Gerraughty Competes in Olympia

Posted on Aug. 23, 2004

Track & Field News

These were the first Olympic games for rising UNC junior Laura Gerraughty who competed in the shot put event on Aug. 18.

Gerraughty finished 27th in the qualifying round with a throw of 16.47. It was not enough to qualify her for the final round, which was held later that day.

Gerraughty’s Olympic throw paled in comparison to the ones she has become known for in the state. As a UNC sophomore, she won the shot put event at the 2004 U.S. Indoor National Championships with a 19.14m (62 feet, 9.5 inches) throw, which set a national collegiate record.

After two weeks, Gerraughty broke that record by one centimeter to win the NCAA Indoor title at 19.15m (62-10). At the Olympic trials, she tossed a bit shorter than usual, only 18.50m (60-8 1/2), but it was still good enough to win at the trials.

Wednesday’s shot put events were held at Olympia, the original site of the ancient Greek Olympic Games in 776 B.C. In respect of that, no concession stands or electronic scoreboards were allowed at Olympia.

The outdoor stadium, which consisted of two hillsides, was filled with 15,000 spectators for the shot put events, according to USAToday.com.

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