Grigorieva unlikely for Athens, but bring on 2006

[rainbowgirl28]

http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common ... 01,00.html

Athens unlikely, but bring on 2006

03jul04

TATIANA Grigorieva will shift her focus from the Olympics to the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games if she fails in a do-or-die bid tomorrow to qualify for Athens.

The glamour girl of Australian athletics has refused to entertain the idea of retirement if she misses the Olympic pole vault qualifying mark of 4.40m in her last chance to make the Olympic team.

Her hope of doing so seems scant given she managed to clear just 4m in competition last week and 4.15m at the British Grand Prix in Gateshead on Sunday.

Grigorieva's best attempt has been 4.30m set in February, which rates as a B qualifying standard, but means she cannot be selected in the Australian team unless she adds 10cm to that height tomorrow.

The Olympic silver medallist will make her last-ditch bid to clear the required height in San Sebastian, Spain, and promised to give it her all.

"I came to England thinking I'm going to find this little missing bit," Grigorieva said.

"Unfortunately, it didn't happen so I'm just going to go with exactly the same thoughts to San Sebastian and thinking, `It's all there, I just need it to come together'.

"I will give everything I've got at San Sebastian."

The part-time model vowed that if she missed the mark on Saturday she would continue in the sport and attempt to defend her Commonwealth Games gold medal.

"It's going to be tough to miss the Olympics but it's certainly not the last competition for me," she said.

"I'll try for the Commonwealth Games definitely because I had such a successful last Commonwealth Games two years to go. I think I'll be able to put everything back into place.

"It's frustrating now because I feel it's just so close."

[Beam]

good luck