Blewitt in finals; distance will tell

Twelve throwers advanced to today’s finals. The top three qualify for the Beijing Games.

Vindicator staff report

EUGENE, Ore. — It was a little after midnight in Youngstown when Adriane Blewitt stepped into the shot put ring and took her first step toward Beijing.

Her next step will be a lot tougher.

Blewitt, a Boardman High graduate, was in 11th place with a throw of 55 feet, 91‚Ñ4 inches (17 meters) following Thursday’s shot put preliminaries at the Olympic Trials.

Twelve throwers advanced to today’s finals. The top three qualify for the Beijing Games.

“I’m just happy I made it to finals,” Blewitt said Friday. “That was a big goal for me.

“Now I want to at least make top three. I’ve got high expectations, but I know I can do it.”

Michelle Carter has the top throw (60-1 3/4) thus far, while Jillian Camarena was second (58-7 1/2) and Kristin Heaston third (57-10 1/2).

Blewitt’s career-best throw is 56.4 feet.

“I was pretty confident [heading into the preliminaries] and I knew I’d probably have to throw 17 meters to get into the finals,” said Blewitt. “Turns out, I was right on the button.”

Blewitt had about 90 minutes to warm up before Thursday’s competition, which began around 9:20 p.m. Pacific time. (Blewitt normally practices at 11 a.m., so the late start was a big of an adjustments)

The throwers were split up into two groups of 10, making it difficult for her to gauge how other competitors did.

“There were a lot of adjustments I had to make,” said Blewitt. “I just felt like I had a little more in the tank afterward. I was a little hesitant and you can’t do that at the Olympic trials.

“It’s tough. You have to get your head and your body to line up together just right. If that happens, there’s no worries.”

Blewitt placed fifth at the 2004 trials with a throw of 54-21‚Ñ2. That competition took place not long after her successful battle with Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

Camarena placed third in 2004 with a throw of 58-2.

Nerves aside, Blewitt said her 2004 experience has helped her.

“The first time it was a unique experience,” she said. “I was coming off a rough year and I was trying to make my first team. I was able to see how they heightened security and all the uniform laws. There’s a lot of red tape you have to go through just to throw.

“I was prepared for that this time.”

Blewitt had a light workout on Friday and will try to relax before today’s competition, which begins at 1:50 p.m. (4:50 p.m. in Youngstown). When asked if she planned to watch any other events, she laughed.

“I have to be careful because I get really excited about track and field,” she said. “I want to watch everything and cheer everyone on. I’ll probably watch a few finals, but I’m kind of relaxing and staying inactive. I don’t want to push myself too hard.”

She’s got a small cheering section with her from Youngstown, including her high school coach, Denise Gorski. Blewitt said she’s been overwhelmed with calls, cards and e-mails from supporters.

“I appreciate everything so much,” she said. “It makes me smile knowing I’m representing the Valley.”