Ecton Lawrence "Ji" Billiot Jr.
July 7, 2008
Jaime Pineda
July 11, 2008
Vandebilt graduate pole vaulter Rachel Laurent could have vied for a spot on the United States Olympic Track and Field team last week.
She is ranked 23rd on a 24-woman list for U.S. Olympic qualifying in the women’s pole vault. However, she decided not to compete.
“I didn’t have a chance to make it this year,” she insisted. “Most likely, I wouldn’t have made it past preliminaries into finals.”
Instead, Laurent is joining Team USA and competing at the 12th International Association of Athletics Federation’s World Junior Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland today.
“It’s an honor to wear the Team USA uniform,” she said. “I hope to represent my country well.”
Laurent will be facing an international field of competitors, all of whom have cleared at least 13 feet at meets over the past year.
“I’m going to be facing pretty tough competition,” she said. “There are a few girls ranked ahead of me. I think the number-one ranked girl is from China. One is from Australia or Russia.”
Laurent competes in the semifinals today. If she makes the top 12, she will be in the finals on Friday.
The Vandebilt graduate set a personal best, and second-best all-time girls’ high school mark, clearing 14 feet in March at the Nollie Arcement Relays at Central Lafourche.
Since then, her fans have been anticipating Laurent breaking the record of 14 feet, 1.5 inches. However, she has come up short despite winning every event she has entered, including her third outdoor Class 4A state title in May.
“I’ve been really close so often, but I just hit the crossbar and it rolls off,” Laurent noted. “It’s a little frustrating, but I have until the end of summer to do it.”
Laurent had a very busy June, winning awards and competing and setting records at national track meets.
On June 7, she competed in the Great Southwest Track and Field Classic in Albuquerque, N.M. She won the girls’ group A and set a meet record with a jump of 13 feet, 6.25 inches.
On June 14, she cleared 13 feet, 6 inches, which set a national women’s record at the AAU Regional Track and Field Championships at Tad Gormley Stadium in New Orleans.
“That was fun,” Laurent said. “It was pretty much our last track meet together as a team (twin sister Amber, Jaora Johnson, Christopher Watson, Brad Stoufette, Katie Watson and Ross Dufrene). It was a lot of fun to hang out with them and have one last meet. It was just a good way to end it.”
On June 18, Laurent was named Louisiana Gatorade Female Track and Field Athlete of the Year for the third consecutive year.
And on June 22, she set a USA Junior National Track and Field Championships’ record by clearing 13 feet, 10 inches.
“It was my third year doing it, so I kind of knew what to expect,” Laurent explained. “It was a little different because the last two years it was in Indianapolis, and this year it was in Columbus, Ohio. It was a different atmosphere, but the conditions were really good.”
Bydgoszcz will be a different experience than anything Laurent has ever had. She and Team USA flew into Berlin then endured a six-hour drive to the city on the Brda and Vistula rivers.
“All I know is it’s really difficult to get to, and there not are many hotels in the area,” Laurent said.
Her family will take the same route to watch her compete, but she will likely only see them in the stands.
Although Laurent has decided not to take a shot at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, her dream is not dead.
Before she begins thinking about seeking Olympic gold in London in 2012, she will compete for the purple and gold of LSU. Her freshman year begins next month.
“In four years, I’ll have a better shot at the Olympics,” Laurent said.
Rachel Laurent hopes to clear 14 feet, 1.5 inches – a national high school record – at the 12th International Association of Athletics Federation’s World Junior Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland. * Photo by KEYON K. JEFF
