Townsville high jumper's high expectations - http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2010/02/25/118145_sport.html

ANTONY STEWART

February 25th, 2010

OVER-excitement may have cost him automatic selection for the Commonwealth Games but Townsville high jumper Josh Hall is adamant qualification is just around the corner.

The 19-year-old recorded his second B-qualifier with a winning 2.21m jump at an under-21 trans-Tasman athletics meet in Auckland, New Zealand on the weekend.

Hall then went for an A-qualifier 2.25m, but his feet knocked the bar off.

An A-qualifier gives athletes an automatic spot in the Australian team for the Delhi Games while a B-qualifier only makes them eligible for selection.

''I got over the A-qualifier but I tipped it with my foot, I didn't flick my legs,'' Hall said.

''I thought I was over, I just got a bit excited a bit early and lost a bit of concentration.''

The 2.21 jump equalled his personal best recorded in Townsville in October last year, although he said he cleared the bar with space to spare this time around.

''Back then I made the bar wobble, but I had a bit to spare, I cleared it quite comfortably,'' Hall said.

With the confidence taken from the near miss, which defeated his closest rival by 18cm, Hall is confident he can make up for the mistake before the end-of-April selection cut-off. His next focus is the Melbourne Grand Prix meet, which starts today week, before he has two local competitions and the national titles in Perth in April.

''I know I can make it over it, it's just a matter of time,'' Hall said.

''The selection policy is you have to have an A (qualifier) or at least two Bs to be eligible but it would be better to have three or four to be ahead of someone who did jump two, '' he said.