Aretha Hill Thurmond, the former University of Washington discus thrower in her fourth Olympic Games, failed to reach the finals field of 12 Friday after a best toss of 194-8 1/2 in the qualifying round. Cuba’s Yarelys Barrios had the best qualifying throw of 216-3. Thurmond was not expected to contend for a medal.
Also in London Friday, Kirkland cyclist Jennie Reed and her U.S. teammates advanced in a qualifying race in women’s team pursuit. Great Britain set a world record of 3:15.669 while the USA clocked 3:10.406.
Former UW goalkeeper Hope Solo remained on track for a second gold when she helped blank New Zealand 2-0 in women’s soccer. Amy Wambach and Sydney Leroux, who played for the Sounders Women, scored the U.S. goals. The victory sends the U.S. to the semifinals.
In women’s basketball, Lauren Jackson of the Seattle Storm, a three-time Olympic silver medalist, scored nine points and had three rebounds in Australia’s 70-66 Group B victory over Russia. Jackson’s Storm teammate, Sue Bird, and the U.S. take on the Czech Republic in a late Friday Group A contest.
