Brittney Reese aims for third Olympic berth

Brittney Reese’s road to a second straight Olympic gold medal in the long jump begins Friday.

The Gulfport native must qualify at the U.S. Olympic Trials this weekend in Eugene, Oregon.

Reese competes in the women’s qualifying at 7:10 p.m. Friday. Should Reese advance, she will compete in the finals at 1:45 p.m. Saturday.

Reese, 29, is considered a favorite to win the trials and qualify for the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janiero in August. Her goal is to become the first woman to win consecutive long jump gold medals.

Reese won her first Olympic gold in 2012 in London four years after making her Summer Games debut in Beijing.

Former Colorado State standout Janay Deloach, the 2012 Olympic bronze medalist, is considered Reese’s top competition at the trials. Reese and Deloach finished two-three to Serbia’s Ivana Spanovic at the IAAF Diamond League meet last month in Stockholm, Sweden.

“I’m where I need to be and I feel if I just maintain everything, I should be good and ready to go,” Reese said last week from San Diego. “I know what I’m capable of doing. I feel 100 percent. I feel ready for the trials and the Olympics. I have to stay focused and mentally and physically prepared because I know it’s not going to be easy.”

Reese won several individual honors in track at Gulfport High and Ole Miss and is a member of the Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College Sports Hall of Fame.

This story was originally published June 30, 2016 at 4:27 PM with the headline "Brittney Reese aims for third Olympic berth."