SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Kara Winger added another national championship to her resume.
The Skyview High School graduate won her seventh title in the javelin at the U.S. Track and Field Championships on a scorching day in Sacramento on Thursday.
Winger set the winning pace early, throwing her winning effort of 206 feet in the first round, and ended up winning the event by more than 14 feet over runner-up Ariana Ince.
Winger had previously won national titles in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2014 and 2015.
Temperatures reached 108 degrees on Thursday at Sacramento State’s Hornet Stadium, causing meet organizers to adjust the meet schedule on the first day of the four-day event.
Camas’ Alexa Efraimson was the No. 2 qualifier for Saturday’s finals in the women’s 1,500 meters.
Efraimson ran 4 minutes, 9.65 seconds to finish behind Kate Grace (4:09.11) in the first of three heats Thursday.
Ashley Maton, the former University of Oregon runner and older sister of Camas High sophomore Daniel Maton, finished sixth in the first year (4:14.17) and just missed advancing to the finals, which are scheduled for 2:12 p.m. Saturday.
After the first heat of the women’s 1,500, Efraimson, Maton and the other competitors in the race gathered around Gabriele Grunewald in a show of support. Grunewald finished last in the heat, but she was competing despite being two weeks into chemotherapy treatment for cancer.
Battle Ground’s Curtis Stradley placed ninth in the boys javelin in the junior national meet, also held in Sacramento. Stradley’s best throw went 185-8. Stradley won the 4A high school state championship last month with a mark of 207-3, and had season-best mark of 211-1.
Alysia Montano took two laps at nationals while pregnant with her first child. It was only fair she do the same with baby No 2.
Five months pregnant, the 800-meter runner finished more than 19 seconds behind the winning time Thursday night at the U.S. track and field championships in extreme heat.
She never felt better.
“Amazing,” said Montano, who chased her nearly 3-year-old daughter around after the race.
Wearing a customized Wonder Woman top and the trademark flower in her hair, Montano finished in 2 minutes, 21.40 seconds to eclipse her previous-best pregnancy time by nearly 11 seconds. Of course, she was eight months pregnant when she attempted the endeavor in 2014 at the same track.
“Everyone is like, ‘Oh, you’re going to be faster than you were last time, because you’re less pregnant,” said Montano, whose personal-best time is 1:57.34 set in 2010. “I’m like, ‘I’m still pregnant.”‘
She said she wasn’t worried about the 110-degree heat. She hydrated before the race and stayed in the shade until it was time to take the track.
“There’s something about coming out to any venue, not really expecting to win but just going along with the journey and seeing what comes out of it,” said Montano, who was dropped by her shoe sponsor and wore spikes decorated with flowers. “It’s been fantastic.”
Highlights from Day 1 of nationals:
HOT ON THEIR HEELS
The weather was certainly a hot topic. The trackside thermometer at one point read 111 degrees. “In the 100-meter dash, we got out on the track 30 minutes before our start time, and my feet were burning. My feet were on fire,” decathlete Trey Hardee said.
QUOTABLE
“I was very confused as to how to stay warm because you are already so hot, but you also want to stay warm so I was confused,” said triple jump winner Keturah Orji of the University of Georgia.
FACTS & FIGURES
Although 800-meter runner Nick Symmonds plans to retire after the track season, he signed up for one more race — the 2017 Honolulu Marathon in December. “Got to keep setting goals,” Symmonds said. … 800-meter runner Ajee Wilson has eliminated beef from her diet. She had her American indoor record disqualified after the United States Anti-Doping Agency announced she tested positive for a prohibited substance that was ingested through contaminated meat. She won’t face a period of ineligibility. “I know myself. I know my heart. I know what happened,” she said.
ON DECK
Olympic silver medalist Tori Bowie had the top time in the first round of the women’s 100. She will be the favorite in Friday’s final. On the men’s side, NCAA champion Christian Coleman posted the fastest trip down the track.
