Former MSU track and field star Paul Terek wasn't supposed to make the U.S. Olympic Track and Field team, not after finishing in sixth place on the first day.
But Terek, 24, won a spot on the U.S. Olympic decathlon team by finishing third among 16 competitors at the U.S. Olympic Trials this weekend in Sacramento, Calif. Only the top three decathletes qualified for the Olympics.
Terek is the first Spartan to compete in the Summer Games since diver Julie Farrell-Ovenhouse participated in the Barcelona Games in 1992.
"I want to go to my first Olympics and really make a statement," Terek said. "I don't want to go to the Olympics as a rookie and suck."
Terek's coaches while he was at MSU were not surprised by the alumnus earning a spot on the U.S. Olympic team.
Will Wabaunsee, assistant coach for MSU men's track and field team, worked with Terek throughout his career at MSU. Terek graduated from MSU in 2002.
"That kid was tough - he was always leading the workouts," Wabaunsee said. "He has come a long way, made the Olympic team and has really focused on the decathlon."
After the first day of competition, Terek found himself in sixth place, just out of view of the Olympic team. Terek took second in the shot put with a throw of 50-5 1/4 and managed to take third in the long jump with a distance of 23-10 1/4.
Terek also ended the first day finishing sixth in the 400-meter dash with a time of 48.74 seconds, eighth in the 100-meter dash with a time of 10.98 and tied for seventh in the high jump with a leap of 6-7.
Terek was only 79 points behind Ryan Olkowski, who finished third after the first day of competition. The other two competitors separating Terek from the U.S. Olympic team were less than 30 points ahead of the Livonia native.
After the first of two days of competition, Terek said he was confident, despite his sixth-place finish. He said he usually earns most of his points on the final day and knew he could still qualify with a strong second-day performance.
"I'm a decent first-day guy, but other guys have more strength in most of the first-day events," Terek said. "I had a pretty decent first day."
The final day of competition contained some of Terek's best events, including the pole vault, which is his forte.
Terek opened the final day of competition with a last-place finish in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 15.40.
"The only event I'm not really comfortable with is the hurdles, but only because I've been inconsistent," Terek said.
After the shaky start on the final day, Terek pulled himself together and finished strongly. He wasn't concerned with the way he started the day.
"When you get caught up in the moment, you forget about the carrot at the end of the stick," Terek said.
By taking second in the discus competition with a throw of 161-6, the former All-American began to make his move, as that event propelled him into third place.
Terek then strengthened his hold on third place by winning the pole vault with a leap of 17-0 3/4. He ended the competition with finishes of 10th in the javelin with a throw of 179-5, and second in the 1500-meter with a time of 4-minutes and 24.28 seconds.
On the final event of the day, Terek got a minor scare from fellow decathlon competitor Phil McMullen. McMullen finished ahead of Terek in the 1500-meter run, giving the former a total of 8,285 points, but it was not enough as Terek finished with 8,312 points and received a bid to the 2004 Olympic Games.
The 8,312 points was a personal best for Terek, and he couldn't have picked a better time to do so. Texas native Bryan Clay (8,660 points) and Oregon's Tom Papas (8,517 points) will join Terek and represent the United States in the decathlon for the Olympic Games which run from Aug. 20-29.
Terek will rest until Tuesday when he heads back to training in California. He will be leaving for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece on Aug. 10 and will be returning to the United States about three weeks later.
