs over the two days of competition and her sixth-place finish have put her in the relay pool, giving the eight-time Califoia high school state champion a shot at Rio.

According to Washington, she definitely will attend the USATF relay camp, but she feels her spot on the team will depend on how well she does in this weekend’s 200 competition. She has a much better shot to qualify as an individual in the 200 with one of the world’s five fastest times this year and the fourth-fastest U.S. time going into the event. Those races will be run Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

It’s already been a baer year for Washington, who became the first NCAA freshman to win national titles in both the 100 and 200. Now, she’s just a few steps away from being an Olympian.

The rest of the news out of Tracktown wasn’t great. Poly alum Bryshon Nellum, an Olympian and silver medalist in 2012, had to pull out of the Trials because of injury. Nellum and fellow former Jackrabbit Shalonda Solomon showed well in the 100, but fell short of the final, finishing 11th overall in the semifinal round. Olympian Carmelita Jeter also withdrew because of injury.

Long Beach State alum Colin Dunbar finished seventh in Wednesday’s hammer throw with a 237-3 toss.

This week will feature Solomon in the 200, Poly teammate Kymber Payne in the 400 hurdles Thursday through Saturday, Poly alum Melisa Cox in the 100 hurdles, and three other Long Beach State alums trying to qualify: Jason Harrell in the discus on Thursday, Chris Low in the 800 Friday and Ben Woodruff in the javelin on Saturday.

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Jessica Hardy

There were a handful of Long Beach athletes competing in Omaha, Nebraska at the USA Swimming Trials, although nobody made it through. The hardest pill to swallow for local sports fans was former Wilson standout Jessica Hardy, who qualified for the Trials in three events, but didn’t make the Olympic team in any of them.

She posted an emotional message on social media the day after her final race, writing:

“Yesterday was (probably) the last race of my career, but today is the first day of the rest of my life. #SwimTrials16 didn’t work out how I had envisioned them, but I’m so glad I put myself on the line and followed my dreams. I’ve had over a decade of more successes than I ever could’ve dreamt of. Thanks to all of the people who helped support my dreams. My family, coaches, friends, fans, sponsors. I’ve truly been blessed & am so grateful for the relationships most of all. I’ll be cheering on the next generations of #TeamUSA with a full heart and look forward to applying my passion toward whatever comes next.”

Hardy and her husband, Swiss Olympic swimmer Dominik Meichtry, live in Long Beach.

Millikan alum Maddie Meisel finishes 83rd out of 101 swimmers in the 400 freestyle and Lakewood alum Daniel McArthur finished 58th out of 183 in the 100 backstroke. Both swimmers currently swim at the NCAA level at Utah and will have another solid chance to compete at the Trials in four years.