Chari Hawkins Has Heptathlon Medal Hopes Crushed During High Jump
Aug 8, 2024, 3:59 AM | Updated: 4:11 am
(Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
PARIS – Former Utah State track star Chari Hawkins used all three attempts on one height in the high jump portion of the heptathlon and left with no points.
Hawkins attended Utah State from 2011 to 2015 and racked up dozens of accolades as an Aggie. Making her Olympic debut at 33 years old, she is the first USU Olympian since James Parker back in 2004.
Keep up with the Olympic medal count here.
OUR Olympian!
🇺🇸 @_charihawkins pic.twitter.com/LEQA9ghZXg
— Utah State Athletics (@USUAthletics) June 26, 2024
Hawkins Builds On Hurdles Performance With High Jump
The jumping events in the Heptathlon have typically been Hawkins’ strong suit. Recent improvements in the throwing events are what helped her make the jump to be an Olympian.
In the heptathlon high jump event, the bar starts at 1.56 meters and is raised by 3 centimeters with each clearance.
Hawkins made it look easy on all of her first five attempts. On the sixth attempt at 1.71 meters, she barely clipped the bar. She chose to take a second and third crack at the 1.71m mark but couldn’t clear it in the end.
Her final attempt was easily the closest. She was entirely clear of the bar but pulled her legs up a bit late. Since she didnt take her points and used all three attempts on one height, Hawkins receved a no mark.
It was definitely a disappointing result for Hawkins. At the 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships earlier this year, she cleared the 1.76m bar and placed fourth.
What Is The Olympic Heptathlon?
The heptathlon is an all-around track and field event that consists of seven events spread over two days. From sprints and jumps to throwing, the athletes earn points in each event with the highest total score winning.
The events in order are the 100m hurdles, High Jump, Shot Put, 200m, Long Jump, Javelin, and the 800m.
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The 2024 Paris Olympics takes place Friday, July 26, through Sunday, August 11. The Paris Games are comprised of 329 events across 19 days, with 754 competitions and ceremonies for more than 10,000 athletes.
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Chandler Holt is a co-host of the Jazz Notes podcast, a Locals In The NFL Insider, and Digital Sports Producer for KSLSports.com. Follow Chandler on Twitter @CHoltSports or on Threads @chandlerho1t.