Hazle, a 1997 Temple graduate, has the third-seeded throw, 269 feet, 8 inches, in the men’s javelin entering the qualifying round of competition at 7:30 p.m. today.
If Hazle finishes in the top 12 in the qualifying round, he will advance to Sunday evening’s final.
The United States can qualify up to three competitors for next month’s Beijing games if all three meet the Olympic A standard of 268-4.
The 6-foot, 205-pound Hazle has already met the Olympic A standard.
Breaux Greer, who was born in Houston, leads the field with an American-record throw of 299-6.
Greer has won eight straight U.S. Outdoor Championship titles and won the javelin at the 2000 and 2004 Olympic trials. He finished 12th at the Olympic games in Sydney and Athens.
Hazle threw his qualifying mark, his farthest throw of the year, in May at the Doha Super Grand Prix in Qatar. His qualifying mark of 269-8 is the second-best throw by an American this year.
Hazle, a Texas State graduate, won the silver medal at both the Pan American Games and USA Outdoor Championships last year.
