News & Views
News & Views
May 15, 2008
Ex-Duck Britney Henry Receives USATF Elite Athlete Development Grant
USA Track & Field recently announced that Elite Athlete Development Grants had been awarded to fifteen track & field athletes. The USATF Foundation Elite Athlete Grant Program contributes to the pursuit of world-class performances by American post-collegiate track and field athletes. Athletes must meet minimum performance standards to be eligible. Ex-University of Oregon hammer thrower Britney Henry applied for and was awarded a grant which will provide financial support while she prepares for the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Eugene. Henry is an NCAA All-American and the University of Oregon School Record Holder (68.17m.) She was the 2007 PAC-10 Champion and finished fifth at the 2007 NCAA meet her senior season. Henry has met the “A” Qualifying Standard for the Olympic Trials with a throw of 67.4m.
Eugene 08 caught up with Henry to ask about the grant and her training for the Olympic Trials:
Q: You were recently awarded a USATF Elite Athlete Development Grant -- can you say a bit about how that came about?
A: I did apply for the grant, and yes I was surprised that I received the grant. There is a great deal of track and field athletes out there that need a little bit of assistance to continue on training to achieve their goal. I am glad that they saw that I needed a little bit more time to focus on my goal and not worrying about my next paycheck.
Q: How is your training for the Olympic Trials going?
A: My training for the Trials is right on schedule. My strength levels are staying up and my confidence in the ring is rising every meet. The sun is starting to take over the rain, so practice is becoming a bit more enjoyable.
Q: Will you stay in Eugene through the Trials?
A: Right now, there is no other place that I would want to be training, unless they
had a hammer ring on a beach somewhere.
Q: What meets will you compete in before the Trials?
A: Right now my meet schedule is a little bit up in the air. I hope to be on a plane next week heading down to Brazil for a series of Grand Prix meets. If that does not happen, then my next meet will be in Tucson. At the end of this month, there is a Grand Prix meet in New York that I might attend. The last meet that I will compete in before the Trials is the Prefontaine Classic. I would personally like to thank Tom Jordan for inviting a very exciting field of hammer throwers!
Q: What are your aspirations for the Trials? Do you have any specific distance goals?
A: My goal for the Trials is to throw the best I can on the day. I know that it is going to be a great competition, because we are all so close in distances and we all are going to be vying for a spot on the team. There is no real distance goal that I have, I just want to throw far enough to make the team.