Once again, Rutgers track & field has an Olympian. And it’s a familiar name.
Alum Rudy Winkler is headed to his third Olympics in the men’s hammer throw. He placed second at the U.S. trials Sunday with a distance of 258-10 and will head to Paris with a top-10 world ranking.
It’s the latest in a long line of accomplishments by Winkler, who is the American record-holder (271-4) and represented the U.S. in Rio in 2016 and Tokyo in 2021. In the latter, he advanced to the hammer finals before finishing seventh at 252-9. As a collegian he was NCAA champion in the hammer throw as a Cornell senior in 2017. During his postgrad season at Rutgers in 2018, he set the Big Ten championship-meet record and finished fourth at the NCAAs.
Winkler is the seventh athlete with Rutgers ties to qualify for three or more Olympiads, joining women’s soccer star Carli Lloyd, fencer Paul Pesthy, and rowers Steve Mormando, Sean Hall, Robert Kaehler and Jeffery Klepacki.
The men’s hammer throw qualifying in Paris takes place Aug. 2 with the finals on Aug. 4. Winkler came into the U.S. Trials ranked seventh in the world.
FDU's Salif Mane wins Olympic trials triple jump
In May, Salif Mane earned a degree in civil engineering from Fairleigh Dickinson University. On Sunday he earned something even more impressive: A spot on the U.S. track & field team at the Paris Olympics.
And Mane didn’t just make the team; he struck gold at the Olympic trials, capturing the U.S. championship in the triple jump. His top jump of 57-5¾ marked a personal best and obliterated the rest of the field by nearly two feet.
The Bronx native was coming off an NCAA title in the triple jump, having leapt a then-personal best of 56-2. He’ll be a candidate to earn a medal in Paris. The men’s triple jump qualifying rounds take place Aug. 7 and the final is Aug. 9.
Sam Mattis to make Olympics in men’s discus
Joining Winkler in Paris will be his old roommate – and former Rutgers volunteer assistant coach – Sam Mattis. The East Brunswick High School and University of Pennsylvania grad finished second in the men’s discus at the U.S. Trials on Saturday. His throw of 216-9 was short of the Olympic standard, but Mattis entered the competition ranked 13 th in the world so his qualification for Paris is a virtual lock.
An NCAA champion and two-time U.S. national champ in the discus, Mattis made the Olympic final in Tokyo in 2021, placing eighth. His personal best is 225-3.
Timberg just short in women’s pole vault
A historic season came to a bittersweet end for Rutgers track star Chloe Timberg, who capped her junior year by winning the NCAA title in the women's pole vault but did not qualify for the Olympic team on Sunday. After cruising through Friday’s preliminary round and making it into the 12-vaulter final, Timberg was one seven vaulters who cleared 15-2¼ in the final, but she could not crack the top three.
Timberg seemed primed for a run at Paris after her performance at the NCAA Championships June 6 at Hayward Field. She cleared a meet-record height of 15 feet, 5.5 inches, becoming the first Rutgers track & field athlete to capture an NCAA title since 1983. That height would have placed fifth at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
Middletown's Bogues 8th in javelin
Defying the odds, Middletown High School North graduate Casey Bogues made the final in the women's javelin at the U.S. Trials.
Bogues, who just wrapped up her redshirt junior year at the University of Dayton, came into the competition with a personal best of 176 feet. She obliterated that in Friday’s preliminaries, recording a heave of 188-4 to rank fourth and sail into Sunday’s 12-thrower final. That launch set a New Jersey high school alumni record.
In the final, Bogues placed eighth with a distance of 176-1.
Jerry Carino has covered the New Jersey sports scene since 1996. Contact him at jcarino@gannettnj.com .
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: 2024 Paris Olympics: Rudy Winkler, Rutgers alum, makes U.S. track & field team
Most Popular
Comments / 0