Heptathlete Wade qualifes for Worlds | hometownlife.com | the Observer & Eccentric Newspapers and Hometown Weeklies
Heptathlete Wade qualifes for Worlds
BY BRAD EMONS
OBSERVER STAFF WRITER
• June 30, 2009
Bettie Wade admits she can be her own worst critic at times.
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But after the former Farmington High standout earned a third-place finish with a personal best 5,908 points in the women’s heptathlon at last weekend’s USA Track and Field Outdoor Championships – along with the spot in the IAAF World Championships next month in Berlin – even she found some solace in what can be described as a trying year.
“I’m very excited,’’ said the recent University of Michigan grad. “But it’s been a rough season in my eyes because I’ve had high hopes and lofty goals. But I also feel thankful and blessed to qualify.’’
The women’s heptathlon, consisting of seven events over two days, was made famous by American Jackie Joyner-Kersee.
But after Friday’s opening day of events at the University of Oregon’s historic Hayward Field in Eugene, Wade questioned whether it was time to move on to a different life.