By Tim Flagstad
EUGENE, Ore. — It was 24 years ago that Roald Bradstock finished fourth in the javelin at the Los Angeles Olympics while competing for England.

On Friday, he was back at the Olympic trials, this time competing for the United States and aiming to achieve a completely different goal than reaching his third Olympic team in his final meet.

Bradstock, dubbed the “Olympic Picasso” because of his career as an artist, wanted to promote the mix of sport and art. To do so, he wore three different homemade outfits for his attempts.

“I’m basically having fun with a new medium, trying to get a new generation interested,” said Bradstock, who became a U.S. citizen in 1995.

He finished with a mark of 225 feet, 5 inches, which wasn’t good enough to qualify for the finals.

After competing, Bradstock said he was done with the javelin, even though is doctors told him long ago not to even try. When he was 6, he was diagnosed with spina bifida, a birth defect of the spinal chord, but he created a unique form that mimics a discus toss and uses only seven steps on the approach instead of the normal 20 or so.

Over his lengthy career, Bradstock has had no major injuries that needed surgery and credits it to his form.

He’s also quite proficient at throwing iPods and other random objects.