Chari Hawkins found a way to smile.
The Rexburg native managed to do so even amongst a 21st-place heptathlon finish and after her Olympic dreams were dashed before they really began.
She still shrugged and waved to the tens of thousands in the crowd at the Slade de France in Saint-Denis Friday. It was just 24 hours removed from arguably the worst moment of Hawkins’ athletic career to date and where the headlines centered around her understandably emotional breakdown.
Disaster struck in the high jump shortly after Hawkins had an impressive outing in the heptathlon’s first event, the 100-meter hurdles with a fifth-place showing (13.15 seconds). Hawkins, who took second in the event at June’s U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Eugene, Oregon after clearing 1.79 meters, elected to skip all of the earlier heights during Thursday’s Olympic competition. It meant saving her three failed-attempt lifelines. But it also put her at risk of potentially not recording a qualifying mark.
The move ended up backfiring when she failed to clear the 1.71-meter mark in three consecutive tries.
Hawkins appeared to have forgotten that she hadn’t registered a score in any of the previous heights. Television cameras caught Hawkins looking visibly bewildered at first while seemingly talking to her coach in the stands. But then confusion quickly turned into despair. She became inconsolable with uncontrollable tears rolling down her face.
Great Britain’s Katarina Johnson-Thompson, who won the silver medal, was pictured afterwards consoling her.
It resulted in Hawkins being the only one who failed to register a score, and even after putting up solid marks in the shot put (13.64) and the 200-meter dash (24.49), still remained dead last among active competitors.
“Oh my gosh. I don’t even know what to do,” Hawkins told reporters afterward. “I’m like literally so shocked right now.”
But the former Madison High School standout and the most-decorated female athlete in Utah State history with five All-American honors to her name, bounced back both mentally and physically Friday.
She was in good spirits following respectable performances in the long jump (5.90) − just .03 meters behind reigning U.S heptathlon champion Anna Hall − the javelin (44.30) and the 800-meter run (2:15.76). Hawkins even managed to pass the Netherlands’ Anouk Vetter after going in Friday 723 points back of the next closest competitor.
Hawkins totaled 5,255 points − 1,201 points less than her personal-best 6,456 just two months ago at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials.
However, Hawkins is still the first Utah State athlete to compete in an Olympic games since James Parker in 2004 and the first known one out of Madison High.
Belgium’s Nafissatou Thiam made history by taking the gold medal in the event with 6,880 points. She became the first Olympic athlete ever to win the heptathlon in consecutive Olympic games.
Fellow countryman Noor Vidts took the bronze with 6,707 points.
Chari Hawkins’ full Olympic heptathlon results are listed down below:
100-Meter Hurdles — 13.16 (5)High Jump — NMShot Put — 13.64 meters (17)200 Meters — 24.49 (15)Long Jump — 5.90 meters (14)Javelin — 44.30 meters (15)800 Meters — 2:15.76 (17)Final score — 5,255 points (21)
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