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Award-winning columnist Tom Archdeacon — an old-school storyteller in a brand-new venue — writes about sports, the city, southwest Ohio and anything else that catches his fancy… or yours.Home > Blogs > Through the Arch > Archives > 2008 > August > 15 > Entry
Blog: Fountain Leads Heptathlon After Day 1
BEIJING — At the end of the first of two days of competition, Kettering’s Hyleas Fountain is leading the Olympic heptathlon.
After winning the 100-meter hurdles in 12.78 seconds and tying for first in the high jump with a leap of 6 feet, 1 1/4 inches, she slipped to second place in the points totals behind Ukraine’s Natalia Dobrynska after finishing 18th in the shot put with a heave of 43 feet, 10 inches, an inch and a quarter less than her personal record at the U.S. Olympic Trials.
But the 27-year-old Fountain had the National Stadium crowd roaring again Friday night when she won the 200 meters in 23.21 seconds.
She now has 4,060 points while Dobrynska is second with 3,996 and Great Britain’s Kelly Sotherton is third with 3,938.
Although she declined comment with the rest of the U.S. and international media when she trotted through the mix zone coming off the track late Friday night — in part, I believe, because of some cramping high in her hamstrings — she did take a minute with the Dayton Daily News as she came limping down an athletes’ hallway away from the press.
“Oh yeah, I’m pleased,” she said. “I had two huge PRs today, so I’m pretty excited about it. And the shot, I’m happy with it, too. It was my second-best throw ever so I can’t be too mad about that.”
She claimed she wasn’t drained from a day’s exertion in the Beijing heat because she kept hydrated and managed to slip back to the Athletes Village for a couple of hours rest during the competition break early Friday afternoon.
Saturday (Beijing time), she’ll go for a medal as the heptathlon wraps up with the long jump, javelin and 800 meters. She won the first two events at the U.S. Trials and finished 13th in the 800.
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Comments
By Maria
August 15, 2008 3:48 PM | Link to this
I think she did a terrific job…and finally someone from our hometown made a difference in today sports that’s positive and NOW~~~the World can finally see that Dayton, OH has a lot to offer. I am so trilled she has done a remarkable job so far…I pray that she take home the Gold Medal…Way to Go HomeGirl!!!
By City Resident
August 15, 2008 11:40 AM | Link to this
Go Hyleas!