Locals at the trials

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Former Utah State athlete James Parker, the reigning U.S. champion in the hammer throw, finished in first place Monday afternoon with a toss of 254 feet 6 inches . Parker, as one of the top three finishers, qualified for the Olympics next month in Athens, Greece. He could have thrown the hammer 20 fewer feet and still qualified.

Among other local competitors Monday:

Amy Palmer, formerly of Grantsville High School and BYU, won't be returning to the Olympics. She was 17th in the qualifying round with a throw of 199-4, but needed a throw of 202-10 to make the top 12 and to advance to the finals. Palmer finished eighth in the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia.

Lindsey Metcalf, who took eighth place in the high jump for BYU last month in the NCAA outdoor championships, finished ninth Monday in the women's high-jump finals with a mark of 6 feet 1/2 inch. She would have needed a jump of 6-4 3/4 to finish in the top three and qualify for Athens. Metcalf advanced to Monday's finals a qualifying jump of 5-11 1/2 on Saturday.

Nikki Hughes, was scheduled to make late Monday her first jump in the Olympic trials' long-jump event. Hughes, a former BYU student, place 16th in the 2003 NCAA indoor championships.