BEIJING -- Four women in the 3,000-meter steeplechase heats automatically qualify for the Olympic finals. And for much of Friday night's second heat race, Jennifer Barringer was running fifth.

But with just under 1,000 meters to go, the University of Colorado senior finally passed Sophie Duarte of France, then survived a stumble by a couple of runners on the final water hurdle and finished third.

Her time of 9:29.20 was less than a half-second behind winner Tatiana Petrova of Russia (9:28.85) and runner-up Roisin McGettigan of Ireland (9:28.92).

"I felt the last couple of races I have been in I've had a really great kick. In the trials I thought in the race, 'Man, I'm dying' and I wasn't kicking as well as I normally do," Barringer explained. "But I still ran around 70 seconds for the final lap, so I was very confident that if it came down to a kick, I was going to be there.

"Then on that last water jump, a couple stumbled on the water, so it came down to being heady, focusing on the barriers and kicking hard. I am really glad I rose to the top under those circumstances."

Once she finally passed Duarte and held that fourth qualifying position, Barringer knew she could not let her guard down. After all, these are the Olympics, where the competition is the best in the world.

"I remember thinking I'm in the most dangerous position. I'm in fourth place. The target is on my back," she said. "So I thought 'don't make any big moves.' But you've got to race.

"So I began racing purely for the gift of running another one. For the last three laps, I didn't feel like I was in the Olympic semifinals. Jenny Barringer is racing for the chance to race again, and I love it. I love it. I get to go over seven more water jumps."

The finals will be held on Sunday.

This is the first year that women have raced this event in the Olympics, so Barringer and the other 14 finalists will be making history. The medal winners can make even more history.

"I am thrilled. I came out of Osaka (World Championships) last year and said I don't want to come to a World Championship or an Olympics again and not be in the finals. I made good on that promise," she said.

Malone doesn't

advance in discus

Four years ago, Casey Malone didn't have very high expectations in his first Olympics.

He finished sixth in men's discus.

So coming here, the Colorado State graduate's goal was to farther than he threw in Athens.

That didn't happen.

Malone's best throw was his third and final one, a 61.26, quite lower than the 64.33 he threw in 2004.

That most 61.26 most likely won't be good enough to get him in the finals here. It was 11th best of the first 19 qualifiers with another group of 18 left to throw. Only the 12 best make the finals.

"I felt like I was prepared to do better than I did in Athens," he said. "Maybe that's because the first time around there are lower expectations and no pressure. The second time around you expect more and maybe that could add a little pressure to the situation."

Malone, a 31-year-old coach who competed for Colorado State and coaches at Colorado, admitted his first two throws (a 59.48 and a scratch) were "probably a little bit of nerves."

"I was using too much of my upper body and not being as fluid and rhythmic as I had been in practice," he said. "The third one was definitely going in the right direction. I wish that third throw had come on my first. I was getting in my rhythm on that throw."