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EUGENE, Ore. -- Calling Inika McPherson the most unlikely of Olympians wouldnt be much of a stretch.Shes 5-foot-4 and competes in the high jump -- a discipline usually dominated by taller women.McPherson is also only a few months removed from a 21-month suspension after testing positive for cocaine.And yet, the 29-year-old will be on the U.S. team in Rio de Janeiro -- and sure to stand out, thanks to her blue-striped hair, a pair of red lips tattooed on the side of her face and a made-for-the-movies story that included washing dishes to make ends meet while she was waiting for the drug ban to elapse.I think everyone should march to their own beat, just really live life. But I came to the point where I was harming myself and my dreams, said McPherson, who finished third at track and field trials by leaping 6-4 -- or one foot higher than she stands.That positive test was jarring -- to her and her family. Her life at that point was moving too fast, she explained.McPherson tested positive after an in-competition sample she provided on June 29, 2014, at the USA championships in Sacramento, California. Her suspension was announced that December, with the ban made retroactive to July 27, 2014. It gave her a chance to return in time for trials.It was a surprise to me. I was like, `What is going on? No way this can be happening, said McPherson, who lives and trains in Houston. It was something that happened that I really learned from. Dont ever put yourself in that position or in that environment.The toughest part was having a conversation with her mom -- that she didnt have a drug problem, that she was just as perplexed.My mom was concerned at the beginning, `Whats going on in your life that you would test for that? McPherson explained. But we sat down and talked.Not to put it on the people I was around, but I turned into one of those people. I was hanging out with the wrong crew, going a different route. Im thankful for that whole experience, because I can share that so others wont have to go through that.It was painful to be away from a sport she fell in love with in fourth grade, after a gym teacher set up a makeshift high jump. They would run into the gym from the doorway and bound over the bar.Shes always been good, real good. She went to the University of California, where she finished fourth at NCAA indoor championships as a senior. Everything was progressing on an upward trajectory -- made the U.S. team for 2011 worlds, U.S. indoor runner-up in 2012, outdoor runner-up in 13 and outdoor champion in 14.Then, she tested positive for benzoylecgonine, a metabolite of cocaine.It was more, `whats going to happen now? she said.McPherson worked at a temp agency and frequently drew assignments at the George R. Brown Convention Center in downtown Houston as a dish washer.Sometimes, people who didnt know her would ask: What do you want to do one day?Her answer never wavered, even if it drew some raised eyebrows: Make the Olympic team.I never took my eye off the focus or the dream of what I wanted to accomplish, McPherson said.It was hard for her and her coach, Patrick Pyle, to always find a training facility. So they improvised in a gym at 24-Hour Fitness, simulating the high jump by running up to the basketball rim and trying to grab it. Turns out, McPherson has such hops she can actually dunk a tennis ball.We chose to go those unorthodox routes to keep things very fresh, Pyle explained. That way you didnt have the stress and the everyday routine of being at the track.Whatever they were doing certainly worked. McPherson finished third behind 32-year-old Chaunte Lowe and 18-year-old Vashti Cunningham, the daughter of longtime NFL quarterback Randall Cunningham.McPherson had even more pressure because, being away so long, she didnt have the Olympic qualifying standard of 6-4. She had to hit that at trials to secure her spot.Not a problem.I wasnt concerned at all, because I had (reached the standard) a couple of times before I got here, McPherson said. I was going to get it.McPherson is hardly your average height for a high jumper. Consider: Lowe is 5-9 and Cunningham 6-1.I have to work a little harder than the taller jumpers, she said, laughing. Its all good.One things for sure: She stands out. She dyes her hair whatever color strikes her and went with blue for the trials because, I looked around and saw a lot of blue.She also has more than 30 tattoos, including the eye-catching lips ink. She said it represents how a mother or a grandmother will kiss you on the cheek.Soon, she wants to add another tattoo -- the Olympic rings.Her family also is scrambling to get tickets to Rio. They dont want to miss this show.My family was supportive -- thats how I really made it through these two years, McPherson said. No way I could have done this alone.Sometimes, you have to ask for help. Maury Wills Dodgers Jersey .com) - The Montreal Canadiens embark on their first road trip of the season as they head out west to battle the Calgary Flames on Wednesday night. Hyun-jin Ryu Jersey . A statement from the worlds top-ranked player says all checks "were satisfactory and showed positive evolution" regarding the injury, which contributed to his loss to Stanislas Wawrinka in the final in Melbourne. https://www.cheapdodgersonline.com/275h-keibert-ruiz-jersey-dodgers.html . Having already announced that the race will start May 9 with three stages in Northern Ireland and Ireland and finish in Trieste on June 1, the rest of the route was unveiled Monday. Cheap Dodgers Jerseys . Durant finished with 24 points and 13 rebounds, Jackson matched his career high with 23 points on 10-of-14 shooting and Lamb scored 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting, lifting the Thunder to a 94-88 win over San Antonio and snapping the Spurs 11-game winning streak. Shawn Green Jersey . After slipping from the summit during the week, the Gunners overcame struggling Crystal Palace 2-0 on Sunday thanks to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlains second-half brace.CHICAGO -- Only the complete game and shutout eluded Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher A.J. Burnett in a stadium where he loves to pitch. Burnett pitched into the ninth inning and Pedro Alvarez and Russell Martin homered to lead the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 6-2 win over the Chicago Cubs on Saturday. "You program yourself," Burnett said after coming within two outs of his teams first complete game this season. "You want to finish what you started." Burnett (4-6) gave up four hits and three walks with five strikeouts in 8 1-3 innings to improve to 5-0 in his career at Wrigley Field. He had a shutout until Alfonso Sorianos two-run home run to left with one out in the ninth ended a string of 18 straight scoreless innings by Pirates pitchers. "It was the only ball that hung," Burnett said of the shot by Soriano. "He did with it what youre supposed to do with it. I go back a long way with Sori. ... Ive gotten him a few times, hes gotten me. "But you know, you can bury that pitch right there and Ive buried it." Burnett held the Cubs hitless until Nate Schierholtzs double down the line in right leading off the fifth. He threw 112 pitches and left after Sorianos home run. Burnett did not want to come out after allowing a single to Anthony Rizzo before Sorianos home run, and despite a mound conference, manager Clint Hurdle said he had no intention of removing his starter until 115 pitches or some runs scored. "Youve got to give men an opportunity to do certain things no matter where you are or who it is, and hes earned that opportunity," Hurdle said. "Theres been many games hes given us everything hes had." Burnett threw a one-hitter in his last start at Wrigley Field last July 31. He lost the no-hitter in the eighth inning with two outs in that outing. "Its a good place," Burnett said. "Its a good environment. A day game, too. "You come to Chicago and Wrigley Field, even as a Marlin I enjoyed coming here a long time ago. So its fun to get out and play against these guys on their field in their stadium." Sorianos homer was the 379th of his career, tying him with Orlando Cepeda and Tony Perez for 64th on the all-time list. But it was the Pirates doing almost all the hitting, as they gave Burnett some rare run support: They had scored three runs or less in six of his previous seven starts. "The last couple times we havent given him many runs," Alvarez said. "I doont care how good you are, its always nice to pitch with some runs behind you.dddddddddddd" The Pirates tagged Cubs starter Jeff Samardzija (3-7) for eight hits, including Alvarezs two-run home run in the fourth, his team-high 13th of the year. The right-hander struck out seven and walked one in six innings. "The splitter was up all day today," Samardzija said. "(They) got a couple of hits off of it. Alvarezs home run was off of it. "They took advantage of (the splitter) up in the zone and they made me pay." Martins homer, a two-run shot in the eighth off reliever Hector Rondon, was the 100th of his career. The Pirates jumped on Samardzija for a run in the second on Garrett Jones double and Alvarezs one-out RBI single. Pittsburgh added a run in the third when Starling Marte ended a streak of 14 hitless at-bats with a single, stole second and came in on Travis Sniders single. Alvarez homered to right field after Martin led off with a walk in the fourth to increase the Pirates lead to 4-0. In the eighth, Martin sent a 3-2 pitch by Rondon into the seats in left for a two-out home run after Andrew McCutchen had drawn a walk. Pittsburgh beat Chicago for the fifth straight time and handed the Cubs their fifth loss in the last six games overall. "Its hard to see those guys play the way they play and we cannot play like that," Soriano said. "Especially, we got shut out yesterday. I dont want it to happen today again. At least he didnt throw a shutout." NOTES: Pittsburgh RHP Jeff Karstens, on the disabled list since March 26 with a shoulder inflammation, had surgery Friday on his right rotator cuff and labrum in Los Angeles. Hell be able to begin a rehab process in 10 to 12 weeks. ... The Pirates placed RHP Jared Hughes on the 15-day disabled list with a throwing shoulder inflammation and recalled OF Alex Presley from Triple-A Indianapolis. Presley had been sent down Monday when Hughes was called up. Hughes has returned to Pittsburgh for more evaluation. ... Cubs pitcher Kyuji Fuikawa, who went on the 60-day DL May 27 with a muscular strain in his right forearm, is expected to have surgery Tuesday after an exam on Monday. ... Cubs SS Starlin Castro, dropped from second to seventh in the order on June 4, continued to struggle. He went 0 for 3 and is mired in a 3-for-34 slump. ... Sundays pitchers: Pittsburgh left-hander Jeff Locke (5-1, 2.45) vs. Chicago right-hander Edwin Jackson (1-8, 6.29). ' ' '