Olympic Trials Results

EUGENE, Ore.—South Dakota throw coach A.G. Kruger finished fourth in the hammer throw at the United States Olympic Trials at Hayward Field on Wednesday evening.
 
Kruger sent the hammer 240 feet, 6 inches, on his second throw of the competition. His throw remained in the top three headed into the finals.
 
Cornell junior Rudy Winkler launched a throw of 251-10 on his fourth attempt to bump Kruger to fourth in the standings.
 
"I am probably done with my career," Kruger said after the competition ended. "I thank God for giving me the chance to do this for all of these years. It has been an amazing ride. There are a lot of emotions right now, but at some point it comes to an end."
 
Winkler, Kibwe Johnson and Conor McCullough took home the top three spots at the Trials. Johnson threw 246-5 on his third throw and McCullough posted a 243-4 on his first attempt. McCullough's throw was the best third place mark at the U.S. Olympic Trials since 1992.
 
Kruger retires as a three-time Olympian, five-time World Championship qualifier and 15-time U.S. National Championship qualifier.

"Hopefully it's not the end of A.G. Kruger," Johnson said. "If it was, I would have given him a big old hug. We go back further than most of these guys throwing the hammer. It's kind of bittersweet the way it ended tonight. I would have liked for him to make the team going out. He definitely put it all into it today. I am sure moving on, hopefully he will reconcile that and he will be at peace with that."
 
"A.G. is a fantastic human being and a great coach," Lance Deal said of Kruger. "It's always hard for me to see an athlete at this stage of his life because I still remember what it's like. A great friend and mentor once said to me 'Athletes and dancers die two deaths.' Every time I see that I get a little chocked up."
 
Deal, the 1996 Olympic silver medalist in the hammer throw and American record holder, designed and built the hammer cage that was used for this year's Olympic Trials. The hammer throw was contested inside Hayward Field for the first time in history.