Olympic Trials - Days 3-4

Ok lots of things have been going on between traveling, running, and lot of other more important things that have consumed me for the past few days. It has been a tough stretch the past few days with the loss of a very close friends mother and I would like to express my deepest condolences again. I think if you read my blog you probably know this already but it is a really tough circumstance and when it happens to someone that is so close to you it really takes a while to get your head around it.

Well here is my combined Day 3-4 recap of the Trials. Lots of very exciting action and really great story lines over the past few days.

Recap:
This is going to be tough to recap 2 full days of competition. I will sum it all up using descriptive phrases rather than calling out lots of names, times and places. There was a new OT Record, and near American Record, in the Men's Decathlon. Extremely exciting Men's 800m final with nothing less than a actual dive across the finish line in order to make the team. A somewhat predictable yet still exciting Men's 5000 final. A men's 100m final that showed the dominance of one man and the resurgence of another. A pole vault that saw the American Record holder almost miss his spot and a former, now 40+, vaulter see his Olympic dreams realized one last time. Lastly, although not chronologically, a great 400m final for both Men and Women that saw potential medalists punch their tickets as well as look on with the agony of knowing their medal is likely waiting for them in London in 2012.

Day 3-4 Olympians:
Women's Triple Jump - Shani Marks and Erica McLain
Men's Pole Vault - Derek Miles, Jeff Hartwig(!), and Brad Walker
Women's Discus - Aretha Thurmond, Suzy Powell-Roos, and Stephanie Brown Trafton
Men's Long Jump - Trevell Quinley, Brian Johnson, and Miguel Pate
Women's 400m Hurdles - Tiffany Ross-Williams, Sheena Tosta, and Queen Harrison
Men's 400m Hurdles - Bershawn Jackson, Kerron Clement, and Angelo Taylor
Men's 100m - Tyson Gay, Walter Dix, and Darvis Patton
Women's 800m - Hazel Clark, Alice Schmidt, and Nicole Teter
Men's 800m - Nick Symmonds, Andrew Wheating, and Christian Smith
Men's Decathlon - Bryan Clay, Trey Hardee, and Tom Pappas
Men's 5000m - Bernard Lagat, Matt Tegenkamp, and Ian Dobson
PHEW...

Highs:
3. Andrew Wheating/Christian Smith - Men's 800m - Final - 2nd /3rd Place - 1:45.03/1:45:47
I have tried my hardest not to combine athletes but they both deserve a nod here. Wheating was a little known boy from Vermont that has just exploded on the scene and is a great story to follow. Smith is a former NCAA champ who was in a hospital bed for 2 months no more than 15 months ago wondering if he would ever run again. Smith was the final athlete accepted as #30 on the declared list, the only runner in the final without the Olympic "A" standard, and a complete and utter surprise to everyone except himself and his training partner, and fellow Olympian, Symmonds. Great stuff going on in the Men's 800m, with a man who could be considered one of the best in the world being left off the team.

2. Rebecca Donaghue - Women's 5000m - Semi-Final Heat #2 - 5th Place - 15:38.95
So here is a true random decision and very biased by the fact that she runs for a Boston based team and her story is just really good. Donaghue has battled through injuries and really worked on getting healthy and staying that way. She qualified running solo at a Boston High Performance meet a few weeks back in which she ran a PR. In her Semi-Final here she PR'd by over 15 seconds and looked damn good doing it. Now she won't make the Olympics but I think she deserves a nod here for the incredible accomplishment and the sentimental value I have for someone that runs on a team from Boston.

1. Bershawn Jackson - Men's 400m Hurdles - Final - 1st Place - 48.17
Alright a great race and a great place for a truly great runner (did I say great enough times there?). Now again biased I am to another athlete, this time because he ran at a DII school (St. Aug's) and I had the opportunity to see him race a few times before he was "known." Biased thoughts aside, you have to feel good for Jackson who missed the 2004 Olympics after stumbling over the final hurdle and being out leaned to lose his chance at an almost guaranteed medal in Athens. Jackson will go in to Beijing as a favorite the gold but it wasn't with a little drama again. Once again going in to the final 50m Jackson stumbled and looked like he may lose it, but was able to really gut it out after 10th and final hurdle to get the win and have his first shot at Olympic glory.

Lows:
3. Khadevis Robinson - Men's 800m - Final - 4th Place - 1:45.53
Unbelievably KD is on my list for a second time and neither time was good. Although I can't blame him for not making the team it is really disappointing to think he won't be at the Olympics. I am really happy for Wheating and Smith but they have little to no chance on the international level just yet. Robinson is a true competitor that would have had a decent shot at the Olympic final had the races worked in his favor. Unfortunately he'll have to wait another 4 years to prove it.

2. Lashinda Demus- Women's 400m Hurdles - 4th Place - 54.76
The world leader will not be heading to Beijing and that is a shame. Althogh the US has an exceptional crew heading to the Olympics in the event it will be without, with debate, their best shot at the Gold. A sad state of affairs, but that is how it works at the US Olympic Trials.

1. USATF

Ok, so here goes a bit of a rant on the USATF. Now feel free to go on any running website and you will find all you need to know about the controversy surrounding the Men's 10,000m final on Friday night. The long and short of it is that the bumbling fools at the USATF office have allowed Adam Goucher in to the final on a special exemption even though he was sitting 8th on the provisional list. This means that by allowing Goucher in to the final 7 athletes with faster times may have to sit and watch the final while Goucher gets in. Why can this happen you ask? Well there are lots of theories. I will go with a mix of the following:

1. Alberto Salazar - The man with the plan. Salazar could probably get the USATF to let him on the Olympic team if he wanted. He has more pull and who knows why...not me. He was a great runner who coaches great athletes, but it doesn't mean he should get to bend the rules.
2. Nike - Huge corporate sponsor of the OT and happens to also sponsor Goucher. Now this is maybe sounding like a Nike hater talking but there is likely truth to this hating. Nike is the puppet master to much of what goes on at USATF and they virtually own the town of Eugene.
3. Poor Decisions - A major issue the USATF has dealt with is just making poor decisions. This is simply unfair and not well thought out. A resolution has to be made or I guarantee a lawsuit will follow.

Well that's all I got for ya. Here is a link to all the info on the 10k insanity so it can be followed: Amby Burfoot Takes on USATF.

The next time a write it will be from Eugene...Happy Trials watching to everyone it is going to be a great next 4 days!