Cal Track and Field: It's Official - Camryn Rogers Qualifies for Tokyo, Inika McPherson Does Not
As expected, Cal hammer throw standout Camryn Rogers has officially qualified to join the Canadian track and field team at the Tokyo Olympics this summer.
But former Golden Bear high jumper Inika McPherson missed out on a return trip to the Games with the U.S. squad.
Rogers, the two-time reigning NCAA champion, was not required to compete for a spot on the team at the Canadian trials because of travel considerations stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic.
As a result, she was awaiting official word from World Athletics, which governs track and field, and on Thursday — to absolutely no surprise — she was included among 32 entries in the event based on meeting the Olympic standard.
She will be the only Cal athlete -- current or alum -- competing in track and field at Tokyo.
McPherson, who is 34 and graduated from Cal in 2009, placed 10th in the high jump at the 2016 Rio Olympics and finished second at the U.S. trials in Eugene, Oregon, last month.
Inika McPherson at the 2016 Rio Olympics
Photo by Kirby Lee, USA Today
But McPherson didn’t have the qualifying clearance of 1.96 meters (6-foot-5) so she hoped to get a berth at Tokyo based on the new Olympic ranking points system. A total of 26 women met the qualifying standard and six others were chosen through the ranking system, filling out the field of 32.
Trials winner Vashti Cunningham (2.02 meters) and Rachel McCoy (1.96) earned bids by meeting the qualifying standard and Tynita Butts-Towsend grabbed the third U.S. team spot through her No. 21 world ranking.
McPherson has cleared 1.96 meters but not during the qualifying window that was extended back to 2019 to accommodate athletes during COVID.
McPherson’s best jump during that time was 1.94 meters (6-4 1/4), meaning she missed out on a trip to Tokyo by 3/4 of an inch.
She wound up 27th on the world rankings as of June 29, but fourth among Americans.
Rogers faced no such drama leading up to Thursday’s release of Olympic qualifiers. She is fourth on the 2021 world leaders list with a throw of 75.52 meters (247 feet, 9 inches) that broke the NCAA record.
The only three throwers with better marks this year are the three Americans headed to Tokyo: Deanna Price, Brooke Amderson and Gwen Berry.
Including marks dating back to 2019 that are considered for qualification, Rogers slips to No. 7 among those headed to the Games. The three other athletes ahead of her include Poland's Anita Wlodarczyk, who set the world record of 82.98 (272-3) in 2016. Her best mark within the qualifying window is 75.61 (248-0), which is just three inches farther than Rogers’ best throw.
Cover photo of Camryn Rogers
Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo