University of Georgia Athletics
Dahlgren Repeats As South American Games Champion
November 13, 2006 | General
ATHENS, Ga. --- Georgia senior thrower Jennifer Dahlgren won her second gold medal in the hammer throw in as many tries at the South American Games in her hometown of Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Friday.
Dahlgren, who broke the school, NCAA and South American records in the hammer with a throw of 236 feet, 3 inches at the NCAA East Regional last May, registered a final throw of 218-1 to beat Columbia's Johanna Moreno (2nd - 202-2) and Venezuela's Rosa Rodriguez (3rd - 196-1) for the title.
"I am ultimately happy with the end result, but I would have liked to have thrown a little farther," said Dahlgren, who claimed NCAA titles in both the weight and hammer in 2006. "It is always nice to go home and compete in front of your friends and family and I am pleased with the win."
Dahlgren's first throw of 210-1 still would have claimed the title by almost 8 feet and the six-time All-American also had throws of 207-10, 217-8 and 208-1 during her series. This is the second time Dahlgren has won the South American Games, which are held every four years, after topping her competition in 2002.
"Jenny did a nice job winning a gold medal at the South American Games in addition to winning at the South American Championships in September during a period which is essentially her offseason," said Georgia throws coach Don Babbitt. "The competition was not as strong as it was for her at the Championships, but she did what she needed to do to win the gold medal and I'm proud of her success this fall."
Georgia's track and field teams start their 2007 indoor season at the McCravy Memorial in Lexington, Ky., on Jan. 19-20. The outdoor season for the Bulldogs cranks up with the Georgia Relays on March 16-17 at their home track.
