Des Moines, Iowa (USA) Rebecca "Becky" Breisch, a third-year student at the University of Nebraska, made it clear that she will be in the U.S. women's Olympic discus picture with her second personal best in the last seven days, at yesterday's Drake Relays (23 April).
Starting with a PB of 58.70m set in 2002, on April 17 she reached 62.35, then raised it to 62.61 in winning here. Breisch, who is only five weeks past her 21st birthday, was seventh at last year's USATF national championships, but she is now third on the 2004 U.S. list, close behind Aretha Hill (63.67) and Suzy Powell (62.82). The other s who figure in the equation are Seilala Sua, who has a PB of 65.89 (2000) but hasn't been above 62.85 the last two years, and Kris Kuehl, who set a PB of 65.34 (2000) but is now recovering from foot surgery. It should be an interesting Olympic Trials; right now, Breisch appears to have some momentum.
Later in the afternoon, she also won the shot put with 17.35m, winning by more than a metre.
The only other mark of international note was a 9:57.03 victory in the women's 3000m steeplechase by Ida Nilsson, a Swedish student at Northern Arizona University. But of course, the women's steeplechase hasn't made it into the Olympic athletics program as yet.
Much of today's action was taken up with high school races. Saturday will see more top-class university and professional athletes in competition, including world 100m champion Kim Collins of St. Kitts and Nevin in the 100, world indoor champion Christian Cantwell in the shot, and Olympic champion Stacy Dragila in the women's pole vault
