tflagstad@journalnet.com

EUGENE, Ore. - Paul Litchfield landed on the mat, stood up with his arms raised, fell flat on his face and then stood up with his arms aloft a second time.

It didn't matter that he had just bowed out of the men's pole vault finals at the 2008 U.S. track and field Olympic trials at the University of Oregon's Hayward Field on Sunday.

The Idaho State assistant track and field coach wanted to bask in the warm ovation of the 20,333 fans in the stands one last time.

"It's a fantastic crowd," Litchfield said, "and I just wanted one last little jolt out of 'em before I walked out of the stadium."

He exited with a 10th-place finish in the 13-man final on the windy afternoon after clearing 17 feet, 8 1/2 inches on his second attempt.

Litchfield followed up by missing three times at 18-0 1/2.

Derek Miles won the event by clearing 19-0 1/4, while 40-year-old Jeff Hartwig finished second in 18-8 1/2. Brad Walker, the American record holder, rounded out the Olympic qualifiers with a third-place jump of 18-6 1/2.

Even though he won't be among the contingent representing America in August's Beijing Olympics, Litchfield was happy with his performance, especially considering he wasn't sure if he qualified for the trials until Wednesday.

"It means a lot," Litchfield said. "Just coming out, I had it in my head I could make the final. I made it that far, and I made a height in the final. That's a whole lot farther than I expected to get."

In the prelims Friday, he cleared 18-0 1/2 on his first attempt, but the tricky wind gusts proved too much in the finals.

Using the biggest pole he's ever tried in competition, Litchfield clipped the bar on the way up on all three of his attempts at the height Sunday.

He wasn't the only one who struggled with the wind.

"In prelims we had a pretty consistent wind," the champion, Miles, said. "Today was a little bit twitchy. You got some headwinds; you got some tailwinds. Unfortunately, it was one of those things where you never knew what you were gonna get."

Walker, who only attempted five jumps throughout the trials, wasn't too concerned that it was a bronze medal hanging around his neck instead of gold.

After making a height he knew locked up his spot on the Olympic team, he passed on the next two heights until failing to clear 19-0 1/2 on his final three attempts.

"First, second and third is all the same at this meet. That's the way I look at it," Walker said. "I get to move forward, and hopefully the conditions will be better over in Beijing."

Litchfield won't make the trip to Asia to find out, but his experience at the trials has inspired him to continue training in the hopes of qualifying for the 2012 Games in London.

"Absolutely," he said. "It made it all worth it; that's for sure."