Mulder's dream on the line

EUGENE, Ore. - Tyler Mulder is so close he can taste it.

After finishing fourth in the 800 meters at the USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships the past two seasons, the former Northern Iowa national champion is aiming to climb one spot at the U.S. Olympic Trials that begin an 11-day run today at Hayward Field.

The first round of the 800 is Friday. The semifinals are Saturday, and the eight-man final is slated to air live on NBC Sports Network at 9:47 p.m. Monday.

A top-three finish would send Mulder to London as a member of the U.S. Olympic team, fulfilling a lifelong dream.

“Coming in as a freshman at UNI, I thought about it more as a dream,” Mulder said. “I think every track athlete has that image in their mind at some point. For me, it became more realistic as I ran faster and faster each year.”

A native of Orange City, Mulder was a two-time Iowa high school state champion who won the NCAA indoor 800 in 2008. An eight-time All-American in four years, he finished in the nation's top six in the 800 four times.

Mulder has been training in Eugene since his UNI career ended as a member of the Oregon Track Club.

“They liked something in the way I ran because there were plenty of other runners to choose from, and they picked me,” Mulder said. “I ended up getting a Nike contract, but I knew I wanted to finish school and graduate college before I left, so I took a semester to do that. I was really fortunate to get on with OTC.”

Mulder has showed no signs of slowing. In 2010, he took third at the USA Indoor Championships and fourth at the USA Outdoor Championships in the 800. He claimed another fourth-place finish at the 2011 USA Outdoor Championships.

At the 2011 Oxy High Performance Meet in Los Angeles, Mulder ran a lifetime-best 1:44.83. He duplicated that performance in Barcelona, Spain, July 22 last year.

Mulder has finished fourth in the 800 at the Pan American Games. Now he's ready to take the next step.

“It would mean absolutely everything to me,” he said. “It would make my career. It would make things easier for me as a professional athlete, just having the title of Olympian.”

“After getting fourth each year (at the U.S. Outdoor Championships), I can taste it. It's really close.”

U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials

• Where: Hayward Field, Eugene, Ore.
• When: Today through July 1, with two rest days. Opening ceremonies 6 p.m. Friday
• TV: NBCSN, NBC, Comcast, various times (check daily listings in Gazette)
• Thursday's finals: Women's hammer throw, 3:15 p.m.; Men's hammer throw, 7:15 p.m.
• Iowans in the field: Lolo Jones (Des Moines), 100 hurdles; Tyler Mulder (Orange City), 800; Shelby Houlihan (Sioux City), 800; Ashley Miller (Tipton), 800 and 1500; Katie Flood (Des Moines), 1500; Shayla Houlihan (Sioux City), steeplechase; Lisa Koll (Fort Dodge), 5,000 and 10,000; Meaghan Nelson (Cedar Rapids), 10,000; Ethan Holmes (Clinton), 110 high hurdles, 400 intermediate hurdles; Danielle Frere (Muscatine), shot put; Chase Madison (Newton), discus; Michael Mai (Le Mars), hammer throw; A.G. Kruger (Sheldon), hammer throw; Lindsay Lettow (Des Moines), heptathlon
• Online: www.tracktown12.gotracktownusa.com