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EUGENE, Ore. -- Just 18 years old, Vashti Cunningham is the reigning world indoor high jump champion. Trying to qualify for her first Olympics in the opening round of the U.S. track and field trials Friday afternoon, she was so focused on her jumps that she did not distract herself by talking to competitors inside the Hayward Field track.Not that there wasnt someone competing there alongside Cunningham who could provide strong advice for her future career.Amy Acuff first competed at the track trials at age 16 in 1992 before the Barcelona Games. She did not qualify at those trials, but she made the next five U.S. Olympic teams, competing in Atlanta, Sydney, Athens, Beijing and London. Despite being a month shy of her 41st birthday, having two children and a number of health issues this year, she was fighting for her sixth Olympics in Rio.Unfortunately, Acuff failed to advance to the high jump finals, missing her final three attempts at 1.84 meters (6 feet, one-half inch). With mixed emotions, she walked away from the high jump, and her career.I feel closure, Acuff said. I guess I felt like, Oh well, I tried my best and thats all you can hope for. I am officially retired from track and field. I said that before, but its for real now.Meanwhile, Cunningham qualified for Sundays finals, along with American record-holder and three-time Olympian Chaunte Lowe. The daughter of former NFL quarterback Randall Cunningham, Vashti is considered the favorite by many, though she says she doesnt consider herself that way. There are people who have done amazing things before me, she said. Im just one of the jumpers.Acuff said not to count out Lowe as the favorite, either, though she is definitely impressed by Cunningham.Vashti looks great, Acuff said. I had never seen her jump before. She just looks so natural and elastic. Im sure shell have a great career.Asked for what advice she has to pass to Cunningham and others, Acuff said: Just take care of your bodies. There are so many great jumpers littered on the side of the freeway to the Olympics. Mainly ankles. A lot of people are just done by their late 20s due to injuries, so you have to be really smart about your training and very open to looking at it and being realistic about what you can handle.So how was Acuff able to jump so high for so long?I think because I just love it, she said. At the core of it, I just love the art of jumping. My biggest hope was to come here and have that perfect timing and beautiful jump. Thats the funnest part.Despite having never medaled in her five Olympic competitions (she came closest with a fourth-place finish at the 2004 Games in Athens), she definitely has a symbolic Olympic torch to pass on to Cunningham, perhaps one that will help the younger jumper compete all the way to the 2036 Games.I think that for Amy going into this meet, and her willpower is just amazing. Shes mentally stronger than a lot of other people, to come and fight and jump and do what she loves. I respect her a lot for that, Cunningham said. After the years shes competed, the fact she still has the fight to come back and compete again is amazing and I hope that Im like that when Im older.Given how well Cunningham is jumping at such a young age -- she won indoor worlds with a leap of 1.95 meters -- she could definitely win a medal, perhaps gold. Not that she says she feels any pressure in that respect.There is not as much pressure as there is on people who have been here before, Cunningham said. I think Ive done well at the beginning of the season. ? Im trying to win [Sundays final]. Get first place and go into the Olympics with that confidence. Keyshawn Johnson Jersey . Barcelona also left injured defenders Carles Puyol, Javier Mascherano and Jordi Alba out of its squad for the trip to Glasgow. 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RIO DE JANEIRO -- Michael Phelps has nothing left to do at the pool.Hes ready to start branching out.At the top of the list: being a father.The most decorated athlete in Olympic history insisted again Sunday that his swimming career is over, less than 24 hours after claiming his 23rd gold medal in the 4x100-meter medley relay.He ditched the athletes village and spent the night with his fiancee, Nicole Johnson, and their 3-month-old son, Boomer.Being apart from him for the last three weeks, four weeks from when I saw him last, hes grown so much, Phelps said. I changed a diaper last night. He was just sitting there looking at me, smiling the whole time. It brought a tear to my eye, just because he hasnt seen me in a while and it was so cool to see him smiling back at me and laughing and giggling.Boomer was sleeping when Phelps got to the hotel after what was presumably the final race of his career.I picked him up after I was done and just held him, Phelps said. Thats something Im really, really looking forward to, just watching him grow up.Phelps said hes eager to play catch with his son in the backyard, take him to sporting events, do whatever he can to be a huge part of Boomers life.Thats number one for me, Phelps said. I want to be there every step of the way. I dont want to miss a thing. Ive had so many people say to me, `You blink an eye, its over. They grow up so fast. Next thing you know, theyre going off to college. I dont want to miss anything.Phelps parents divorced when he was a child, and the swimmer had a strained relationship with his father, Fred, for years. Only after a second drunken-driving arrest and six weeks of inpatient therapy did Phelps reconnect with his dad, who cheered on his son a month ago at the U.S. Olympic trials but wasnt able too travel to Brazil.ddddddddddddPhelps and his soon-to-be wife intend to continue living in suburban Phoenix, at least for the next couple of years. But he stressed that Baltimore will always be home.Phelps also talked about some familiar goals: working with his foundation to teach more children to swim and continuing his efforts to make the sport more popular -- not just in the United States but around the world. Hes already seen the growth that was sparked by his phenomenal success over five Olympics.In the only event he didnt win in Rio, he was beaten by a 21-year-old from Singapore, Joseph Schooling, who grew up idolizing the American star. Several of Phelps younger teammates talked of getting his autograph or having posters of him on their wall when they were children. He hopes to carry on that momentum, even though hes stepping away from competitive swimming.Phelps is not giving up the pool, however. He plans to keep swimming as part of his exercise regimen, hoping to keep his weight around the current 190 pounds.I will never let myself get to 230 pounds again, vowed Phelps, who put on weight after previous Olympics. Its great exercise. Its something I know how to do. It will be easy to pop in and swim two miles a couple of times a week. Ive always been so schedule-oriented. Im going to try to get on that earlier than later this time.When his news conference ended, Phelps bounded out of his chair.You guys wont see me at one of these things for a long time, he told reporters. See you later.---Follow Paul Newberry on Twitter at www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963 . His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/paul-newberry . [url=http://www.authenticwholesalejer