Sunday July 6, 2008

Nation's top three shot putters have local ties

Stanford athletes excel at U.S. trials

By Fred Baer / Daily News Correspondent - EUGENE, Ore.

The entire U.S. women's shot put team for the Beijing Olympics has Peninsula roots.

Michelle Carter, daughter of Michael Carter (a San Francisco 49ers star when the team was based in Redwood City), led two athletes with ties to Stanford in a sweep of the top three spots in the Olympic Trials Saturday in Eugene, Ore.

Former Stanford strength coach Kristin Heaston placed second and Stanford grad Jill Camarena was third behind Carter's personal best of 61 feet, 10 1/4 inches, the longest throw by an American this year.

Heaston, a 1999 Cal grad, repeated as an Olympian with her 60-2 put in the fourth round. Camarena's first-round mark of 59-5 1/2 held up for third. That was the same place Camarena finished at the '04 trials, when she didn't reach the Olympic standard needed to compete in Athens. This time all three came into the trials having far surpassed the Olympic standard.

"I felt so bad for her in 2004 when she just missed it," said Heaston of her friend Camarena. "I'm so excited about the team we have this year."

Heaston gained notoriety at the Athens Games by becoming the first woman to compete at ancient Olympia, after receiving the first spot in the qualifying-round draw for the competition at that site. She finished 12th in her group and did not advance.

"That was my claim to fame last time," Heaston said. "This time I'm so excited about going over there (to Beijing) and doing well."

Heaston, 32, is coming off a 2007 season when she reached a personal best of 61-3 1/2 and entered the world championships as the U.S. champion for a third straight time.

Three-time U.S. indoor champ Camarena was the Pac-10 champ and NCAA runner-up as a senior at Stanford in '04. "After that I had to decide whether to continue," she said. "I'm now working in the Home Depot Olympic program and training at the University of Arizona."

Camarena, 26, was ranked No. 1 in the U.S. last year after throwing 62-1 at the Stanford Invitational. But she had to come back from offseason shoulder surgery.

"It was more amazing that I was able to mentally get ready for this," she said. "I had to think, it's just another meet."

Michelle Carter, the high school record holder in the shot put (54-10 3/4), continues to follow in the footsteps of her famous father - and challenge him. Michael Carter set the standing high school shot put record of 81-3 in Sacramento in 1979, considered one of the greatest marks in any event in prep history. Before joining the 49ers, he won the silver medal in the '84 Olympics.

"He got the silver, but I told him I'm going to get the gold," the younger Carter said.

The "newcomer" is just 22 years old.

"(My dad) always knew I could make it," she said. "Being so young, there are things to learn, things I need to do well, (but) I'm getting it."


Nelson leads shot putters

The Peninsula also has provided a member of the men's shot put team, current world leader Adam Nelson. He lived in San Carlos and Menlo Park for several years while training at Stanford. He currently lives in Virginia while working on a master's degree in business.

Nelson, Heaston, and Camarena have all trained with former Stanford coach Robert Weir.


Locals in top three

Two athletes who currently train at Stanford, hammer throwers Kevin McMahon and Sarah Veress (McMahon's pupil), finished in the top three in their events but will miss the Olympics because they have not reached the Olympic "A" standard.

e entire U.S. women's shot put team for the Beijing Olympics has Bay Area Peninsula roots.

Michelle Carter, daughter of Michael Carter (a San Francisco 49ers star when the team was based in Redwood City), led two athletes with ties to Stanford in a sweep of the top three spots in the Olympic Trials Saturday in Eugene, Ore.

Former Stanford strength coach Kristen Heaston placed second and Stanford grad was third behind Carter's personal best of 61 feet, 10 1/4 inches, the longest throw by an American this year.