In the second day of the US Olympic Track and Field Trials in Eugene, Oregon, the conclusion of three finals saw nine athletes earning their tickets to the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.
In the women’s 100m, little-known Muna Lee crossed the line in 10.85 seconds. Torri Edwards, 2003 world champion, finished second with a time of 10.894 seconds and Lauryn Williams, 2005 world champion and 2007 world runner-up in the 100m, came in third at 10.897 seconds. Allyson Felix, two-time 200m world champion, finished fifth. Her dream of competing in four events in Beijing — the 100m, 200m and two relays — ended on Saturday.
Three familiar faces, previous world champions, came through in the men’s shot put. Reese Hoffa (22.10m), Christian Cantwell (21.71m) and Adam Nelson (20.89m) finished 1-2-3 to make the Olympic team. Hoffa’s performance was the world’s best this season.
Hyleas Fountain, who won three of four events on the first day of the women’s heptathlon, took two of three on Saturday (long jump, javelin) to place first with 6,667 points. Joining her in Beijing will be Jacquelyn Johnson and Diana Pickler.
Despite the subdued performances in the earlier rounds, five athletes finished within 9.96 seconds in the quarterfinals of the men’s 100m. Tyson Gay flew over the finish line first in an amazing 9.77 seconds, breaking the 9-year-old American record set by Maurice Greene. Despite this accomplishment, to qualify for the Beijing Olympic Games, Gay has to stand on the podium after Sunday’s final. Also advancing are Walter Dix and Xavier Carter, among other Olympic hopefuls.
The US Olympic Track and Field Trials begin on June 27 and end on July 6. The top three atheletes in each event who also meet the Olympic standard will qualify for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. The name list of the US Olympic team will be officially announced on July 13.
(Source: en.beijing2008.cn)