Clinger eyes record heights

At 6 feet, 9 inches, Charles Clinger stands taller than most people can jump.

On Wednesday at a press conference in New York, held in advance of this Friday and Saturday’s USA Indoor Track & Field Championships at the Armory Track & Field Center, he announced that his goals are even loftier than his stature.

“My goal is to be the first American to jump eight feet (outdoors),” said Clinger, who enters Saturday’s high jump competition with the best jump by an American this year with 2.31 meters/7 feet, 7 inches. “Maybe not this year, but in the next few years.”

The world record outdoors stands at 2.45 meters/ 8 feet, 0.5 inches, a mark set by Cuba’s Javier Sotomayor in 1993. Sotomayor also holds the indoor mark at 2.43m/7-11.25. The American record is 2.40m/7-10.5 both indoors (Hollis Conway) and outdoors (Charles Austin).

The 2001 NCAA high jump champion for Weber State, Clinger is in his first year of post-collegiate competition. While in college, Clinger competed in as many as 100 jump competitions a year, often high-, triple- and long-jumping at the same meet.

Able to concentrate solely on high jump for the first time, Clinger appears poised to break through several barriers. Although indoor jumping, and the tight turns its limited jumping area requires, present challenges for an athlete of Clinger’s size, the 25-year-old is ready to face defending champion Nathan Leeper in Saturday’s high jump competition. And to jump high.

“My best indoors is 7-7, and I want to go higher than that,” Clinger said. “And by a lot – not 7-7.25. I’m looking at 7-8 or 7-9.”

USATF to honor past champions Friday night

USA Track & Field on Friday will honor several great athletes from the past as part of opening ceremonies for the Indoor Championships.

USATF will honor New York-area athletes who competed 50 years ago on the 1952 U.S. Olympic Team. Expected to participate in the ceremony are three-time Olympic gold medalist and Hall of Famer Mal Whitfield (800m, 4x400m relay), two-time bronze medalist Jim Fuchs (shot put), marathoner Ted Corbitt and 200m runner Delores Dwyer Duffy. On Friday, Whitfield will donate his 1952 800m gold medal to the National Track & Field Hall of Fame, which will officially reopen at the Armory in 2003.

Also on hand for Friday’s ceremonies will be Jim Beatty, who 40 years ago became the first man ever to run under 4:00 for the indoor mile. The New York-born distance running legend ran 3:58.9 on February 10, 1962, setting the first of four world records he would run in his career. Beatty set 18 American records at distances ranging from 1,500m to 5,000m and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1990.

Dragila withdraws from Championships

Six-time defending U.S. indoor champion Stacy Dragila has withdrawn from Friday’s women’s pole vault competition at the Indoor Championships. The world and Olympic champion, Dragila has struggled this indoor season to recover from injury and illness and has been unable to find her usual form.

In Dragila’s absence, Mary Sauer and Mel Mueller are the favorites to contend for their first U.S. championship in the event. The California-based training partners have the top marks by Americans this year, with Sauer vaulting 4.61m/15-1.5 and Mueller clearing 4.60m/15-1. Dragila was number 3 on the U.S. list with a best mark of 4.57m/15-0.

"While it was a difficult decision to make, I won't be competing at the Indoor Nationals this year,” Dragila said in a statement. “When the season started, I was still recovering from an injury [foot injury] and hadn't had the time to train the way I wanted. That, coupled with the flu that had me down in Europe, resulted in a tough start to the season.

“I'm obviously not competing at the level I was last year. My plan is to rest up and focus my energy on the outdoor season. I'll miss competing in Nationals, as my coach and I feel it's an important meet for us, but we know it's time to take a break and set our sights on the outdoor season. I plan to compete again at Prefontaine [the Prefontaine Classic May 26 in Eugene, Oregon], where I'm excited about getting off to a stronger start."

For more information on the USA Indoor Track & Field Championships, including entry lists, visit the USATF Web site, http://www.usatf.org