History Repeats for O.C. Shotputter : Track and field: Doehring, who competed at San Clemente High and Saddleback College, saves best for last while making Olympic team.

Jim Doehring had been there before. A strong effort in his final attempt in the men’s shotput could ensure him a spot on the Olympic team.

At the U.S. Olympic track and field trials Saturday at Tad Gormley Stadium, Doehring’s distance of 67 feet 11 3/4 inches on his fourth attempt propelled him from eighth place to third.

On his sixth and final attempt, Doehring, still in third, stepped into the ring and went 69-2, which placed him second. Although the next four competitors took a shot at knocking Doehring out of second, none was successful.

Doehring, who competed at San Clemente High School, Saddleback College and San Jose State, had a similar experience in the 1988 trials, when he made the team on his final throw.

“I was just saying, ‘Praise to God,’ because I was sitting in eighth place,” said Doehring, 30. “I did the same thing in 1988. I was just very lucky to have someone watching over me.”

Doehring, who came to the trials with his wife, Dana, and has two children, Jennifer, 2, and Brittany, 6 months, has had his troubles lately. He was suspended for two years by The Athletics Congress in December 1990, after testing positive for excessive testosterone levels. On March 12 of this year, Doehring was reinstated after it was determined there were procedural improprieties at the testing laboratory.

He resumed competing in April and two weeks ago at a meet in Los Gatos, threw a personal best of 70-10, but he has suffered this season from a hyperextended elbow in his throwing arm.

“No, it’s not something I try to do,” said Doehring about throwing farther in his later attempts. “I try to do it on the first and second throw, but today, I just didn’t give up.”

Doehring, who won the TAC national championship in 1990 before he was suspended, said he never doubted he would be reinstated.

“All I can say is I hope this helps to set up a good situation for everyone in the future,” he said. “I’m against drugs--that way it is even for everyone competing.”

Winner Mike Stulce (70-5 1/40 and third-place finisher Ron Backes (68-1 3/4) also made the team.

In the decathlon, Sheldon Blockburger, former Newport Harbor and Orange Coast College standout, placed ninth with 7,930 points. Dave Johnson captured the decathlon with a meet record 8,649 points.

Blockburger, 28, an LSU graduate who placed second at the TAC nationals in 1989 and third in 1990, said he is retiring from competition. Blockburger cited successive injuries as his reason for retiring. Although he has not trained the past four weeks because of dislocated toes in his left foot, Blockburger was third after three events in the first day of competition Friday; he dropped to eighth after five events.