Olympic Trials: Day 6

Hayward Field at twilight during the women's 1,500 meters. Taken from the press tribune in the west grandstands.

Here's a wrap from day six of the U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials...

MEN'S 10,000 METERS: It waas another night for the home faithful as another one of their own qualified for the Olympic team. Oregon's Galen Rupp stayed with the lead pack throughout the 25-lap race and finished second in a time of 27:43.11. The standing crowd moved from excited to deafening as Rupp moved into the lead with two laps to go. It was short lived as Abdi Abdirahman, who led most of the race, took the lead back with 600 meters left, winning the race in 27:46.33.

Adam Goucher, whose last minute bid to get into the race through a USATF appeal has caused some consternation in the track community, finished seventh after spending about a mile leading the chase pack. Meb Keflezighi, the American record holder in the event, was out of it midway through the race. The time off needed from an injury earlier this year hurt Meb, who finished 13th in a time of 28:39.02.

WOMEN'S 5,000 METERS: Kara Goucher finally got her own race. The Portland transplant who has been adopted by the Hayward crowd surged in the final 100 meters to past American record holder Shalane Flanagan and win with a time of 15:01.02. Flanagan finished third. Both ladies will represent the country in both the 5,000 and 10,000-meter disciplines.

WOMEN'S 1,500 METERS: The story of this wasn't who won the semifinal heats, but who made it into the finals field. Jordan Hasay is a three-time California prep champion at 1,500 meters, and entered the Olympic Trials out of her junior year in high school. Hasay was quickly adopted by the Hayward crowd, who willed her from eighth place with 300 meters into fifth place and a spot in the finals on Sunday. Hasay's finish time of 4:14.50 is a new U.S. high school record (previously held by Christine Babcock, who finished ninth in the same heat). She will join the likes of Shannon Rowbury (first in heat 1, 4:11.75) and Lindsey Gallo (winner of heat 2, 4:12.54).

After the race, Hasay posed by the timing board, which flashed her HS record time. At the same time, the crowd in the south grandstands made an empassioned plea for her school choice, chanting "Come to Oregon!" Me thinks she and Vin Lananna will have some words before all is said and done.

MEN'S 200 METERS: Tyson Gay did not make the same mistake twice. In his heat of the preliminaries, Gay made sure he did not pull up at the wrong line, easily winning in 20.43 seconds. Walter Dix, who finished second to Gay in the 100 finals, won his heat in a time of 20.66 seconds. Wallace Spearmon won his heat in a time of 20.81 seconds.

FACES IN THE CROWD: Seen lots of people over the last few days here at the trials, some from my recent history and some from the past. Those include Ron Tabb (former Pacific XC and track coach), Pacific track athletes Caitlyn Tateishi and Kelsey Owens (2007 NCAA Division III XC All-American), Scott Ball (my track coach at Pacific) and Bob Latham (former XC/track coach at Bend High School).

WHAT TO WATCH SATURDAY: Quarterfinals and semifinals in both the men's and women's 200 meters and the finals of the 3,000-meter steeplechase. The last of the hurdles races take place, with the qualifying heats of the men's 110-meter hurdles and women's 100-meter hurdles.