July 13, 2004
By Scott MacDonald
Sports Information Assistant
On Monday night, in front of her family and friends, sophomore Chaunte Howard achieved something every track and field athlete dreams of, make the Olympic squad. After clearing the bar at 6’4.75″ on her second attempt, Howard did just that, becoming the first Georgia Tech women’s track and field athlete to qualify for the Olympics, finishing second in the women’s high jump at the U.S. Olympic Trials.
“It felt good after I finally cleared 6’4.75″,” said Howard. “I struggled with 6’3″ and thought I could finish fourth, but once I got over the bar at that height, I knew I was going to make it. I was really comfortable with 6’4″ and felt like a load had been lifted once I got over the bar and realized that I was on the U.S. Olympic Team.”
Joining Howard on the U.S. Olympic team in the women’s high jump will be training partner, Tisha Waller. Waller, who works out with Tech assistant coach Nat Page, cruised through the first four jumps last night en route to winning the event with a mark of 6’6″. Joining Waller and Howard is two-time Olympian, Amy Acuff, finishing third in the event.
“We were out there cheering for each other,” said Howard of Waller and her. “We made a pact before the Trials that we were going to make the Olympic Team. And now we have.”
Howard has steadily made the climb from Atlantic Coast Conference champion, to NCAA national champion, to 2004 Olympian. The season began with a school record at the indoor ACC meet, claiming her third straight high jump crown at 6’2.75″. The Riverside, Calif., native then set a new mark at the indoor NCAA Championships, clearing the bar at 6’3.50″ and claiming her first national championship.
At the outdoor ACC meet, Howard once again set a new Tech and ACC meet record with a clear of 6’4.75″. The sophomore track standout then became the first back-to-back national champion in Tech history with a first-place finish in the high jump at the outdoor NCAA Championships.
Prior to the U.S. Olympic Trials, the top U.S. women’s high jumpers gathered for a pre-trials meet in Provo, Utah, hosted by BYU on June 26. Howard, ranking fourth in the U.S. at the time, proved she belonged with America’s elite, winning the event with a lifetime-best mark of 6’6″. That mark tied Waller for the best in the United States for the ’04 outdoor season.
“I felt really good that weekend and had been training hard all week leading up to that,” said Howard. “It provided me with a ton of confidence entering the U.S. Olympic Trials.”
That confidence spilled over on Monday night and Howard was able to realize something that most track and field athletes can only wish for, a spot the U.S. Olympic squad. Among the thousands of viewers on television and fans in the stadium, was the Howard family.
“I had a little bit of a home court advantage,” said Howard. “Having my family there, especially my grandmother who has sacrificed a lot for me over the years, was very rewarding.”
Howard first thought of becoming an Olympian at four-years old and believed her best opportunity for that dream to become a reality was attending Georgia Tech and working under jumps Coach Page.
“I felt like that if I came to Tech and worked with coach Page, I could reach my potential,” said Howard. “He has trained some of the best in the business and has made this childhood dream become a reality.”
