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August 16, 2004 2:04 pm

Utah heptathlete thrives on event's togetherness

By ELLIOTT DENMAN

Gannett News Service

ATHENS, Greece - Just one American woman - the great Jackie Joyner-Kersee, with golds in 1988 and 1992, and the silver in 1984 - has ever medaled in the Olympic heptathlon event.

Springville, Utah, resident Tiffany Lott-Hogan dreams of being the second, but knows she's a long shot.

The seven-event heptathlon is a big numbers game, and Lott-Hogan's top score of 6,159 points -a close second to Shelia Burrell's 6,194 at last month's U.S. Olympic Trials in Sacramento - ranks her 20th in the world this year.

Then again, she knows full well that anything can happen in the heptathlon. The 100-meter hurdles, high jump, shot put and 200 are contested on Friday, with the long jump, javelin throw and 800 on Saturday.

Injuries, missteps, false starts, fouls and mess-ups of varied descriptions have all been part of this event over the years.

An all-arounder since age 11, Lott-Hogan most enjoys the togetherness of these multi-event challenges.

``There's so much comraderie in it,'' she said Monday. ``We don't play these mind games they do in so many open events in this sport. With us, we see each other, we hug each other, it's `good to see you again.'

``Occasionally, you're even helping out (athletes from) other countries, helping them along in their events, looking out for them. It's kind of nice.''

Lott-Hogan, who was born in Tucson, Ariz., first ventured into the event under older brother Jacob's guidance in a Utah statewide summer youth program.

``I learned to hurdle that first day,'' she said.

She had early success in the hurdles and javelin, but learned that the 800 meters ``was not a fun event, and it hasn't gotten any better since then.''

She won state championship gold medals all four years at high school in Pine View, Utah, then went on take an array of WAC titles and three NCAA golds in a brilliant BYU career. She added another gold at the 1999 World University Games.

Her bid for a ticket to the 2000 Sydney Olympics fell frustratingly short after finishing fourth at the Trials.

She married Brent Hogan, a thrower for the Utah Valley State College team, in 1999, and they had their first child in 2001.

Lott-Hogan returned to competition in 2003 and won the Pan American Games title after placing third at the U.S. Nationals.

It's taken a lot of community fund-raising effort for Lott-Hogan to maintain her Olympic-level training program and to enable family members to join her in Athens.

Craig Poole, her coach at BYU and still her mentor, is in Athens as coach of the women's multi-event and jumping-event athletes.

The Olympic favorite is Carolina Kluft of Sweden, winner at the 2003 World Championships in Paris. She has the top two scores of 2004 - 6,820 points and 6,769.

Next on the 2004 list are Svetlanda Sokolova of Russia (6,591) and Kelly Sotherton of Great Britain (6,406.)

The defending Olympic champion is Britain's Denise Lewis, one of Lott-Hogan's very good friends.

``She's one of those heptathletes who's really stepped forward and helped other people,'' Lott-Hogan said. ``She's been really friendly to me, and that's been specially gratifying .''

As her competition days near, it's the absence of her brother, Damon, who was killed in a plane crash earlier this year, she feels most.

``He definitely would have been here,'' she said. ``I feel his presence.''

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