FAYETTEVILLE -- In an instant, Sandi Morris transformed from doing the utterly understandable emotional thing to doing the right thing.
She did it in a way that makes her Olympic silver medal even greater than winning the gold.
The University of Arkansas graduate and 2015 NCAA indoor pole vault champion and 2015 NCAA runner-up for Coach Lance Harter's Razorbacks now vaulting professionally, but still coached by Razorbacks women's vault coach Bryan Compton, represented the United Stats in the Olympics at Rio de Janeiro. Morris represented the U.S. down to the Games' last vault.
Though clearing the same 15-10 3/4 best height, Greece's Ekaterini Stefanidi led on one fewer miss. Stefanidi had missed all three attempts at 16-feet. Morris missed her first two attempts at 16 feet, leaving her with gold if she made her final vault, silver if she didn't. She cleared going over but on the way down her thigh grazed the bar and dislodged it.
Morris instinctively jammed her hands over face, then with split-second composure leaped up smiling, waving, blowing kisses to the crowd and congratulating the gold medalist.
A champion doesn't necessarily have to win gold to be a champion. Sandi Morris proved it.
Given it was just May 20 that she fractured her wrist when a pole broke in her hand, it's a marvel Morris could qualify July 10 at the U.S. Olympic Trials much less be the Olympic silver medalist.
Overcoming all she overcame becomes gold lining in Morris' silver.
"I told myself that if I could get any medal today, I would be extremely happy," Morris said. "To come away with a silver medal is absolutely phenomenal."
Almost as phenomenal as her conduct.
Morris wasn't alone as a UA Olympian conducting herself like a champion on the day she actually didn't win a championship.
Taylor Ellis-Watson, the just-graduated senior NCAA 400-meter dash runner-up on Arkansas' 2016 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championship team now running professionally but still coached by Arkansas women's sprints coach Chris Johnson, was part of the U.S. women's 1,600 relay pool. She earned it finishing fourth in the 400 at the U.S. Olympic Trials.
Ellis-Watson blistered a 50.46 second leg when the U.S. easily won its 1,600 prelim heat in Rio but took home her gold medal while a cheerleader. She rooted on teammates Allyson Felix, Phyllis Francis, Natasha Hastings and Courtney Okolo winning Saturday's final in 2016 world's best 3:19.06.
"I want everyone to know that I will not be running in today's final ... but that is okay," Ellis-Watson posted Saturday on Facebook. "I played the part I was supposed to play this time around and helped this 4x400 team get to the position they are in now to get the gold which I know will happen. Thanks again for the support and go Team USA!"
Harter, Johnson and Compton can be proud of Olympians representing Arkansas with mettle even greater than their medals.
Sports on 08/22/2016