San Diego Mesa College head throws coach Jarred Rome failed today to advance to Tuesday's final of the men's discus throw at the London Olympics.
Rome finished 31st among the 41 throwers with a best throw of 195 feet, 5 inches. The top 12 throwers advanced to the final. Erik Cadee of the Netherlands was the final qualifier with a best throw of 208-6.
Rome fouled on each of his first two throws, then got off his only legal throw on his third and final attempt.
The 35-year-old Rome was competing in his second Olympics. He finished 14th in the 2004 Athens Olympics.
An American man has not won a medal in the discus throw since 1984.
A second Olympian with Mesa College ties, Felix Sanchez, is scheduled to compete in the final of the men's 400 meter hurdles, which begins at 12:45 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time.
The race will be shown live on NBCOlympics.com and on a delayed basis during NBC's prime-time coverage, which airs from 8 p.m. to midnight.
The 34-year-old Sanchez had the fastest time in Sunday's qualifying heats, 47.76 seconds.
Sanchez won the gold medal in the event in 2004. The New York-born Sanchez competes for the Dominican Republic, where his parents were born.
Sanchez attended Mesa College from 1995 to 1997.
