Bodicky gets another shot at redemption

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – St. Joseph Central’s Drew Bodicky thought he had finally secured a medal at the Class 4 state track meet.

He entered the 110-meter hurdles with one of the top seed times and was all but assured of at least making the finals and earning his first all-state status.

Then disaster happened – again.

Bodicky was taken out by a clipped hurdle from another lane, and he went down hard on the Dwight T. Reed Stadium track. It seemed like the same story repeating itself. Bodicky fell on the fourth hurdle in the 300 hurdles last year and was denied a spot on the podium. A fall in the 300 hurdles at districts ended his pursuit of a place in the top eight in that event again this year.

That left only the 110s, and now he was on down on the track again.

“I was devastated,” said Bodicky, who has signed with Central Missouri. “I have not felt so horrible my whole season. I knew I was coming in here third, and I knew I could beat Kevin Brown from Ruskin. Once I got up I didn’t know what to think. I knew it was his hurdle that hit mine, but I knew there was nothing I could do about it.”

Only this time the story would have a different ending. The meet officials ruled that the hurdle that came bounding into his lane had impeded his race. The event favorite and defending champion, McCluer North’s Aaron Mallet had clipped the hurdle and sent it into Bodicky’s lane, and he was disqualified for hurdle encroachment.

After much lobbying by Central’s coaches, as well as the other coaches in the heat and Blue Springs’ Joe Cusack, the officials decided to rerun the event at the conclusion of Friday’s preliminaries.

Bodicky took second in the do-over race in 14.88 and advanced from the prelims to guarantee at least a spot on Saturday’s podium. He still has dreams of even more.

“I am going for that first place,” Bodicky said. “I’ve always wanted to win state. After today, I want that win so bad. I know I can do it. I’ve raced against Kevin all season and I know how he is. I hate to see (Mallet) get DQ’d, but it helps me a lot. I’m just so happy that I made it.”

Bodicky caught the fourth hurdle at state last year, and it ended his bid for a place in the 300 hurdles. At districts two weeks ago, he again was tripped up by the fourth hurdle.

“At district we had bad head wind on back side, and I thought it would affect me more than did and I booked out of the blocks and made up stagger by first hurdle,” Bodicky said. “Then I went around the curve and on the fourth hurdle, I had never gone that fast before, so I got so close to it my toe went under it and I just toppled over.”

After Mallet’s hurdle tripped him up, Bodicky injured his left hand. He had it bandaged for the race and said he couldn’t put any pressure on it in the blocks. But it was his nerves he really had to worry about.

“I was so excited and nervous,” Bodicky said. “So many thoughts went through my head ... ‘Oh my gosh, I finally have another shot at getting this gold.’ I think everyone knowing that I fell makes me want to do that much better to prove myself. I’m not going to let my nerves get to me. I’ve been there, done that. Finally a state final – I have to have a clear mind.”

Mallet did advance out of the prelims in the 300 hurdles, the 200 and the 1,600 relay. But that didn’t ease the pain of being knocked out of the 110 hurdles.

“It got to me, but I’m trying to come back in my other races,” Mallet said. “I hit it in a legal way with my trail leg, so I felt like it was legal, but there’s nothing you can really do. I kind of emotionally broke down. I haven’t cried in a while, but I cried after that. But I ran 37 in the prelims (of the 300), so I’m not mad.”