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FOUR YEARS AGO, Pleasanton native and Cal grad Travis Nutter left the U.S. Olympic track and field trials as the No. 3 finisher in the hammer throw, but with the realization he had little chance of going to the Athens Olympics.

He had another month to achieve the Olympic "A" qualifying standard, but it was nearly 20 feet farther than he'd ever thrown.

"There was no way," he said.

When Nutter completes the hammer competition at the trials in Eugene, Ore., on July 4, he'll know exactly where he stands.

He'll either be headed to Beijing or toward retirement.

Nutter, 32, who once intended to compete through the 2012 London Games, now expects to step away from the sport after this season. He has a wife and kids, and the hammer throw is not exactly a revenue-generating endeavor.

The good/bad news is that Nutter's quest to reach the Olympics has been simplified by a change in the qualifying system.

In the past, the top three finishers at the trials could seek the Olympic qualifying standard during a window between the trials and the games. Now they must achieve that mark before or during the trials.

In the hammer, where America struggles to compete with the world's best, no one yet has the Olympic "A" standard of 257 feet, 6 inches. Three throwers have the "B" mark of 242-9, and Nutter is close at 242-2. He hopes to get it Friday at the Oregon Twilight meet in Eugene.

The rules state that if two or three athletes have the "A" standard after the trials,

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they will represent the U.S. in Beijing, regardless of how they finished at the trials. If only one thrower has the "A" mark and he doesn't finish first at the trials, the winner goes, provided he has at least the "B" qualifier.

All very confusing, but Nutter believes a streamlined scenario will play out.

"My prediction is no one will get the 'A' standard before the trials -- that's a pretty good mark," he said, noting A.G. Kruger is the only active American to ever throw that far.

If that happens, the Olympic bid goes to the winner of the trials, plain and simple.

"Second place won't get it done," said Nutter, whose lifetime best is 245-7. "That's the harsh reality of our event at this time. There's only going to be one of us going."

Nutter is OK with that. He's healthy and feeling ready for a big finish to his career.

"With the training I've been able to get done, this is the best shot I'm going to have," he said. "This is as good as it's going to get."

MODESTO LINEUP: The 67th California Relays (formerly Modesto Relays) will feature a solid lineup Saturday at Modesto Junior College, headed by Christian Cantwell in the men's shot put and strong men's and women's pole vault fields.

Cantwell has thrown at least 70 feet the past six seasons and will be challenged by three-time Olympian John Godina and Dan Taylor , who threw 70 feet in 2006.

Jeff Hartwig and Jenn Stuczynski, men's and women's American record-holders in the pole vault, will be on hand, along with Stanford grad and 2004 Olympic silver medalist Toby Stevenson, who cleared 19-81/4 at this meet four years ago.

The meet begins with field events at 10 a.m., and the first invitational running event is at 2:40 p.m. Tickets are available through ticketmaster.com or at Save Mart or Lucky stores.

INSANE USAIN: Jamaica's Usain Bolt quietly ran a blistering 9.76 seconds for 100 meters at a meet in Kingston on Saturday night, the second-fastest time in history. Bolt is just the sixth man to boast both a sub-9.90 time in the 100 and a sub-19.80 mark in the 200.

Here's how the half dozen stack up, ranking them by combined 100/200 times: 1. Tyson Gay (9.84/19.62=29.46); 2. Bolt (9.76/19.75=29.51); 3. Frank Fredericks (9.86/19.68=29.54); 4. Carl Lewis (9.86/19.75=29.61); 5. Ato Boldon (9.86/19.77=29.63); 6. Shawn Crawford (9.88/19.79=29.67).

FINISH LINES: Chico State junior Scott Bauhs, the Danville native who celebrates his 22nd birthday on Sunday, did more last weekend than run an Olympic "A" qualifier and U.S.-leading time in the 10,000 meters at Stanford last Sunday night. A day earlier, he won the 1,500 title at the California Collegiate Athletic Association meet in Los Angeles. ... Former James Logan High School star Kevin Craddock, a junior at UCLA, blazed to a personal-best time of 13.46 in the 110 high hurdles in a dual meet against USC on Saturday. Craddock's mark is the second-fastest among collegiate hurdlers. ... Richmond native and Laney College grad Charonda Williams ran a lifetime best of 11.41 in the 100 for Arizona State last weekend.

Contact Jeff Faraudo at jeffscribe@aol.com.