Hammering the point home

After falling short in ’04, former CCU athlete Amber Campbell made sure she didn’t miss Beijing

By TODD GARVIN - McClatchy Newspapers

MYRTLE BEACH — Amber Campbell waited four years, so a bit more than four weeks shouldn’t be a problem.

Campbell, a former Coastal Carolina University track and field athlete, is on her way to Beijing in August for the Summer Olympics thanks to a second-place finish in the hammer throw at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Eugene, Ore., on Saturday.

“It’s been a long time in the making,” Campbell said. “I’m just so thankful to make the team and be making the trip to Beijing.”

The long wait for Campbell began in 2004, when she finished in the top three — the number of U.S. athletes in the event to make the Olympic team — but was denied a trip to Athens, Greece, because her best throw of the season didn’t meet the minimum Olympic qualifying standard. That wasn’t a concern this time around, as she had surpassed that mark before the trials.

That’s not to say there weren’t other concerns.

During warmups for Saturday’s semifinals and final, Campbell put the majority of her throws into the net rather than the field.

“I was pulling down on the left side,” she said.

“It was just something we had been working on. It was nothing really new. I just wanted to make sure I was moving the ball consistently, keeping my arms active and finishing strong.”

One of the “we” to whom Campbell was referring was her coach, Dr. David Vandergriff, of Sports Doctors High Performance Center, which sponsors Campbell and serves as her employer. Vandergriff said the two worked on putting her first throw in play and making competitors chase her.

The strategy worked to perfection as her first toss in the round of 12 landed at 69.07 meters, more than adequate to advance to the final eight.

“When that first throw landed, I think my arteries relaxed,” Vandergriff said. “I was very excited when that hit the ground because you always want to make sure you get into the finals.”

Campbell’s throw was second best in the semifinals, which gave her the advantage of throwing next to last in the final. Her first toss during the final, 67.58 meters, was enough to secure a spot on the team, but Campbell wanted more.

“I knew when it was marked I was on the team,” Campbell said. “I had second place sewed up but focused on the top spot.”

Former UCLA star Jessica Cosby’s winning toss of 70.72 meters bested Campbell’s final and best throw of 69.24 meters, but that setback meant little in the grand scheme of Saturday’s events. The achievement began to sink in when she was announced as the first American Olympian from Coastal Carolina during the medal ceremony.

“Oh, I’m completely satisfied,” Campbell said. “It was so amazing. The crowd was absolutely insane and really got behind all the athletes. Getting up on that medal stand and having the fans cheering and taking that victory lap around. ... I’ll never forget it.”

Until the opening ceremonies on Aug. 8 in Beijing, Campbell will return to the Grand Strand, spending time working at Sports Doctors. But most of her time will be spent training with Vandergriff and CCU coach Alan Connie.

“I’m really proud of her and what she’s done for Coastal Carolina,” Connie said.

Track and field athletes with ties to the state who earned berths on the U.S. Olympic team during the recent trials:

Athlete	Sport	Event	Tie to S.C.
Amber Campbell	women’s track	hammer throw	Myrtle Beach
Shawn Crawford	men’s track	200	Clemson
Rodney Martin	men’s track	400 relay**	USC
Travis Padgett	men’s track 400 relay, 100*	Clemson
Terrence Trammell	women’s track	110 hurdles	USC
Tiffany Ross-Williams	women’s track	400 hurdles	USC

* alternate status in that event

** expected to be named to relay pool that will go go Beijing