July 3, 2008

LOGAN, Utah - Former Utah State hammer thrower James Parker has qualified for Friday's finals at the United States Track & Field Olympic Trials, at historic Hayward Field at Eugene, Ore.

Parker, a native of Layton, Utah, was fifth in the qualifying round with a mark of 234-00 (71.33m). He needs to finish in the top three Friday to make the United States team for the 2008 Summer Olympic Games. The hammer throw finals get underway Friday at 8 p.m. (MT).

Parker is a three-time USA outdoor champion as well as a member of the U.S. Olympic team for the 2004 Summer Games in Athens, Greece, where he finished 20th. He was also the 2004 USA Indoor weight throw champion.

Parker won three consecutive USA hammer throw titles before finishing as the runner-up in 2006. He ended the 2004 outdoor season owning five of the top six hammer throws by an American. He captured his first national title at the 2003 USA Outdoor Championships and ended the campaign ranked #1 nationally for the first time. Parker bettered his previous personal best on three occasions in 2003 and won the silver medal at the Pan American Games

While at Utah State, Parker earned NCAA All-American accolades nine times. He was also a seven-time Big West Conference champion, including garnering the 1995 Big West Track Athlete of the Year. Parker still holds USU records for the hammer (240-07) and discus (192-01) for outdoor as well as the weight throw (70-09.25) for indoor. He also holds the No. 4 spots in the shot put for both indoor (60-02.50) and outdoor (59-11.75).

TV coverage throughout the trials is on USA (Comcast Ch. 57 in Cache Valley) and NBC (Comcast Ch. 5). Check local listings for more details.

More information on the U.S. Olympic Trials can be found at www.usatf.org.