Athletics: A Peek of the Upcoming Excitement
By Bidz dela Cruz
With the Olympic Athletics kicking off this coming Friday (Aug 15) in Beijing's National Stadium Bird's Nest), we, race fanatics just can't help but get super excited! It is at this hour when we also can't help but review the drama in the USA Olympic Trials. It is this article's purpose therefore to review the latest big races this year prior to the Olympics to help build up the excitement of the already enthusiastic crowd. Whether you are watching it live in Beijing or on your TV sets, this coming track and field events on Friday (August 15) to Saturday (August 23) is gonna be a blast!
Leading the great review is a triple match-up at the 100-meters! Everybody is eager to watch who will be the Olympic Title holder of this event. Is it going to be Tyson Gay, Asafa Powell, or Usain Bolt? Tyson Gay is the current World Champion beating former record holder Powell.
Also in this review are the drama of the 100 meters and 200 meters women's USA qualifiers, and the great show of Oregonians in the Men's 800 meters.
The Gay-Powell World Championship Flashback:
American Tyson Gay surged past Jamaica's Asafa Powell to win gold in the men's 100-meter at the world championships this year. Gay caught world-record holder Powell after 50 meters and clocked 9.85 seconds. Derrick Atkins of Bahamas finished strongly to take silver in 9.91. Powell, whose world record of 9.77 was never in danger in balmy conditions in Osaka, trailed home in 9.96 to take bronze. Gay didn't worry about history in the making before the run, the Americans have set world records in this event so many times already. He was just there to care for his own destiny, and that brought him to the fame he has now.
Tyson Gay's Double Gold:
Becoming a crowd favorite, American Tyson Gay is the third man in history to win the world championship sprint double when he powered to victory in the 200 meters final on Thursday. Gay streaked home in a championship record time of 19.76 seconds four days after his victory in the 100 meters to match the achievements of compatriots Maurice Greene in 1999 and Justin Gatlin two years ago. Jamaica's Usain Bolt (Still the record holder in 100 meters during this time) finished second in 19.91 and Gay's training partner and compatriot Wallace Spearmon took bronze in 20.05.
The Gay-Bolt New York Race Flashback:
Last June 1, 2008, Powell is the record holder in the 100 meters at 9.77 before Bolt broke it at 9.72 in a race against Gay in the June 1 event this year. Gay was already the reigning World Champion in 100 meters at this time. Bolt has clocked his personal best at 9.76 but it is unofficial for it was only done during his training. Bolt, before this race was Jamaica's International Winner for 2008. He was on lane 4 during this race while Gay was side by side with him at lane 5.
The First Unofficial Below 9.8 of Gay:
Last June 2, 2007, Tyson Gay unofficially breaks the world record set multiple times by Asafa Powell with a time of 9.76 seconds at the Reebok Grand Prix. Unfortunately the tailwind was .2 m/s over the allowable 2 m/s and the time is not official. The two other sub 9.8 runners did not participate in this event, coincidentally, being both Jamaicans: Asafa Powell and Usain Bolt. Their fellow Jamaicans however participated in this event: Dwight Thomas (4th place) and Steve Mullings (6th place)
Gay: Fastest Human on the planet in 100 meters Flashback:
Tyson Gay, after winning 3 gold medals in the 2007 World Championships, ran the fastest ever in human history in the 100 meters under any conditions at 9.68 seconds last June 29 to win the US 100 meter Olympic trials. This is not an official world record though because the wind assisted him during the run. Walter Dix at a time of 9.80 booked his ticket to Beijing that same day as he bagged the 2nd place, while Darvis Patton was 3rd at 9.84. Dix was only a 4th placer at the NCAA Championship this year and was hurt the whole season. Speaking of hurt, Tyson Gay hurt his hamstring during the 200 meter qualifying round, so Dix got the 1st place in that event. Gay wont be able to participate in the 200 meters in Beijing, but he can still participate in the 4x100 men's relay. Gay pulled out of a race in London late last month, not because he couldn't run, but because it meant more for him to be 100 percent coming to the Olympics than risking being 85 percent just to go to a meet to see where he's at.
The Broken American Record:
Tyson Gay breaks a nine-year American record in the men's 100 meters at the US Olympic Trials this year. Gay, the reigning world champion, sets the mark at the USA Track and Field trials. He hit the tape in 9.77 seconds, despite easing up a bit over his final few strides. That breaks Maurice Greene's U.S mark of 9.79 set in 1999. The world record is 9.72, set by Jamaica's Usain Bolt last month. Gay's performance came in a quarterfinal heat. But he almost didn't get a chance to run in that race. Earlier in the day, Gay led by a large margin in his opening heat, but he eased up a lot with about 30 meters left. With the rest of the field catching up, Gay was forced to accelerate and he lunged across the finish line in fourth place, good enough to advance.
The Drama in the women's 100 meters and 200 meters US Olympic Trials:
Lauryn Williams is the expected 1st placer in the 1st of 3 Quarterfinal Heats for the women's 100 meters because she is the silver medalist in Athens (Olympics 2004). Unfortunately, it was Marshevet Hooker (Trained by Jon Drummond) who has the fastest time in the opening round, wind-aided at 10.94, wins the 1st Quarterfinal Heat, while Mechelle Lewis gets 3rd place. Jon Drummond is the coach of Tyson Gay.
In the 2nd Quarterfinal Heat, again, it was not the crowd's favorite Allyson Felix who won this round, but Carmelita Jeter with. Felix was only 2nd.
In the 3rd quarter finals, the expected winner Tori Edwards (2007 US Champion) wins while Muna Lee is 2nd. Finally, the expected winner won this round at 10.85.
The 1st Semifinals had this result:
1st Place: Torri Edwards 10.78
2nd Place: Mechelle Lewis: 10.97
3rd Place: Allyson Felix: 11.0
Promising Carmelita Jeter was only the fifth placer with 11.05
The 2nd Semifinals had this result:
Marshevet Hooker 10.89 (personal best time)
Muna Lee 10.91
Lauryn Williams 10.92
The Heavy favorites in the Women's 100 meter-Finals:
Moving on to the 100m Finals, it was an all-star studded race, feauturing8 hopefuls that no one could predict who the top 3 would be. Let us have the favorites among the the final competitors:
Tori Edwards, 2003 world champion, a heavy favorite for the 100 and 200 at the Olympics in Athens but before she could compete there, she was tested positive and suspended for 2 years for substance that is no longer in the list and that would result in a 2-year suspension. And she is looking for redemption in this event to put her past completely behind her and lead the US Team to Beijing. With her 10.78 personal best before this final round, she was the 7th fastest female runner on the planet. She was US Champion last year and ranked 4 at the recent World Championship in Osaka. She won the 2008 Prefontaine Classic with 10.94 and ranked number 2 in the world in 2007.
Together with her in this race is Allyson Felix, ranked 6 in the world for the past 2 years. She is 2008 US best in the women's 100 with 10.93. Lauryn Williams is also in this race, and aside from her Silver Medal in Athens, she was a gold medalist in the 2005 world championship and silver last year for 100 meters. Let us not disregard Muna Lee who was the 7th placer in the 2004 Olympics for the 200 meters and also 7th at the 2005 World championships.
The Women's Olympic Team for the 100m:
1 Muna Lee 10.85 (Lee overtaking Edwards in the final 20 meters with an overdrive)
2 Torri Edwards 10.894
3 Lauryn Williams 10.897
Meanwhile in the Women's 200, Allyson Felix showed her dominance in the 200 meters as she was so far ahead of the others in winning the finals. Muna Lee finished a decent 2nd while Marshevet Hooker dived for the line to beat Lauryn Williams for 3rd. Williams will still go to Beijing to compete in the 100m.
The 200-meter US Women's Olympic Team:
1 Allyson Felix 21.82
2 Muna Lee 21.99
3 Marshevet Hooker 22.20
The drama in both 100 and 200 meters ended booking 4 of the crowd favorites in an Olympic Ticket to Beijing.
The great show of Oregonians in the Men's 800 meters:
With super contenders in this event, it is a battle of strategies to be able to make it to the top 3. It's any man's race, as they usually say. And this race is not far from that reality as we take a look the 8 hopefuls.
Crowd favorite Nick Simmons, is the 2007 indoor champion and has participated in the Outdoor Championship in Osaka.
Christian Smith, also from Eugene, Oregon, is the 2006 Big 12 Champion at the Kansas State. The only finalist in this event that has not yet made the Olympic standard.
Andrew Wheating, another Oregonian, a 6ft 5'' sophomore, who is the 2nd place in the 2008 NCAA Championships
Jebreh Harris is the 3rd placer in the 2006 US Championship. Finished 6th in the 2004 US Olympic Trials.
Duane Solomon is the 3rd place in the 2007 US Championships, and 3rd in the 2008 NCAA Championships.
Khadevis Robinson, a 4-time US Champion, hoping to make his 2nd Olympic Team.
Lopez Lomong, the 2007 NCAA Champion in the 1500. He is a favorite to contend in the 1500 meter. Lomong is also the Flag bearer of the US team in Beijing.
Jonathan Johnson is a 2004 Olympic Trial Champion, a former NCAA Champion, and made it to the semifinal round in Athens.
As the race started, we see that Khadevis Robinson sets the pace, being a 4-time US Champion in this event, he knows how to lead the pack. Jebreh Harris, from the 2nd position, tried to steal the lead but Robinson got it right back immediately. Shortly, Lomong stole the 2nd position. The 3 Oregonians were just keeping up the pace at the end of the pack for the 1st 700 meters. But for the last 100 meters, Simmons, coming from the outside made it to the lead and got ahead with a big margin to win the 1st place. Wheating was 2nd placer, and Smith completed the Oregonian fleet as he dove to the line to make it to the 3rd place.
Men's 800m top 3 results:
1 Nicholas Symmonds 1:44.10
2 Andrew Wheating 1:45.03
3 Christian Smith 1:45.47
