Iowa hammer thrower bows out with a smile

By MIKE PRATER

Gannett News Service

ATHENS, Greece - Iowa hammer thrower Alfred Kruger had a bad day in his Olympic debut Friday, though you wouldn't know it from the smile on his face.

``I had fun today,'' the Sheldon native and former Morningside College standout said. ``It was a great experience. Hopefully I can keep on doing this for about, oh, 16 years and next time represent the U.S. a little bit better.''

Kruger's top qualifying mark was 227 feet, 7 inches. Of the 33 athletes who had qualifying marks, Kruger finished 33rd.

The top 12 made Sunday's final, including leader Ivan Tikhon of Belarus (265-0). The final qualifier was Karsten Kobs of Germany (251-7).

Kruger, 25, qualified for the Olympics with a throw of 260-0.

``The first experience of it, I don't know. It just didn't go my way today, but it's great being in the competition and great being with the whole atmosphere. I just couldn't get her done today,'' Kruger said.

He said he woke up at 5 a.m. and got to Olympic Stadium by 9.

``That alone was something different, something to get used to,'' Kruger said.

He hit the 227-7 on his first throw, followed by a 223-2 and a foul.

``I wanted to try and qualify for the second day. It's kind of tough your first time going out, but I was going like, `Why not?' You try to keep it fun and go out and give it your best, and that's what I did,'' Kruger said.