It has become almost a ritual for me...nights of interrupted sleep leading up to the first week of sports competition at Pacific University.
Hence, here I am at 12:40 in the morning, downing a cup of "Sleepy Time Tea," hoping to get my brain to settle down enough to get a few hours sleep before heading into the office to begin two of the more hectic weeks of my year.
What makes it hectic? First there are the tasks to complete before the start of every individual sports season: compiling rosters, writing player bios, posting said rosters and bios to the Web site, writing season previews, posting said preview to Web site, writing the first notebook releases of the season, weekend game programs.
Then there is bringing my crew of Work Study students up to speed. I have a span of four days to hire and train a crew of 10-12 students who will be my backbone during all of our home events: scorekeepers, statisticans, scoreboard operators, clock operators. This will include at least a pair of evening training sessions and some one-on-one time with specific people, such as our volleyball stats crew.
The training is to prep those hard working students for a long first weekend. We host a two-day, seven-team volleyball tournament this weekend. Seven matches each day, including two matches each at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. It stretches my crew thin when everything needs to run flawlessly.
On top of that this year is a new addition: a women's soccer doubleheader on Friday and two more games on Sunday running concurrently with the volleyball tournament. I will probably have to hire outside for at least one person. It is a cruel way for a one-man sports information office to start the year.
Then there are the media guides. Three 40-page publications documenting the men's soccer, women's soccer and volleyball seasons. Thankfully I was able to get the majority of the work on these done before this week came. That leaves the player bios, season previews and team photos.
Those items, however, are partly at the mercy of the coaches and how important they think it is to get the information they need to me in a timely fashion. For some, the idea of writing 2 sentences about what each of their athletes will contribute to the team is too daunting. Scheduling team pictures is easy...provided we can sync up everyone's class schedule and not take any time away from practice.
So, here I am in front of the computer. The plea for student workers has been submitted to the daily student e-newsletter and the plea for volunteers has been submitted to the staff e-newsletter. The cup of tea is almost empty. Hopefully my mind can stop racing and preserve some cells for Monday. I will need them.
Oh...and there's meeting with the advertiser who I need to get a decent chunk of my operating budget from. Better have the game face on.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Beijing 2008
Some of the impressions from the Games of the XXIX Olympiad that will stick with me...• Michael Phelps is an absolute stud. Swimming is one tough thing to do (this from a runner who can last one workout in the pool). To have the strength, the resolve and the focus do pull off what he did, with all of the different disciplines, is truly amazing. I would compare it to an individual track athlete winning the 100, 200, 400 and the long jump and then helping win the two relays.
And Phelps did it with unbridled excitement. At the end of each race, each time he stood on the top of the medal podium, he was excited to be there and, quite possibly, in awe of his own feat. Eight races. Eight golds. Seven records. Wow.
• Usain Bolt is an absolute stud. World records in the 100 and 200 at the same Olympics, a feat never before equalled. (Jesse Owens did set records in the 100 and 200 in the 1935 Big 10 Championships, but he couldn't repeat that in Berlin.) Add to that the world record in the 4x100-meter relay. But then...one would expect a record when the current 100m world record holder hands off to the former record holder (Asafa Powell). My only regret: seeing what he could have done had he not pulled up at the end of the 100. Possibly a sub-9.60? I have a feeling we will know in the future.
• The United States as a whole was quite disappointing in the Bird's Nest. Tyson Gay's no show to the 100-meter final (though I will give him the benefit of the doubt with the hamstring injury he suffered in the Olympic Trials). Bernard Lagat failing to medal in either the 1,500 or 5,000. The botched handoffs by both of the 4x100-meter relays. The absence of Reese Hoffa on the medal stand in the shot put (offset by the silver medal performance of Christian Cantwell). Lolo Jones striking the last hurdle in the 100-meter hurdles and failing to medal. The U.S. has some serious ground to make up over the next four years leading up to London.
• On the positive side for USA Track & Field: The 1-2-3 sweep in the men's 400 meters, the domination by both 4x400-meter relay teams, Bryan Clay's gold medal in the decathlon (join the likes of Dan O'Brien, Bruce Jenner, Bob Mathias and Jim Thorpe as Americans to earn the title World's Greatest Athlete), Hyleas Fountain's silver medal in the heptathlon.
• I could not be happier for Walter Dix. The former Florida State sprinter was one of the nicer and fresher personalities at the Olympic Trials and came home with broze medals in both the 100 and 200. He has the potential to be a force in world sprinting in the next four years.
• Note to Great Britain: Although you did best Jamaica in the finals of the men's 4x400-meter relay, the last thing you want to do is taunt the world's greatest sprinting power in a preliminary heat. Bad idea.
• As much as I love watching long distance running, I don't think I needed to see the men's marathon in its entirety in prime time (though I will admit that my dad and I spent a Saturday night on the couch, eating pizza, watching the Kenyans earn their first gold medal in the event).
• The Redeem Team lived up to it's name, playing like a team and showing the world that, although they are catching up, it is still the United States' game. And the callsy move for the team photo of putting all the gold medals around Coach K's neck (remember that the coaches do not receive medals).
• Every four years, I will watch sports that I would normally have no interest in whatsoever: weightlifting, air pistol shooting, badminton, water polo, gymnastics, kayaking, rowing, boxing. And it looks even better in HD.
• China won the race in gold medals, but will the sports machine they have created be as concerned about it now that the Chinese games are over?
• I am looking forward to what kind of a show London can put on. Beijing set the bar very high.
• If anyone can get me tickets for men's hockey or speed skating for Vancouver 2010, let me know!
Sunday, August 3, 2008
The Oklahoma City Coopers?
Many in the Emerald City are still fuming over the Supersonic's departure to Oklahoma City thanks to Clay Bennett after his less-than-disguised attempt to make people think that he ever intended to keep the team in Seattle.
Paul Lukas, who write a sports uniform column on ESPN.com's Page 2, challenged readers to come up with their own designs for the yet-to-be-named Oklahoma City team. The designs ranged from ingenious and well designed to downright ugly.
Then...there were the sour grapes awards, no doubt entered by Seattleites who would love a piece of Bennett's hide. There is the Franchise Stealers, complete with prison stripes for the road uniform, and the Vultures, among others. I love the Coopers, a less-than-subtle nod to the Northwest legend who jumped out of a commerical passenger plane in the late 1970s with several thousand dollars, never to resurface. Much like the Sonics.
Click Here To View A Gallery Of All Of The Submitted Designs
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Add Olympic Trials Wrap
Ron Bellamy, sports editor of the Eugene Register-Guard, had a great column about Eugene's performance with the Olympic Trials and the resurgence of Track Town USA.
Read The Column Here
Read The Column Here
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Olympic Trials Wrap: Moments & Legacy
It's now been three days since the U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials wrapped up in Eugene, and I think I have finally come down off of the high. The adrenaline rush and sleep change definitely caught up Monday. It took me a few cups of coffee to keep me going.
The trials were by far the most exhilirating and most exciting sporting event I have ever been a part of. I sat through all eight days absolutely riveted. There aren't many venues where you can see the world's greatest athletes on the same stage, competing for the right to represent their country for their sport's highest prize. As a track fan, it doesn't get much better.
Even still, eight days is a long time for anything, and I was happy to come back home to my home, to my wife and children and my own bed (dorm room mattresses haven't changed...they're still rock hard).
There are plenty of moments that will stay with me through the years. Here are some examples.
BEST OVERALL MOMENT: The men's 800-meter final. You would swear that Prefontaine himself had stepped back on the track. The buzz in the stands was absolutely electric as the finalists warmed up on the track, and it only heightened when Nick Symmonds and Andrew Wheating were introduced. With 500 meters to go, the entire crowd (press row and all) moved to its feet and din't leave there for another 10 minutes. The roaring crowd only got more deafening when Symmonds moved to the lead out a boxed-in spot in lane 1 with 150 meters to go, and even louder when Wheating moved up on the outside to finish second and become an unexpected Olympian. It was so loud that you could not hear yourself yelling. Some compared those 20,000 fans to the loud crowds at Autzen or those at Mac Court when UCLA comes to visit.
Perhaps even more priceless was the picture nobody saw. Everyone has seen the shot of Symmonds with his hands raised crossing the finish line while a shocked Wheating comes across with mouth wide open. What few have seen is that when the scoreboard flashed that Wheating had indeed placed second, Symmonds' jaw dropped equally as wide while he searched out the man in the Oregon jersey to congratulate him.
JAW-DROPPING MOMENT: Tyson Gay's performances in the 100 meters. After nearly squandering his chance for the Olympics away by confusing a waterfall line for the finish line, the dynamic sprinter turns in a pair of dynamic performances. The same day as his fateful prelims race, Gay comes back to wow the crowd in Saturday's finale to run 9.77 seconds. I remember seeing the time and turning to Donnie Nelson, the sports information director for the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association who was helping with the media staff, looking amazed at each other as the announcer informed the crowd, "The wind is legal. Ammmerrricaan record!"
Everyone came into Sunday expecting something great and, perhaps, a world record. Gay did not disappoint. With the crowd on its feet from start to finish, Gay turned in the fastest 10 ever run by a human being. The crowd let out a collective gasp when the time of 9.68 seconds was flashed up on the timer, and then let out a collective groan when the wind reading of +4.1 came up on the board. No world record, but an incredible feat nonetheless.
The question now is how severe the injury is that Gay suffered during the 200-meter semifinals later in the meet and how well he can recover before Beijing. If he can be back to his top form, that world record may not be safe.
BEST PERSONAL MOMENT: Being able to see Ian Dobson make his Olympic dream come true. I remember seeing and running against Ian in road races in Klamath Falls, and watched with interest as be became one of the state's prep runners. Three years removed from an up and down career at Stanford, Ian has come completely back to be at the top of his sport, now mentioned alongside the only two men to beat him in the trials 5,000 meters: Matt Tegenkamp and Bernard Lagat. I have no doubt that Ian will perform well for the U.S. in Beijing.
Ian is now in some pretty select company when it comes to Olympic athletes from Klamath Falls: Ralph Hill (1932 silver medalist in the 5,000 meters), Janice Romary (six-time Olympian in fencing, who in 1968 became the first woman to carry the flag for the United States) and Dan O'Brien (2000 gold medalist in the decathlon).
FUNNIEST MOMENT: When the Hayward Field "Track Vision" cameraman had a momentary lapse before the start of the men's 110-meter hurdle final on Sunday. The cameraman was supposed to move from lane to lane as announcer Garry Hill introduced each finalist. After introducing David Payne in lane 5, the cameraman forgot to move. Forgot to move for about 20 seconds until the sound Hill snoring over the public address system finally got him over to lane 6.
THOUGHTFUL MOMENT: Following Sunday's men's 1,500 meter final, when reporters in the mixed zone question Bernard Lagat about the significance of three foreign-born athletes finishing 1-2-3 in the race. Lagat is from Kenya, second place Leonel Mazano was born in Mexico (came to the U.S. when he was4-years-old) and third place Lopez Lomong is from Zambia.
Lagat's response was simple, but elegant and one that is from someone truly proud to be representing their adopted country. "It feels good. It shows that American is the place where dreams can happen. I can't find that in Europe or in my country. The three of us are living the American dream. My goal now is to do my best for this country."
Vin Lananna, Oregon's Director of Track and the co-chair of the local organizing committee, has gone on record that he believes it was the best track meet ever held in the United States. Bubba Thornton, coach of the U.S. Men's Olympic Team, remarked about how well Eugene as a community had done of making this meet special. Eugene Register-Guard columnist Bob Welch gave an honest assessment, complete with gold, silver and bronze rankings, of what did and didn't work well at the meet. The editorial page of the same paper, meanwhile, declared that the trials have found their true home.
Thornton, in yet another Register-Guard article, summed up the Eugene experience like this: “They need to seize the things that have happened here and continue the effort that’s been put into this venue, and this city, to keep it moving forward. It has been in our history that when it’s over, it’s over. We have a great chance to continue (the momentum of the Trials), and it’s going to be the people who have the ownership in the sport to keep this thing moving forward at this level.”
Outside of keeping the dopers (as far as we know) away from the meet, I believe that the Eugene Olympic Trials were indeed special. The athletes seemed to eat up the experience, from the hospitality to being welcomed like rock stars on the festival stage. The Fan Fest did something that track and field has not been able to do for years: bring the American fan closer to the sport. They made the Olympic Trials more than just a big track meet. They made it an event. It was a whole community effort, as evidenced by over 2,000 volunteers doing everything from manning information desks at the airport to collecting biodegradable cups and silverware for composting.
There are a few things I would change. Move the media interview tent away from the festival stage so that the last press conference of the night is not drown out by whatever band begins the post-meet proceedings. Make traffic lanes in and out of Hayward Field more direct and less confusing. Have more gear with the trials logo on it available instead of letting Nike use their merchandise tent to hock mostly their own designs and history.
But overall, as I have on an Oregon track and field shirt from the early 1990s, Track is Back in Eugene. I am sure they will rise to the occasion again in 2012.
The trials were by far the most exhilirating and most exciting sporting event I have ever been a part of. I sat through all eight days absolutely riveted. There aren't many venues where you can see the world's greatest athletes on the same stage, competing for the right to represent their country for their sport's highest prize. As a track fan, it doesn't get much better.
Even still, eight days is a long time for anything, and I was happy to come back home to my home, to my wife and children and my own bed (dorm room mattresses haven't changed...they're still rock hard).
There are plenty of moments that will stay with me through the years. Here are some examples.
BEST OVERALL MOMENT: The men's 800-meter final. You would swear that Prefontaine himself had stepped back on the track. The buzz in the stands was absolutely electric as the finalists warmed up on the track, and it only heightened when Nick Symmonds and Andrew Wheating were introduced. With 500 meters to go, the entire crowd (press row and all) moved to its feet and din't leave there for another 10 minutes. The roaring crowd only got more deafening when Symmonds moved to the lead out a boxed-in spot in lane 1 with 150 meters to go, and even louder when Wheating moved up on the outside to finish second and become an unexpected Olympian. It was so loud that you could not hear yourself yelling. Some compared those 20,000 fans to the loud crowds at Autzen or those at Mac Court when UCLA comes to visit.
Perhaps even more priceless was the picture nobody saw. Everyone has seen the shot of Symmonds with his hands raised crossing the finish line while a shocked Wheating comes across with mouth wide open. What few have seen is that when the scoreboard flashed that Wheating had indeed placed second, Symmonds' jaw dropped equally as wide while he searched out the man in the Oregon jersey to congratulate him.
JAW-DROPPING MOMENT: Tyson Gay's performances in the 100 meters. After nearly squandering his chance for the Olympics away by confusing a waterfall line for the finish line, the dynamic sprinter turns in a pair of dynamic performances. The same day as his fateful prelims race, Gay comes back to wow the crowd in Saturday's finale to run 9.77 seconds. I remember seeing the time and turning to Donnie Nelson, the sports information director for the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association who was helping with the media staff, looking amazed at each other as the announcer informed the crowd, "The wind is legal. Ammmerrricaan record!"
Everyone came into Sunday expecting something great and, perhaps, a world record. Gay did not disappoint. With the crowd on its feet from start to finish, Gay turned in the fastest 10 ever run by a human being. The crowd let out a collective gasp when the time of 9.68 seconds was flashed up on the timer, and then let out a collective groan when the wind reading of +4.1 came up on the board. No world record, but an incredible feat nonetheless.
The question now is how severe the injury is that Gay suffered during the 200-meter semifinals later in the meet and how well he can recover before Beijing. If he can be back to his top form, that world record may not be safe.
BEST PERSONAL MOMENT: Being able to see Ian Dobson make his Olympic dream come true. I remember seeing and running against Ian in road races in Klamath Falls, and watched with interest as be became one of the state's prep runners. Three years removed from an up and down career at Stanford, Ian has come completely back to be at the top of his sport, now mentioned alongside the only two men to beat him in the trials 5,000 meters: Matt Tegenkamp and Bernard Lagat. I have no doubt that Ian will perform well for the U.S. in Beijing.
Ian is now in some pretty select company when it comes to Olympic athletes from Klamath Falls: Ralph Hill (1932 silver medalist in the 5,000 meters), Janice Romary (six-time Olympian in fencing, who in 1968 became the first woman to carry the flag for the United States) and Dan O'Brien (2000 gold medalist in the decathlon).
FUNNIEST MOMENT: When the Hayward Field "Track Vision" cameraman had a momentary lapse before the start of the men's 110-meter hurdle final on Sunday. The cameraman was supposed to move from lane to lane as announcer Garry Hill introduced each finalist. After introducing David Payne in lane 5, the cameraman forgot to move. Forgot to move for about 20 seconds until the sound Hill snoring over the public address system finally got him over to lane 6.
THOUGHTFUL MOMENT: Following Sunday's men's 1,500 meter final, when reporters in the mixed zone question Bernard Lagat about the significance of three foreign-born athletes finishing 1-2-3 in the race. Lagat is from Kenya, second place Leonel Mazano was born in Mexico (came to the U.S. when he was4-years-old) and third place Lopez Lomong is from Zambia.
Lagat's response was simple, but elegant and one that is from someone truly proud to be representing their adopted country. "It feels good. It shows that American is the place where dreams can happen. I can't find that in Europe or in my country. The three of us are living the American dream. My goal now is to do my best for this country."
"It was different for me last year [at World Championships], but in a different way. In Kenya I was wearing red and green, but now I get to wear red, white and blue."
THE LEGACY OF EUGENE 2008: Much will be made in the track community over the next few weeks and months about how well Eugene put on the Trials. The Eugene trials worked to make this track meet more than a meet, but to make it an event that catered to the community. Especially considering the myriad of Nike conspiracy theories that are out there from site selection to Craig Masback's sudden defection from USA Track & Field to Nike after awarding the 2012 Trials to Eugene to even allegations of preferencial treatment for Nike athletes on the track, these trials will be look at with a fine-tooth comb.Vin Lananna, Oregon's Director of Track and the co-chair of the local organizing committee, has gone on record that he believes it was the best track meet ever held in the United States. Bubba Thornton, coach of the U.S. Men's Olympic Team, remarked about how well Eugene as a community had done of making this meet special. Eugene Register-Guard columnist Bob Welch gave an honest assessment, complete with gold, silver and bronze rankings, of what did and didn't work well at the meet. The editorial page of the same paper, meanwhile, declared that the trials have found their true home.
Thornton, in yet another Register-Guard article, summed up the Eugene experience like this: “They need to seize the things that have happened here and continue the effort that’s been put into this venue, and this city, to keep it moving forward. It has been in our history that when it’s over, it’s over. We have a great chance to continue (the momentum of the Trials), and it’s going to be the people who have the ownership in the sport to keep this thing moving forward at this level.”
Outside of keeping the dopers (as far as we know) away from the meet, I believe that the Eugene Olympic Trials were indeed special. The athletes seemed to eat up the experience, from the hospitality to being welcomed like rock stars on the festival stage. The Fan Fest did something that track and field has not been able to do for years: bring the American fan closer to the sport. They made the Olympic Trials more than just a big track meet. They made it an event. It was a whole community effort, as evidenced by over 2,000 volunteers doing everything from manning information desks at the airport to collecting biodegradable cups and silverware for composting.
There are a few things I would change. Move the media interview tent away from the festival stage so that the last press conference of the night is not drown out by whatever band begins the post-meet proceedings. Make traffic lanes in and out of Hayward Field more direct and less confusing. Have more gear with the trials logo on it available instead of letting Nike use their merchandise tent to hock mostly their own designs and history.
But overall, as I have on an Oregon track and field shirt from the early 1990s, Track is Back in Eugene. I am sure they will rise to the occasion again in 2012.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Olympic Trials Intro Video
This video was shown at the beginning of each day of competition at the Trials, just after the national anthem. Obviously, many of the highlights towards the end changed from day to day. I love the old shots of Hayward Field and still get some chills seeing the clips of Prefontaine and the final still frame from the close of the men's 800 meters.
Sorry for the shaky camera and low audio quality. I shot this in the volunteer meal area on our little Sony digital camera. I was hoping to shoot it from the west grandstand, but alas...
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Olympic Trials: Day 7
Highlights from day seven of the U.S. Olympic Trials…
MEN’S 3,000-METER STEEPLECHASE: Anthony Famiglietti set a hard pace down early and served notice that anyone else would have to keep up to beat him. After slamming down a 62-second first lap, Fam went on to lead from start to finish and win the steeplechase in 8:20.24, just five seconds off of the Olympic Trials record, to make his second Olympic Team. William Nelson (please, no drug testing jokes) was second in 8:21.47 and challenged Famiglietti for the lead with 250 meters to go. Joshua McAdams was third in 8:21.99.
MEN’S 200 METERS: The news of the day from this race will be the injury Tyson Gay suffered in his quarterfinal heat. After getting a good start out of the blocks, Gay took a hop at about 40 meters and buckled down to the ground. He had to be helped off by a cart for what was later diagnosed as a severe cramp. That cramp will keep him from potential double gold medals in the 100 and 200 meters.
"Before I went out on the track I felt a little tightness in my hamstring,” Gay said in a USATF release later in the day “So I had kind of a bad feeling. When I came off the curve the first two steps were fine, and then I felt it, sort of a pull, about 40 meters in. Once I was on the ground it didn't hurt as much as when it happened."
As for the final tomorrow, it will be the rest of who was expected to be there. Rodney Martin won the first semifinals heat with the day’s fastest time of 20.04 seconds. Wallace Spearmon was second in 20.05 seconds and collegian Walter Dix was third in 20.09 seconds. Shawn Crawford won the second heat in 20.21 seconds.
WOMEN’S 200 METERS: Allyson Felix appears on her way (finally) to returning to the Olympics. After missing out on a spot on the 100-meter team, Felix turned in the fastest time in the semifinals of 22.22 seconds and looked very fluid in doing it. She led a fast second that included 100-meter champion Muna Lee (second in 22.33), Shalonda Solomon (third in 22.48) and Carmelita Jeter (fourth in 22.61). Bianca Knight will stand to challenge for an Olympic spot after winning the first hear in 22.53 seconds.
WOMEN’S 100 METER HURDLES: It appears that Lolo Jones will be the one to beat. Jones was the fastest by far in the first two rounds of the hurdles, clocking an easy 12.59 seconds in the quarterfinals.
MEN’S 110 METER HURDLES: It will be a battle between David Oliver and Anwar Moore in the final two rounds on Sunday. Oliver turned in the best time of the first two rounds, using a just-legal wind of +2.0 to win his quarterfinals heat in 13.07 seconds. Moore was smooth in the first heat, winning in 13.17 seconds. The heats included our first false start disqualification of the meet, that going to American record holder Dominique Arnold.
WHAT TO WATCH ON SUNDAY: Eight days in Track Town USA wraps up on Sunday, with finals in the hurdles and 200 along with the men’s and women’s 1,500 meters.
MEN’S 3,000-METER STEEPLECHASE: Anthony Famiglietti set a hard pace down early and served notice that anyone else would have to keep up to beat him. After slamming down a 62-second first lap, Fam went on to lead from start to finish and win the steeplechase in 8:20.24, just five seconds off of the Olympic Trials record, to make his second Olympic Team. William Nelson (please, no drug testing jokes) was second in 8:21.47 and challenged Famiglietti for the lead with 250 meters to go. Joshua McAdams was third in 8:21.99.
MEN’S 200 METERS: The news of the day from this race will be the injury Tyson Gay suffered in his quarterfinal heat. After getting a good start out of the blocks, Gay took a hop at about 40 meters and buckled down to the ground. He had to be helped off by a cart for what was later diagnosed as a severe cramp. That cramp will keep him from potential double gold medals in the 100 and 200 meters.
"Before I went out on the track I felt a little tightness in my hamstring,” Gay said in a USATF release later in the day “So I had kind of a bad feeling. When I came off the curve the first two steps were fine, and then I felt it, sort of a pull, about 40 meters in. Once I was on the ground it didn't hurt as much as when it happened."
As for the final tomorrow, it will be the rest of who was expected to be there. Rodney Martin won the first semifinals heat with the day’s fastest time of 20.04 seconds. Wallace Spearmon was second in 20.05 seconds and collegian Walter Dix was third in 20.09 seconds. Shawn Crawford won the second heat in 20.21 seconds.
WOMEN’S 200 METERS: Allyson Felix appears on her way (finally) to returning to the Olympics. After missing out on a spot on the 100-meter team, Felix turned in the fastest time in the semifinals of 22.22 seconds and looked very fluid in doing it. She led a fast second that included 100-meter champion Muna Lee (second in 22.33), Shalonda Solomon (third in 22.48) and Carmelita Jeter (fourth in 22.61). Bianca Knight will stand to challenge for an Olympic spot after winning the first hear in 22.53 seconds.
WOMEN’S 100 METER HURDLES: It appears that Lolo Jones will be the one to beat. Jones was the fastest by far in the first two rounds of the hurdles, clocking an easy 12.59 seconds in the quarterfinals.
MEN’S 110 METER HURDLES: It will be a battle between David Oliver and Anwar Moore in the final two rounds on Sunday. Oliver turned in the best time of the first two rounds, using a just-legal wind of +2.0 to win his quarterfinals heat in 13.07 seconds. Moore was smooth in the first heat, winning in 13.17 seconds. The heats included our first false start disqualification of the meet, that going to American record holder Dominique Arnold.
WHAT TO WATCH ON SUNDAY: Eight days in Track Town USA wraps up on Sunday, with finals in the hurdles and 200 along with the men’s and women’s 1,500 meters.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)