2008 U.S. Olympic Trials - Day 4 Report

On-site coverage from Hayward Field - Eugene, Oregon by Tom Borish / Trackshark.com

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Quick recap:

- Nick Symmonds wins 800 meters in 1:44.10. Andrew Wheating and Christian Smith, after diving to the line, also make team.
- Hazel Clark clocks 1:59.82 for women's 800 meters, Nicole Teter still makes team despite finishing fourth.
- Bernard Lagat sprints home for victory in men's 5,000 meters at 13:27.47 as Tegenkamp, Dobson place second and third.
- Bryan Clay scores 8,832 in decathlon, second-highest mark in U.S. history. Tom Pappas makes unprecedented third Olympics.
- Kara Patterson, Kim Kreiner earn trips in women's javelin as the only two to meet the Olympic A standard.
- A.G. Kruger throws once and moves on to men's hammer throw final as the heavy favorite.

Men's 800m FINAL: What a finish - Symmonds, Wheating and Smith take top three

Nick Symmonds kicked in the last 100 meters for the title in the 800 (Kirby Lee)

Khadevis Robinson took out the first 400 meters in 50.6 seconds as the rest of the group was right behind him. Nick Symmonds and Oregon's Andrew Wheating were at the back of the pack after the first lap.

With 300 meters to go, Symmonds and Wheating both moved up to try and gain some ground. As Lopez Lomong and Jonathan Johnson would not let them move ahead, both realized that the final 100 meters would be the room to make their move.

As their race strategy came into play, Symmonds put on the jets and came home for the win in 1:44.10, which is the fastest performer by an American this year.

"I've been working on that kick for a couple years now," said Symmonds on his last stretch. "I just ran a smart race, and I knew that I was going to wait until the last 100 meters to flip the switch. It felt so good to burn it on the last 100."

Wheating would provide the same charge, but not enough to overtake Symmonds with his time of 1:45.03. Nonetheless, it was a powerful race for Wheating who only ran the 800 meters one time in high school.

"The first thing I saw was that Nick was first, I was second and Christian was third," said Wheating after his race. "It's going to be a great representation in Beijing. It hasn't really hit me yet. Give me a couple more minutes and I'll probably shoot up out of this chair and scream 'I made it!'"

The most exciting part of the race would come from Robinson and Christian Smith. With Robinson trying to hold on realizing that he had to fight for third place, Smith put in a final effort that he nor the fans of Hayward Field would never forget.

Smith and Robinson both leaned and fell at the tape, not knowing their fate until watching the scoreboard. Smith ended up taking third place -- and punching the final ticket to Beijing -- with his time of 1:45.47. Robinson could do no more than fourth in 1:45.53.

"I saw Khadevis and I knew he was the guy I had to get," said Smith. "I just took the lean and dove. I don't think a lean would be enough."

On passing Khadevis Robinson on the inside, Smith said: "Usually people tend to move out to protect their outside lane, so I knew I might be able to come through the inside. The whole race I ran from the inside."

Lopez Lomong, who finished fifth with his time of 1:45.58, said he was "grabbed down the stretch" by Khadevis Robinson.

Women's 800m FINAL: Clark leads the way, Teter still makes team despite 4th place

Hazel Clark was the only female to clock under 2-minutes at the Trials (Kirby Lee)

Hazel Clark knew if she wanted to win, she would have to take out the first 400 meters hard and hold on. She did exactly that with her winning time of 1:59.82.

"Obviously I am a three-time Olympian now," said Clark after her win. "Very, very exciting. It takes a lot of hard work and discipline to maintain over three Olympic Trials and make three teams, as you know. I am excited to make this team. I think we are taking a great team over there. It is a dream come true to win and make the team. With these three young ladies, it is really, really exciting.”

Alice Schmidt was behind her the entire race, but was not bold enough to take over the lead with her second-place time of 2:00.46. She still looked great throughout and provided enough challenge for the rest of the field.

"My last Olympic Trials, I didn't make the final, but since graduating college I have been in the top three for other world championship teams," said Schmidt on her second-place run. "I kind of know what is expected of me. Obviously, the Olympic year is another big media frenzy. I am looking forward to representing the United State and having this experience under my belt and hopefully having some more teams in the future."

It was a tight finish for third as Kameisha Bennett could barely hold on with Nicole Teter right behind her. Bennett still held on for third place in 2:01.20. Teter finished fourth, just .10 seconds behind Bennett.

Based on the Olympic A standard of 2:00, which Teter met earlier, she gets to go to Beijing while Bennett does not since she did not meet the standard this season.

"I knew immediately that I would be on the team because I looked at the times," said Teter. "I was really tired, but I'm just really excited to be representing my country again. It has been a tough road to get here, but I am a two-time Olympian and cannot wait to get to China."

Bennett, on the other hand, could not manage to run faster earlier this season due to the birth of her child.

"I didn't make the "A" standard tonight, because I had a baby this year," said Bennett. "I'm not really disappointed and I'm going to take it day by day. It was a quick race today. If the pace was smoother I think I could have run faster."

The final included 12 women due to the fall from the semi-finals two days ago. After the protest, all who fell were granted a position to run in the final.

Men's 5,000m FINAL: Lagat splits 4:04 last mile for victory, Goucher drops out

Lagat was all smiles heading home with ease for the victory (Kirby Lee)

Brent Vaughn took out the race very fast and held a big lead with 64 seconds at 400 meters. He then took the second lap in 65.1 while still leading the race at a good clip.

Bolota Asmerom was leading the first pack of runners, which included Matt Tegenkamp, Bernard Lagat and Chris Solinsky. Perhaps the fast start was not a good plan for Vaughn, as the rest of the pack slowly moved up with 7 laps to go in the race where they hit 6:00 on the clock.

Adam Goucher also moved up, just behind Vaughn and Asmerom. The pack slowed down the pace a bit, splitting 68.7 which was the slowest 400 during the race.

Vaughn managed to clear 8:17.04 at 3,000 meters with 5 laps to go. Goucher took over the lead with 4 laps remaining as Vaughn started to fade back.

The pace picked up a bit, as Goucher split 65.1 for his last 400. Ian Dobson moved ahead within the pack to make his claim at the top three. Solinsky took the lead with 2 laps to go.

Goucher, who started to struggle with just over 2 laps to go, suddenly exited out of the race and left the track.

"I wasn't going to run 13:21, so I had to stop," said Goucher. "It just wasn't going to happen and now I'm going to go for it in the 10K. There's no reason to run and finish in the top three if I run 13:25 or 13:24. I could have finished in the top three, but the math wasn't working out. I despise doing what I just did."

Lagat carefully planned the race, knowing he could sprint home the last 200 meters. With an amazing 4:04 last mile, Lagat came home for the victory in 13:27.47.

"You know I am feeling good right now," said Lagat after his win. "There is no pressure right now and I am going to go rest up and train again. I am glad that we have two rest days because there is one down. I start the 1,500 on Tuesday and then we will see on Sunday."

Matt Tegenkamp scored second overall with his 13:29.68 performance.

On his race, Tegenkamp said: "I just kept telling myself to do what has worked best for me the last two years. The last 1,000 meters I ran my style of race and it worked out well. That's really when the race started for me."

Ian Dobson made his move at the right time with just over 2 laps to go, earning his third-place time of 13:29.76.

"I have a lot of confidence and have had great coaches all along," said Dobson. "I keep working on it and it all adds up. The hard ones are not always glamorous, but I like the process."

Solinsky simply could not hang on with heavy legs, taking fifth at 13:32.17. Asmerom held on for fourth place at 13:31.24.

Galen Rupp of Oregon, who won his semi-final heat just two days ago, was a late scratch in the event as he will focus on the 10,000 meters.

Men's Decathlon FINAL: Clay, Hardee and Pappas head to Beijing

Clay threw 173-00 in the discus, the event where he seperated himself from the rest of the competition (Spencer Allen)

Recap: Bryan Clay tallied a personal-best score of 8,832 points, which is a new U.S. Olympic Trials record and is the best score by an American over the last 16 years. The last to do so was Dan O'Brien in 1992. Former Texas standout and NCAA record-holder Trey Hardee finished second with his score of 8,534. Tom Pappas finished third, scoring 8,511 points. Pappas is now the first athlete in history to compete at three Olympic Games in the decathlon. The top seven men scored over 8,000 points as well.

110m hurdles: Trey Hardee scored the best, 1012 points, with his time of 13.71 with a good tailwind to boot at 1.9. Former Tennessee standout Jangy Addy clocked the next best time of 13.73, while Bryan Clay continues to hold the overall lead thanks to his third-best time in the field at 13.75. After six events, Clay (5,483), Hardee (5,466) and Pappas (5,358) appear to be in solid shape on their way to the top three spots.

Discus: This is the event where Clay and Pappas separate themselves from everyone else. On his first throw of the series, Clay popped out a tremendous mark of 173-00 to score 928 points and staple himself as the overall leader once again. Pappas' mark of 162-02 earned him 859 points and was the second-best throw of the day. Hardee and Eaton usually don't throw well here, as they came away with the 12th and 15th best marks, respectively. Addy moved up to fourth overall, thanks to his fourth-best throw of 154-05. After seven events, Clay holds a solid lead with 6,411 points, followed by Pappas (6,217), Hardee (6,180) and Addy (6,069).

Pole Vault: Pappas notched the top vault of the day with his clearance 17-00.75 while picking up 972 points in the process. Oregon's Ashton Eaton had a solid day, making his first attempt on his final three with a final mark of 16-08.75. Clay and Hardee each made 16-04.75 as well. After eight events, Clay still holds the lead with 7,321 points, followed by Pappas (7,189) and Hardee (7,090).

Javelin: Without a disaster in the 1,500 meters, Bryan Clay will go on to become the U.S. Trials Champion in the decathlon. Clay once again separated himself from the rest of the field with his throw of 231-05, over 10 feet of the next competitor. Hardee notched a mark of 208-11 to keep his stake towards Beijing while Pappas hit 194-08. Heading into the final event, Clay holds the lead with 8,219 points, followed by Pappas at 7,917 and Hardee with 7,884.

1,500m: There was not much to be made of here, other than trying to find out just how many points Clay could score based on his time. Grinding away at the track, Clay clocked 4:50.97 to earn 613 points which led him to tally a personal-best score of 8,832 points for the win.

Women's Javelin FINAL: Patterson, Kreiner earn trips to Beijing

Patterson was the only collegian this season to meet the Olympic A standard in the javelin (Kirby Lee)

Purdue's Kara Patterson notched the best throw of the day with her mark of 191-09 (58.44m) and came away with the title.

On her performance, Patterson said: "I was excited to have three 58-meter throws; I'd like to get back out there to that 60-meter mark. I like that I have a 61-meter throw under my belt."

American record holder Kim Kreiner was certainly not herself today, only able to put in one solid throw during the series with her fourth-place mark of 183-05 (55.90m). Shoulder problems have been commonplace for Kreiner all season long.

Patterson and Kreiner were the only two athletes to meet the Olympic A standard of 198-06. Dana Pounds, who finished second in 189-09 (57.83m), and Oregon's Rachel Yurkovich, who placed third with 185-01 (56.41m) did not meet the A standard.

I've believed for the last six meets that I've thrown in this year, that I've had an "A" standard throw," said Pounds. "I've had more than an "A" standard throw in me. I think I tried too hard. I don't think I relaxed enough.

Women's 3,000m Steeplechase Semifinal: No surprises as Anderson, Barringer move on

Anderson ran well enough and relaxed to earn a spot in the final (Kirby Lee)

Heat one: Lindsey Anderson was able to manage the race very well and earn a spot to the final. Leading the entire race with Michigan State's Nicole Bush on her shoulder, the Spartan provided a final push over the last 50 meters to take heat one in 8:48.53.

"I figured the safest place to be was up front," said Bush on her win. "I was just hanging out up there to put myself in the best circumstance to finish in the top four. (On Thursday) I just need to do the best I can."

Anderson did not mind the extra effort from Bush, taking second 8:48.71.

"I didn't care about winning this one," said Anderson. "I wanted people to come out and stay with me. I wanted to make it an honest race.

Lisa Galaviz, one of the favorites for the title, ran well just enough to make the final knowing that the top four automatically advanced with her time of 9:52.66.

Heat two: Fresh off her NCAA record-breaking title, Colorado's Jennifer Barringer easily took the second heat in a new Hayward Field record of 9:48.50.

On her effort, Barringer said: "I have a goofy personality because I get excited in the middle of a race, but it was a good effort and not easy by any means. The conditions were beautiful and it is an awesome place to run. I'm just happy to be here and people like me."

Anna Willard, sporting the blonde and pink hair, led the entire race with one lap to go before Barringer decided to take charge. As the top four automatically will move on to the final, Willard held on for second in 9:52.06.

The women's final is scheduled for 9:45pm on Thursday.

Men's 400m Semifinal: Three former Baylor athletes, led by Wariner, make the final

Wariner led the group with a time of 44.66 for a top lane draw in the final (Kirby Lee)

Heat one: In a race that featured three collegians running side-by-side, USC's Lionel Larry took the sprint out the quickest in lane 4, holding the lead at the 200 meter mark. Just ahead of him in lane 6 was former Baylor product Reggie Witherspoon who came home the strongest and hit the sub-45 mark of 44.99.

"That was actually my PR and I knew it was going to take that to make it to the final," said Witherspoon. "Training with Jeremy Wariner and Darold Williamson helped me out a lot. That made me faster, a lot faster."

Darold Williamson had to start out of lane 8 and ended up making his ground up over the final 150 meters to take second in 45.16. Florida's Calvin Smith took third in 45.43 while Larry got his wish for a spot in the final at 45.55.

Heat two:Jeremy Wariner and LaShawn Merritt were pitched to compete once again against each other in this race.

Wariner, starting in lane 4, took out an easy and relaxed pace seeing Merritt ahead of him running just as well in lane 5. Coming around the final turn, David Neville from lane 3 provided a spark which led Wariner to speed up as the defending Olympic Champion clocked for the win in 44.66.

"I felt a lot better today than I did yesterday," said Wariner. Now I've got two days off, and I'm just going to stay off my feet as much as possible and rest up. Probably sleep a lot."

Merritt ran just as smooth taking second in 44.76, while Neville (45.03) and Greg Dixon (45.20) also earned a spot for the final.

The men's 400m final is set for 8:15pm on Thursday, which features three former Baylor athletes in Wariner, Williamson and Witherspoon.

Women's 400m Semifinal: Wineberg and Richards win each heat with ease

Wineberg looks to pose the greatest challenge for Richards in the final (Kirby Lee)

Heat one: Mary Wineberg took out the first 200 meters the quickest and ended up clocking a season-best time of 50.57. Wineberg, running out of lane 5, didn't miss a beat the entire lap and looks to offer the best challenge for Sanya Richards.

"I think for the second round it went fine," said Wineberg of her race today. "I would've liked a faster time, but we just ran a round yesterday, so I am satisfied with the win. I need to rest these legs because they are tired, but I think I will be fine for the final."

Natasha Hastings, out of lane 4, earned second while running just off Wineberg's shoulder in 51.04. Debbie Dunn and Monica Hargrove rounded out the next two qualifiers for the final. NCAA Champion Shana Cox off Penn State could not move on competing out of lane 8.

Heat two: Sanya Richards, out of lane 5, exploded out of the blocks and took the first turn hard as if it was a 200 meter race. Dee Dee Trotter, on the inside of Richards in lane 4, took it out at a pedestrian pace. Richards came through the final turn holding a solid lead while easing up the final 50 meters and clocking a time of 50.75.

"When I saw the time I thought that maybe if I would have pushed it, it could have been a sub-50 second race," said Richards about her time. "But, I'll save that for Thursday."

Trotter ended up expending much energy over the last 150 meters to take second in the heat at 50.90. Monique Henderson ended up third at 51.07 while Ebonie Floyd recorded 51.49 for fourth.

The women's 400m final is set for 8:05pm on Thursday.

Women's Long Jump qualifying: Heptathlon champion Fountain puts in top mark

Although the point of the qualifying rounds is to do just that -- qualify, Hyleas Fountain still came through with the top mark of the day at 21-10.25 (6.66m).

"It went really well today," said Fountain after her jumps. "I was really calm and relaxed and did what I needed to do to make it into finals."

NCAA Champion Brittney Reese, who recently turned professional, put in the second-best leap of the day at 21-08.75 (6.62m).

Reese was not too pleased with her jumps, saying: "I am going to have to get a whole lot faster and drive my knee better. I am going to go back and work on it and see what happens."

Erica McLain, Brianna Glenn, Funmi Jimoh and Grace Upshaw moved on as well.

The women's long jump final is slated for 7:20pm on Thursday.

Women's High Jump qualifying: Not one qualifier over 6-feet

Nearly every competitor who qualified for the final managed to clear 5-11.50 (1.82m) on a day that saw Destinee Hooker, Sharon Day, Amy Acuff, Chaunte Howard, Elizabeth Patterson and others move on.

Acuff noted: "I didn't want to go to Europe before the Trials, so I've been jumping in a lot of all-comer's meets with masters or kids. It feels good to be in a real competition with something on the line. It gets the juices flowing."

Men's Hammer Throw qualifying: One and done for A.G. Kruger

It took only one throw, then A.G. Kruger was done for the day. His mark of 240-06 (73.30m) was tops for the day as the favorite for the title appears to be in great shape.

"It went good and I did what I wanted to do," said Kruger on his only throw. "On Friday, my goal is to get a legal throw to get five more and then hit the A standard within the first three throws, so it's easy and I can make the Olympic team. Hopefully, after that I can just relax and hopefully hit the fence."

Auburn's Cory Martin had a solid second effort, throwing 240-03 (73.22m) for second best of the day. Kibwe Johnson, Thomas Freeman, Travis Nutter and Jake Dunkleberger all advanced to the final as well.

The men's hammer throw final is set for 7:00pm on Friday.

Men's 800

09:39, 1 July 2008 .. Posted by Anonymous

The results in the men's 800 seem both surprising and disappointing. Notwithstanding Symmond's incredible arrogance, he seems to deserve a spot on the team, but Christian Smith??? It's too bad USA T&F doesn't have some sort of discretion where if 4th place was less than .1 seconds behind, and has significantly more international experience, and has a significantly faster PR, then they could be sent instead. I feel bad for Robinson, but I guess that's how it works.

I see your point...but...

09:49, 1 July 2008 .. Posted by Tom Borish

What does that say about Robinson if he can't defeat Smith in the biggest race of the season? Sure, we're splitting hairs here by time, but if the argument is that Robinson has much more international experience, then that should have paid off during the 800 meter final. You have to give Smith so much credit for running such a gutsy race on the biggest stage of his life. Should the NFL reward the New England Patriots the Super Bowl title just because they have the most experience and best record from the regular season and their past history? No. That's why they play the game...and run the race.

Edited by news on Tuesday, July 1, 2008 at 09:51

Re: Men's 800

05:49, 2 July 2008 .. Posted by Anonymous

Wow... that takes balls to say someone doesn't deserve to make the Olympic team. Maybe Men's 800 should ask Smith how he feels about that? Or maybe he should take his mothers advice and if he can't say anything nice... he shouldn't say anything at all. Smith will do great things in Beijing.