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August 21, 2004 6:21 pm

Lott-Hogan fades to 20th in heptathlon

By ELLIOTT DENMAN

Gannett News Service

ATHENS, Greece - As sensational Swedish 21-year-old Carolina Kluft was putting her all-around talents on display in Saturday's final three events of the heptathlon en route to a 6,592 point total at Olympic Stadium Saturday night, Tiffany Lott-Hogan of Springville, Utah, and her two American teammates were racking up some pretty good numbers of their own.

Lott-Hogan, 29, a Brigham Young University graduate, netted 6,066 points to rank 20th in the 34-athlete worldwide field.

Lott-Hogan has continually expressed her distaste for the event-ending 800 meters, and it was apparent on Saturday.

She entered the day in 16th place but had climbed to 11th before the 800.She struggled to finish in 2:25.10, dropping her nine places in the final standings.

Still, she had no regrets.

``It's been a wonderful Olympic experience for me,'' she said. ``I've worked hard to get here, and the Olympics have lived up to all my expectations, and more.

``Athens and the Greek people are doing a great job and should be very proud of all they've done. I'm proud, too; proud to have been part of it.''The other two Americans in the event were UCLA grads Shelia Burrell and Michelle Perry.

Burrell, 32, a Manhattan, Kan., resident competing in her second Olympic Games, closed with a 2:15.32 in the 800 and landed in fourth place with 6,256 points, 128 shy of medal range.

Los Angeles resident Perry, 25, had an even better 2:13.69 in the finishing event to jump to 14th place.

Lithuania's Austra Skujyte took the silver medal at 6,436, with Great Britain's Kelly Sotherton just 12 points back in third.

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