Jarred Rome pops unlooked for personal best in Chula Vista...
The meet was set up as a last chance qualifier for those chasing a world championships "A" standard, particularly in the field events, to guarantee entry into the world championships in Daegu in a few weeks.
Rome opened with a toss of 209-0 (63.71), but trailed Vikas Gowda of India, a former University of North Carolina standout, who threw 211-2 (64.36) to take the lead after the first stanza.
Rome, whose 2011 season best was 210-1 in June at the Olympic Training Center, then spun the platter 215-10 (65.78m) to take the US lead held by Lance Brooks and Wes Stockbarger of 211-3 (64.38m).
After two fouls, Rome improved to 216-1 (65.86m), then unleashed his personal best of 225-7 (68.76m) in the final round, eclipsing his previous PR of 224-6 (68.44m), set in 2008 in Salinas, California.
That mark is currently the third best in the world this season, behind only Zoltán Kövágó of Hungary, who has a best this year of 228-0 (69.50m), and reigning world champion Robert Harting of Germany, who has a 2011 best of 226-4 (68.99m).
USA runner-up Jason Young was second with a throw of 214-3 (65.30m), and Gowda was third at 211-2 (64.36m). Lance Brooks, the third place finisher at the USA championships in Eugene in June was fourth at 207-10 (63.35m).
Training partner and Washington State grad Ian Waltz finished fifth with a best of 207-8 (63.30m).
In other significant events in the final weekend for US athletes to chase qualifying standards for Daegu, Amanda Smock hit the IAAF 'B' standard in the triple jump, winning with a leap of 46-6 1/4 (14.18m) to cement her trip to the world championship, as the US was in danger of not sending anyone in that event.
Former Husky Brad Walker easily won the men's pole vault with a jump of 18-11.5 (5.78m).
Complete results from the Olympic Training Center World Championship Pre-Meet are available here.
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