Assistant track coach JaRod Tobler was only one big jump away from qualifying for the Olympic Track Team during Sunday’s trials at Eugene, Ore.

Unfortunately, that jump never came.

Tobler placed sixth overall in the long jump at the Olympic Trials, failing to make the Olympic Team by 5 and a quarter inches.

For the long jump finals, each athlete had six jumps. Tobler had a jump of 26′ 6 on his first attempt.

Tobler’s next three jumps were fouls, which is a jump that is past the take off line. He said he couldn’t find the board, and missed it by less then half an inch each time.

Tobler felt that one of his foul jumps was over 27 feet. This jump would’ve qualified him over Miguel Pate who took the last Olympic spot with a distance of 26’11_.

“It comes with the territory of the long jump,” Tobler said. “Any given day, all it takes is one jump. That is sometimes the joy and the curse of this sport.”

The Panther coach said he was jumping aggressively because he needed to soar well over his personal best to make the Olympic Team.

“The key was to get one early and then go after it,” Tobler said. “I knew I had to jump 8.30 meters.”

Tobler’s next two jumps were less then his first.

As he watched long jumpers Trevell Quinley and Brian Johnson fly over 27 feet and qualify for the games, he knew his experience was over.

“After my final jump, I took everything in,” Tobler said. “I didn’t make the team, but I realized it was a great accomplishment and soaked it all in.”

Tobler noted how competitive this group of long jumpers was.

“The top six were all capable of that one jump,” Tobler said. “It definitely was an elite squad.”

Tobler qualified on Friday for the finals with a distance of 26’9 ½”, a personal best. He placed second out of 24 athletes, ahead of Trevell and Johnson.

Even though Tobler didn’t make the Olympic squad, he is proud of coming back from a serious knee injury in 2004 that prevented him from competing in the trials that year.

“Everything that I did to get here was a blessing knowing that I can jump with the elite,” Tobler said.

The track coach said he’s flying to Aurora to be with his family this week and then return to campus. He said he will begin training for the 2012 London Olympics sometime in September.

Bob Bajek can be reached at 581-7944 or at rtbajek@eiu.edu.