She didn’t accomplish everything she had hoped for, but Vancouver native Kara Patterson was pleased with her effort Saturday.
Patterson — the American record holder in women’s javelin — came up short in an effort to qualify for the World Track and Field Championships, recording a mark of about 187 feet in a meet at Benedictine University in Lisle, Ill.
“I had a lot of confidence coming into today,” the Skyview High School graduate said in a phone interview. “I know I could have done a little better today, but I’m very happy with my aggressiveness.”
Considering that a year ago Patterson was suffering from a torn anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee, simply having a shot at the World Championships represented a successful comeback.
Patterson underwent surgery late last year, then made her 2013 debut at the U.S. Championships in June. A four-time national champion, she finished third at that meet with a mark of 183-4, earning a chance to make the U.S. team for the World Championships if she could reach the qualifying standard.
“I was sore after nationals for about two weeks,” she said. “I knew I couldn’t fit 10 meets into four weeks.”
Because of that, she decided to enter one meet near the end of the qualifying period in an attempt to reach the standard.
Saturday, she needed to throw nearly 203 feet, 5 inches (62 meters) in order to reach the “A” qualifying standard for the world meet in Moscow. Instead, the two-time Olympian and two-time World Championships participant will miss a major championship for the first time since 2007.
She plans to return to competition in April 2014.
“Not getting it is fine,” she said. “I think it’s really good for me.
“This season has been fun. I knew not making the World Championships this year would make me hungry for seasons to come.”
