6/29/08

EUGENE, Ore. — In the previous two United States Olympic trials, Jeff Hartwig was on the painful end of the quirks of the pole vault. He failed to clear a single height in 2000, when he was the dominant force in the sport, and he failed again in 2004.

Now, at age 40, Hartwig has put those memories behind him. He finished second at the trials on Sunday to make his first Olympic team since 1996. It was a quirky day, befitting the event, with the current American record-holder Brad Walker finishing third.