Rainy and windy weather proved to be a problem for competitors Sunday at the Oregon state Junior Olympics held at the Willamette University stadium in Salem, and that included a quartet of Sweet Home athletes.
Still, all of of them qualified for the regional Junior Olympics at Stealth High School in Seattle on July 12-15. The top three from that meet, with the exception of the decathlon, will advance to the national meet at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, Calif., July 24-29.
Maria Kropf and Dakotah Keys won state titles in the 100 meters and javelin, respectively.
Kropf, who will be a freshman in high school in the fall, ran 12.82 to win the 100, well off her personal best of 12.5, set at the state junior high meet in LaPine two weeks ago. But she finished fourth in the 100 hurdles in 16.87 – almost a second slower than her personal best – and eighth in the 200, an event in which she was seeded second going into the finals after running what Danforth said was “a beautiful race.”.
“Maria struggled with her lane assignment in the finals of the 200,” said Lela Danforth, who served as a coach for the group. Kropf drew Lane 7, which was a difficult assignment for her, the coach said.
“Maria just psyched herself out in the 200.”
“Right before the finals in the hurdles, it flat-out poured and athletes fell five heats in a row before Maria and Dakotah ran,” Danforth said. “I believe that affected both their times.There was standing water on the track.”
Land Florek, who will be a high school senior next fall, took fourth in the 400, in 51.81 and ninth in the 200 (23.97).
Hannah McClaskey, who plans to compete at Northwest Nazarene University next year as a freshman, finished second in the hammer throw, with a best effort of 117-2.
Keys, an incoming sophomore at Sweet Home High School, threw the javelin 171-1 and placed second in the pole vault (11-6 and in the 400 hurdles (59.44), the latter a personal best for him. He also placed third in the 110 high hurdles, running 16.16 in the prelims and 16.20 in the final.
Danforth said Keys, who is her son, will not run the 400 hurdles or compete in the pole vault at the regionals because he is going to compete in the decathlon as well as the 100 and javelin at the regionals. He is also planning to compete in the U.S. Youth Outdoor Track and Field Championships July 3-8 in Lisle, Ill., outside Chicago.
Keys said he was “a little tired” over the weekend, after helping a friend move, which affected his performances.
He said he’s looking forward to the Chicago trip.
“I just want to get more experience there,” he said. “Most of the kids who go to the Chicago national meet don’t go to Walnut.
“It’s a chance to get my scores higher and see how I do.”