Alyx Treasure is going to the Olympic finals.
In her first Olympic competition, the 24-year-old high jumper from Prince George successfully launched her body over the bar at a height of 1.94 metres (six feet, 4.37 inches), setting a new personal best.
The pressure was on, with Treasure facing elimination in her third attempt at 1.94m. Raising her arms in an overhead clap, she urged on the huge crowd at Olympic Stadium in Rio de Janeiro to do likewise, then took off on her run-up. Treasure had height to spare as she soared over the bar, letting out a scream of delight as she landed on the mat, knowing she had made the cut.
Treasure started with the bar at 1.80m and made it on her first attempt, also clearing 1.85m and 1.89m on her first try. She needed two jumps to get past 1.92m.
Treasure’s previous best, 1.93m, set May 7 at the Ward Haylett Invitational meet in Manhattan, Kansas, qualified her for the Olympics. She went on to win her third consecutive Canadian championship in July in Edmonton.
Treasure, a D.P. Todd secondary school graduate, will now prepare for the high jump finals, Saturday beginning at 12:30 p.m. PT. She is the only Canadian among 17 finals qualifiers.
