Bridget (Guy) Williams fell just short of qualifying for the finals in the pole vault at the 2024 Paris Olympics on Monday morning in Saint-Denis, France.
The Hempfield grad failed to clear 4.55 meters and finished outside the top 20 qualifiers who advanced to Wednesday’s finals.
Competing for Team USA, Williams, 28, cleared the bar on her first two attempted heights, including 4.4 meters (14 feet, 5.25 inches).
She finished 12th in her heat (Group A) and 22nd overall. Athletes who cleared 4.7 meters or at least the 12 best performers automatically advanced to the finals. Since no vaulters cleared 4.7 meters and 11 cleared 4.55, meet officials sent all nine women who cleared 4.4 meters on their first attempt, leading to 20 qualifiers.
Team USA’s Katie Moon, the defending gold medalist, cleared 4.55 and advanced.
Williams earned a spot on Team USA after finishing first at the team trials earlier this summer by clearing 4.73 meters.
She won the PIAA championship in 2014 at Hempfield. She then was a three-time All-American and two-time outdoor ACC individual champion in pole vault at Virginia, where she set indoor (4.38 meters, 14-4 1/2) and outdoor (4.46 meters, 14-7 1/2) school records.
Bill Hartlep is the TribLive sports editor. A Pittsburgh native and Point Park graduate, he joined the Trib in 2004, covering high school sports. He held various editing roles before assuming his current position in 2019. He can be reached at bhartlep@triblive.com.