Geubelle, Dixon Move on to Finals on Day Two of U.S. Olympic Trial

June 23, 2012

{EUGENE, Ore.} — Kansas track & field’s Andrea Geubelle and Diamond Dixon each advanced to event finals Saturday at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials at Historic Hayward Field. Geubelle finished fourth in triple jump qualifying to move on to the Monday final, while Dixon finished third in her semifinal heat of the 400 meters to earn a spot in the final to be held Sunday.

Geubelle, who began the day as the third-ranked American in the event, wouldn’t have an easy day as rains fell in Eugene for the majority of the competition. The University Place, Wash., native got her day out to a good start, leaping to a mark of 13.52 meters (44-04.25 ft.) on her first attempt. The mark shot her to the top of the leaderboard and into first place, where she remained through the first round of jumps. With the runway saturated, Geubelle was unable to record another fair jump, fouling on her two remaining attempts. She didn’t drop far in the standings though, dipping three spots to fourth place and punching her ticket into the 12-person final.

Geubelle will compete for a trip to the Olympics Games in the triple jump final Monday at 7:45 p.m. (CT). In order to punch her ticket to London she will need to hit the A-Standard mark of 14.30 meters (46-11 ft.).

Diamond Dixon hit the Hayward Field track later in the afternoon in semifinal action vying for a spot in the finals of the 400 meters. Friday, the sophomore advanced past the first round by way of her 11^th-place finish in a time of 52.66.

Dixon, running in the first of two semifinal heats, needed to finish in the top four of her race in order to advance. A task the was no easy feat considering five of the women she was competing against had out-paced her in the opening round a day earlier.

The Houston native ran a smooth race from the gun, completing the first 200 meters in strong form, still hanging with the leaders. She rounded the famed “Bowerman Curve” not far off of 2011 World Champion Sanya Richard-Ross’ lead. As usual, Dixon closed out the race with a furious kick down the final 100 meters, crossing the finish line in 51.58, placing third in her heat and securing a spot in the final. The time was the sixth-fastest amongst the eight who qualified for the final.

Dixon will now try to earn a spot on the U.S. Olympic Team in the 400-meter final, which is slated for Sunday at 6:35 p.m. (CT). A top-three finish will assure her a spot in the Olympic 400-meter race, while a top-six finish will likely give her a spot on the Olympic 4x400-meter relay team.

Follow Dixon’s progress Sunday by logging on to KUAthletics.com and following on twitter at @KU_Track. On Monday, June 25, two new Jayhawks will begin competition in Eugene as Mason Finley and Rebeka Stowe will be in action in the qualifying rounds of the discus and 3,000-meter Steeplechase, respectively. Finley will begin at 5:30 p.m. (CT), Stowe at 5:50 p.m., and Geubelle in the finals of the triple jump at 7:45 p.m.

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