Harbolds Married to Top Finishes

The results were mixed Sunday for the husband-wife kayaking pair of Mike and Alexandra Harbold in trials for the American canoe/kayak team at the Arco Olympic training center.

The Harbolds, the only married couple quartered at the training center, were involved in the three closest races of the day and finished with a first and two seconds.

First, Mike Harbold, a two-time Olympian from Honolulu, fought off a strong challenge from his doubles partner, Mike Herbert of Rogers, Ark., to win the 1,000-meter men’s singles final. The two crossed the line 0.92 seconds apart.

Next, Alexandra Harbold, a native of Rockaway Beach, N.Y., who competed in the 1992 Olympics, teamed with Traci Phillips of Honolulu to finish a close second to DeAnne Hemmens of Costa Mesa and Lia Rousett of Newport Beach in the women’s 500-meter doubles final.

Then Mike Harbold and Herbert chased favored Stein Jorgensen of San Diego and John Mooney of Eugene, Ore., to the wire in the men’s 1,000-meter doubles final. They came from almost two lengths back to create a photo finish, only to lose by 0.21.

Mike Harbold looked back at his two exhausting races and said, “I was just lucky to win the singles. I was so badly spent that my lungs were burning. In the doubles, I was in even worse shape at the finish, but it was great that we came back so strong against the world 200 champions [Jorgensen and Mooney].

Alexandra Harbold was only slightly let down by her second-place finish.

“I really can’t complain,” she said. “My partner and I have been concentrating on singles, and the women who beat us are focusing on doubles.”

In men’s canoeing finals, three-time Olympian Jim Terrell of Milford, Ohio, won in 1,000-meter singles and Joe Harper of Chula Vista and Jim Werland of Lemon Grove in 1,000-meter doubles.

Mike Barrowman of Costa Mesa, bidding for an Olympic berth in a second sport after winning a swimming gold medal in 1992, finished sixth with Wyatt Jones of Honolulu in 1,000-meter kayak doubles.

After today’s closing 500-meter finals, about 25 athletes will be picked for a training camp that will lead to the final Olympic qualifier in Gainesville, Ga., May 4-5.