EUGENE, ORE. – Saginaw Valley State University alumnus and assistant track & field coach Sam Black competed in the decathlon at the U.S. Olympic Trials inside legendary Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. Black totaled a personal best 7,952 points to earn seventh place when the results went final.
The 2021 NCAA Division II Decathlon National Champion tallied six top-10 finishes during the multi-event competition. He started with a six-place finish in the 100m after a time of 10.71 seconds to open the competition. That was followed up by an eighth-place finish in the long jump with a mark of 7.19m and two sixth-place showings in the shot put after a throw of 14.83m and high jump (2.07m). Day one concluded with a fifth-straight top-10 finish in the 400m with a time of 48.78 seconds that had Black finishing 10th in the race standings.
Day two kicked off with the 110m hurdles where the former Cardinal placed 11th with a time of 14.59. Black was 12th in the discus (41.86m), 15th in the pole vault (4.45m), and 12th in the javelin (53.50m) before ending the competition with a fifth-place time of 4:41.34 in the 1500m.
The U.S. Olympic Trials continue through Sunday, June 30, 2024. The 2024 Olympic Games in Paris will begin on Friday, July 26.