The course has twisted and turned around some tight spots the past four years, but Olympic gold medalist Tim Mack is finally back on target. The 35-year-old pole vaulter from Westlake is healthy and on top of his game heading into this weekend’s Olympic Trials in Eugene, Ore.
Mack won the gold medal at Athens in 2004, with an Olympic record vault of 19-61/4, at 31 years, 11 months — the oldest man to win gold in the event.
Unlike four years ago when he was seeded No. 2 at the Trials, Mack isn’t ranked among this year’s top five, although he’s in the top 10.
South Dakota 27-year-old Brad Walker is the favorite to win Olympic gold this summer in Beijing. He was the 2007 world champion and is the U.S. record holder at 19-93/4.
But Mack is still the defending Olympic champ until he is derailed, and he’ll find out quickly whether he’s still among the event’s elite.
The qualifying round is at 5:50 tonight, and the finals will be at 2:40 p.m. Sunday.
The road to this year’s Trials has been a rocky ride.
Mack suffered a left calf muscle strain in 2005, then had surgery at the Cleveland Clinic in October ’06 for a torn labrum in his right shoulder.
“There were a lot of doubts the last few years, but they were only just doubts,” Mack said.  “What kept me going was knowing that I still have the ability to prepare. I had surgery, but yeah I could still run so I still had to get all my running workouts in. When I had a bad calf, I could still lift so I did all my weight training workouts so I could get strong. I had to keep going.”
His resolve intact, Mack’s body is back in harmony with his state of mind.  
Mack vaulted well at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene on June 8, finishing third with a mark of 18-8 1/4.
“I went into that meet as if it was the Trials,” Mack said. “Most of the players were there, but there’s always going to be someone that you don’t expect. It’s kind of like expect nothing and prepare for everything. I feel that everything is going very well.
“As long as I do everything I have to do, I will be (in contention). I have to combat those doubts when they arrive with the fact that I know I’m doing everything I need to, I’m doing everything right. For me to be there, I have to do the technical things right and everything will be OK.”
Nobody has won back-to-back Olympic pole vault crowns since the U.S.’s Bob Richards in 1952 and ’56. Legendary Ukranian Sergey Bubka only won gold once — in 1992.
“Hopefully there are people that are thinking that I am jumping a little bit better than I have been,” Mack said. “Hopefully, that’s putting little bugs in their ear just like me not counting everybody else out. Hopefully, they’re not counting me out. For me, I don’t want to spend too much energy thinking about any one individual.”
Age isn’t on Mack’s side, but he’s using it as motivation and not as an excuse. He’s older than all but one of the 33 qualifiers.
“I’ve got a whole bunch of young guys to worry about,” Mack said. “Hopefully the older guys can make it.”
Derek Miles — who is 13 days younger than Mack — finished seventh at Athens and is ranked No. 2 (19-0 1/4) behind the heavily-favored Walker (19-9 3/4). Two-time Olympian Jeff Hartwig of Arkansas, is the oldest in the field at age 40, and rated No. 5 (18-8 3/4).
“I’ve always been mentally prepared for a championship-level meet, even when my body wasn’t at that point,” Mack said. “Now I feel that my body is at that point because I haven’t gone through anything major since my shoulder surgery at the end of ’06. I feel that everything is coming together. I just have to stay healthy so I can perform the way that I want to perform.”
Mack was fourth at the 2007 U.S. Outdoor Championships at 18-4 1/2, eight months after coming off his shoulder surgery. He vaulted better later in the season when he cleared 19-2 3/4 at Chula Vista and was ranked No. 5 in the U.S. by Track and Field News.
“The shoulder is feeling great now,” Mack said. “A lot of this is mental. Physically, I feel like I’m there. It’s going to be mental and I think meet conditions are going to play a part.”
Mack has a master’s degree in human performance and sports studies, and probably wouldn’t mind having a degree in meteorology. 
“The weather conditions aren’t very consistent up there,” Mack said. “Every time I’ve been there (10-15 times), it’s been a little bit different. The only time I’ve been there when the conditions haven’t been that bad was once in 2004 and once this year. You never know what you’re going to get. It’s going to come down to who is prepared and who makes the right decisions based on reality and not based on your emotions.
“We have our poles that we have to deal with, plus the wind and our steps. If we have a wind in our face, we have to make adjustments. If we have a wind at our back, we have to make adjustments. We have to be prepared for anything.”
Since December ’06, Mack has trained at the U.S. Olympic training center in Chula Vista, which is located just south of San Diego. He trained at the University of Tennessee since 1993.
“My girlfriend, Grace Upshaw, lives on the West Coast in San Francisco so now we’re a little bit closer. We’ve dated since 2004,” said Mack. “The training environment here at the Olympic training center is great. It’s got everything you need, plus I was coming off surgery. I could go for treatment twice a day if I needed it. That was a big part of it as well.
“There’s always time for change, and it was a good change. I still keep in touch with my coach there (Jim Bemiller) and send him videos after every workout. Ty Sevin is my coach here.”
Just like he did in his preparation for 2004, Mack keeps a notebook.
“I’ve been keeping details in there about each of my past competitions,” Mack said. “Eugene is going to be a little bit different. I’m going to have to have a few different plans for that. I’m trying to leave no stone unturned. I’ve been up there in June before and we’ve had rain, so I have to be prepared for that, too. It’s going to come down to a lot of quick decisions.”
Mack is confident he’s ready for his third Olympic Trials.
“The last two years I’ve improved technically, the only problem is my body wasn’t prepared to take advantage of that,” Mack said. “Now, it feels like my body is a little more prepared. I can vault without having to worry about so much stuff.”
He has no definite plans beyond the Trials, and he isn’t caught up with his past Olympic glory.
“I’ve watched my Olympic DVDs occasionally, but mostly for training purposes only,” Mack said. “There are some things that are different (since 2004), but there are a lot things that are the same. Technically, I’m jumping more efficient than I was.  After I’m done, I’ll have a little bit more fun thinking about it. Right now, it all comes back to what I have to do now. I just have to do what I’ve got to do. That’s what is taking up all my energy now.”
Contact Paul Heyse at 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com.

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