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Olympics Blog

Snake-bitten no longer

By Philip Hersh
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EUGENE, Ore. -- Jeff Hartwig, a snake collector, must have wondered if the hobby was coming back to figuratively bite him after he failed to clear a height in qualifying at the past two Olympic trials.

At 40, Hartwig has a found a charmed life as a vaulter.

The longtime U.S. record-holder made his second Olympic team -- but first since 1996 -- by finishing second in Sunday’s final with a vault of 18 feet, 8 1/4 inches.

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Derek Miles won the event in an upset over new U.S. record-holder Brad Walker, who was third.

Miles, Hartwig and Walker are the three vaulters going to Beijing.

-- Philip Hersh

Olympics Blog
Philip Hersh

Philip Hersh, the former Olympic specialist for Tribune Co., covered 17 Olympics and reported from some 50 countries in 30 years with the Chicago Tribune. He likes to use sport as a way to write about the culture of a country or an athlete. Hersh graduated from Yale with a Bachelor of Arts in French literature. His passions include chamber music, road cycling (takes no PEDs except Advil) and Dr. Siri mysteries.

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