EUGENE – The newly unretired Kara Winger led qualifying in the women’s javelin Friday in the U.S. Olympic Trials at Hayward Field.

Winger threw 206 feet, 8 inches to advance to Sunday’s final, demonstrating that at 38, she still has what it takes to compete at the world level.

When last seen on the Hayward Field infield, Winger took the silver medal at the 2022 World Outdoor Championships. She did it in storybook fashion, with her final throw of the competition, fans from her hometown of Vancouver, Washington cheering her on.

That was supposed to punctuate a career that included four Olympic appearances. She announced she would retire at the end of the 2022 season.

Well, about that.

“I can’t believe the miracle of 2022 still,” said Winger. “That was so fun.”

She couldn’t quite shake that feeling, and discussed it with her husband, former discus thrower Russ Winger.

“Russ and I had talked a lot about – even for his career – what would it have meant to back off training a little bit in your older years and trust the 20 years of work you’ve put in,” Winger said. “Then tap into the intensity with better technical understanding.

“Last year I was thinking, that would be fun.”

In the meantime, Winger has been writing stories for the TrackTown USA website as a credentialed member of the media. According to USA Track & Field, she is the only media member also competing at the Olympic Trials.

She said she has enjoyed her time with TrackTown. But she kept wondering what might happen if she picked up her javelin and returned to competition.

She took her time making the decision practicing away from prying eyes and not deciding to pull the trigger on competing in this year’s trials until late May. She turned up on June 9 at the New York Grand Prix, where she threw 207-5. Not bad for somebody who had been away from it for two years.

She isn’t just the elder stateswoman in this year’s javelin competition. She still might be the best.

“I’m 38,” Winger said. “Some of those girls were not born when I competed in the 2004 Olympic Trials. That’s insane. I’m totally fine with that. It really inspired me to be around them and see the world through their eyes. To see them PB (get a personal best) at Olympic Trials is really cool. I never did that.”

Winger has not reached this year’s Olympic entry standard for the women’s javelin, which is 210 feet, 0 inches. But she isn’t far away. And, even if she doesn’t reach 210 feet on Sunday, she could still qualify for the Olympics based on world ranking. The final rankings will be released July 7.

“If I can do it, cool,” Winger said, “If I can’t, I’ve been not No. 1 in the world many times before. So, I am completely at peace with that reality too.”

Here are the results from the Olympic Trials: https://results.usatf.org/2024trials/

-- Ken Goe for The Oregonian/OregonLive