2008 U.S. Olympic Trials - Day 6 Report

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

Trackshark Coverage | Schedule/Results | Videos | Photos | 3,000 Miles to the Trials

Quick recap:

- Abdi Abdirahman wins men's 10,000 meter final in 27:41.89. Oregon redshirt Galen Rupp and Jorge Torres make team.
- Kara Goucher claims women's 5,000 meters in 15:01.02. Jennifer Rhines, Shalane Flanagan take second and third.
- Jordan Hasay, just a high school junior, sets prep record in 1,500 meters with time of 4:14.50 and qualifies for final.
- A.G. Kruger throws 248-09 for men's hammer title, only American to reach Olympic A standard.
- Chaunte Howard clears 6-05.50 for women's high jump title. Amy Acuff, Sharon Day also make team.
- Breaux Greer, the American Record holder in the men's javelin, does not advance to final.
- Nearly everyone advances in 200 meter qualifying.

Men's 10,000m FINAL: Abdirahman, Rupp and Torres round out great night
• Results

Abdi Abdirahman led nearly the entire men's 10,000 meter final in 27:41.89. Abdirahman was so strong, in fact, that he did not stop running after crossing the finish line and taking a dip in the steeplechase pit.

Oregon redshirt Galen Rupp ran right with Abdirahman during the race, placing second in 27:43.11. Jorge Torres was third with his time of 27:46.33.

"My coach told me to go out strong at the start and make it a man's race and to get rid of the pretenders," said Abdirahman. "I wanted to keep it at the 65 or 66 pace. I didn't want any of this 67 or 68 business.

Early in the race, Meb Keflezighi moved into second at 19 laps remaining. Torres moved into third at 18 to go and started to hang with Abdirahman and Rupp.

With just over 11 laps remaining, it was Abdirahman, Torres and Rupp as they started to solidify themselves as the leaders to beat.

"I was prepared for anything and I tried to drop them, but in the last 300 meters I was really grinding it out," said Abdirahman. "It was a great race and it's going to be hard for someone to beat me the way I feel now."

Edward Moran, Josh Rohatinsky, James Carney, Adam Goucher and Dathan Ritzenhein were in the second pack of runners who could never creep ahead to challenge Abdirahman.

With 4 laps to go, Abdirahman and Rupp extended their lead as Torres was just a few paces back.

On his race strategy, Torres said: "I told myself I was going to stick to the front and get myself a chance to win because I knew if I was close to the front I was going to make the team. That was the strategy I wanted."

Rupp took over the lead with 2 to go, as Abdirahman did not let Rupp control the final stages of the race, moving to his inside with 450 meters to go.

"It's great, this has been a dream of mine since the day I started running," said Rupp. "I'm speechless right now and to be able to do it here on the fourth of July means so much."

400m splits:
------------
68.7 = 1
67.3 = 2
2:48.51 at 1k for Abdirahman
65.7 = 4
5:32.98 at 2k for Abdirahman
66.6 = 6 (27.30 projected time at this point)
65.9 = 7
8:17.97 at 3k for Abdirahman
66.9 = 8
67.1 = 9
65.4 = 10
11:04.77 at 4k for Abdirahman
66.3 = 11
67.0 = 12
13:49.53 at 5k for Abdirahman
65.9 = 13
67.1 = 14
67.0 = 15
67.2 = 16
67.2 = 17
19:25.37 at 7k for Abdirahman, Torres and Rupp
67.3 = 19 (27.41 projected time at this point)
22:13.99 at 8k for Abdirahman, Torres and Rupp
66.6 = 22
25:03 at 9k for Abdirahman, Torres and Rupp
63.4 = 24

Women's 5,000m FINAL: Goucher splits 63 flat over final 400 for title
• Results

Kara Goucher closed her last lap in 63 seconds to win the 5,000 meter title (Kirby Lee)

Kara Goucher got her redemption from the 10,000 meters, claiming the 5,000 meter title by closing hard in the final lap in 15:01.02. Jennifer Rhines also closed well, taking second in 15:02.02 and Shalane Flanagan, the winner of the 10,000 meters, placed third in 15:02.81.

"I was more nervous for this race than the 10K," said Goucher. "I just knew it was going to hurt. The crowd makes you feel so good here. I don't want to race anywhere else after this."

Renee Metivier Baille was the early leader, with Flanagan sitting near the top of the pack Lauren Fleshman took over the lead with just over 10 laps to go.

Flanagan moved up to second with Molly Huddle in the lead with 9 laps to go. Arianna Lambie decided to then take the lead with 8 laps, with Flanagan second and Goucher third.

Flanagan took over the lead with 3 laps to go, as Goucher moved up for second.

"My coach kind of had said with three laps to go let's just lay it out there," said Flanagan. "That last 100 I fell apart a little bit. I gave it a go and I'm on another team. I am pretty pleased."

Flanagan, Rhines, Goucher then had a big lead at 2 laps to go.

Goucher takes over strong with 150 meters to go, hitting 63 flat over her final 400 meters. Rhines also pulls in as Flanagan could only hang on for third.

"It felt smooth the whole race, even when we were going back and fourth in pace," said Rhines. "I felt really good about my speed coming in so I was going to kind of wait."

400m splits:
-------------
72.4 = 1
76.5 = 2
75.9 = 3
71.8 = 4
72.4 = 5
73.1 = 6
73.4 = 7
73.4 = 8
75.3 = 9
71.2 = 10
67.0 = 11
63.0 = 12

Women's 1,500m Semifinals: Rowbury, Gallo win, Jordan Hasay sets HS record
• Results

High school junior Jordan Hasay set a new prep standard of 4:14.50 (Kirby Lee)

Heat one: Shannon Rowbury managed to take the first heat with her time of 4:11.75 as a strong favorite for the final on Sunday.

"It was good, I figured the race would probably be about 4:11.00 because everyone wants to move on," said Rowbury. "You know you want to run it well, but not get passed at the line."

Treniere Clement split 68.2 for the first 400 meters and maintained the lead until Tiffany McWilliams took the lead with 2:00 flat on the clock with 2 laps to go.

Rowbury moved into third position with just over 600 meters left on the track. McWilliams held the lead at the bell lap. Rowbury finished strong and crossed the line first in 4:11.75.

Heat two: Lindsey Gallo claimed the second heat in 4:12.54 as the real storyline came from a short, long-blonde hair girl named Jordan Hasay.

Hasay, just a junior in high school, set the all-time high school record with her fifth place time of 4:14.50. The time also ranks her as the #5 American Junior performer. After the race, the crowd chanted "Off to Oregon!" Hasay will next compete at the World Junior Championships.

"[The record] has always been in the back of my mind," said Hasay. "When we were at 3:22 at 1,200, I kind of knew if I just pushed it in I would get it. I didn't know where Christine [Babcock] was. I know we were both trying to go for it."

Erin Donohue had the early lead, splitting 68.8 for 400 meters with Christine Babcock, the high school record-holder, on her right shoulder.

Christin Wurth decided to take the lead with 2 laps to go as the clock read 2:01.5. It was 2:17.8 for the split at 800 meters with Wurth still holding the lead. At the bell lap, Wurth continued her lead as Gallo slowly moved up.

In the end, it proved to be Gallo taking the victory as Wurth clocked 4:12.66 for second.

"I accelerated down the straight-away and felt really good," said Gallo. "Going into the finals, I hope to be in the top-three. I hope the pace is fast, but if I get in the top-three and its not the 'A' standard then I will just concentrate on 2012."

Donohue, Morgan Uceny, Hasay and Jenelle Deatherage also advanced to the final.

The final is scheduled for 4:05pm on Sunday.

Men's 1,500m Semifinals: Lagat and Jennings each win heats
• Results

Bernard Lagat made it through his latest round of the 1,500m easy (Kirby Lee)

Heat one: Bernard Lagat took heat one in an easy 3:43.83 after letting the rest of the group, including Alan Webb, do the work for him.

"It went all right today," said Lagat. "I wanted to run strong the last 200 meters and I think I ran the last 300 really hard. Really, I just wanted to conserve enough to run fast and strong at the end."

Webb took the early lead, with the top six advancing to the final. Webb continued to lead, hitting 1:49.5 with 2 laps to go as Garrett Heath of Stanford was right on his shoulder.

Lagat moved up to speed up the pace with 500 meters to go just behind Webb.

At the bell lap, it was Webb, Steve Sherer and Lagat leading the way.

Rob Myers stepped into another gear to take second behind Lagat with his time of 3:43.98. Leer, Sherer, Webb and Andrew McClary of Arkansas rounded out the final qualifiers for the final.

Heat two: Gabe Jennings took charge of the event with one lap to go, en route to his win in 3:40.07.

This was a much faster pace then the first heat, as Kyle King split 59.1 for the first 400 meters. In what some would describe as more of a controlled race, Lopez Lomong took the lead at the bell lap as the clock hit 2:45 flat.

Jennings then made a big move on the turn and backstretch to try and give Lomong and Leonel Manzano a run for their money. Taking charge with the lead at 200 meters to go, Jennings did not let Lomong or Manzano get by him for the win in 3:40.07.

Lomong clocked 3:40.26 for second and Manzano took third in 3:40.32.

"[Gabe Jennings] showed up," Lomong said. "You can never count anybody out. We have 12 good kickers, 12 good endurance, 12 well trained guys. You can never count anybody out, so until you line up on Sunday and go after it."

Chris Lukezic, Jon Rankin and Said Ahmed also moved on to the final.

The final is scheduled for 5:50pm on Sunday, the last event of the U.S. Olympic Trials.

Women's High Jump FINAL: Howard spectacular in series, takes title at 6-05.50
• Results

Chaunte Howard cleared 6-05.50 (1.97m) which also saw her not miss five attempts in a row (Kirby Lee)

The question everyone in the stands began to ask was, "When is she going to miss?"

That's the type of performance that Chaunte Howard put together, clearing 6-05.50 (1.97m) for the high jump title. Howard put together a series of attempts at 1.89m, 1.91m, 1.93m, 1.95m, and 1.97m where she did not miss.

Amy Acuff finished second with a clearance of 6-04 (1.93m) and Sharon Day, who recently completed her senior season at Cal Poly, grabbed third in 6-03.25 (1.91m).

"I feel very excited," said Howard. "I did exactly what I needed to do. I have to say I'm happy, even though it wasn't a personal best. I feel stronger and faster. The year off wasn't hard, but getting my body back in shape was. My family and coaches continue to support me and that helped me during the Trials."

Men's Hammer FINAL: Kruger claims title, Johnson fouls first three attempts
• Results

A.G. Kruger will be the lone American in the hammer throw in Beijing (Kirby Lee)

He came in as the favorite and ended up the one everyone chased. A.G. Kruger came away with the hammer throw title with his mark of 248-09 (75.81m). Kruger is the only U.S. athlete to have an Olympic A standard.

"My first throw was perfect," said Kruger. "The atmosphere was a little tense. I knew I had to win to get in regardless of the "A" standard. In the back of my mind I knew all it would take is for one of these guys to get one big throw to surpass me, so the pressure was always there."

Kevin McMahon was second at 244-05 (74.49m) while Thomas Freeman pushed for third in 241-05 (73.59m).

"For me it's wonderful, because six months ago I was at Stanford teaching and coaching," McMahon said. "I only picked up the hammer again because I was coaching. I have made two teams and that's great, but if you look on the IAAF site I don't think there's another event where there are so few "A" qualifiers. I don't know how it helps the sport to make it so far."

Kibwe Johnson, who was a potential top-three candidate, did not have one clean throw his entire opening series.

Men's Javelin Qualifying; Breaux Greer does not advance, Krammes and Hill look solid
• Results

Breaux Greer, the American Record holder, did not advance to the finals of the men's javelin after three terrible throws. Greer, who did not compete this outdoor season and is a new character on NBC's 'American Gladiators', fouled his first two throws and did not look good from the outset.

On his final throw of the series, all Greer could manage was a mark of 67.20m, which was good enough for 17th overall.

"You can sit here and pull out a bag of excuses," said Greer "I didn't expect to come out here and break any records. Sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn't. I just want to go home and get healthy."

Barry Krammes and Georgia's Christopher Hill looked great, as both threw over 77 meters to advance.

"The goal was to come out and get auto on the first throw," said Hill. "I feel good and I now I need to hit the A standard in the finals.

The finals will be contested on Sunday at 4:15pm.

Men's 200m Qualifying: 24 out of 26 advance, Gay makes it a walk in the park
• Results

Heat one: Shawn Crawford ran a season-best time of 20.18 to win heat one starting out of lane 7. Crawford looked great coming off the turn as Brent Gray in lane 8 was no match with his second-place time of 20.64.

Heat two: Tyson Gay, starting out of lane 5, simply toyed with the field and clocked 20.43 for the win. Looking to his left and right with 50 meters to go, Gay eased his way to the finish line.

"It felt good," said Gay. "I just needed that first run to get rid of the cobwebs. It felt pretty good and relaxing. That is about the time I wanted to run."

Michael Lawrence was second in 20.71 and John Capel placed third in 20.73.

Heat three: Bernard Williams took heat three in 20.65 out of lane 8, while Tennessee's Rubin Williams was second in 20.70. Xavier Carter did not get out well, clocking 20.86 for third. Time was not much of a factor here, since nearly all would advance considering the number of scratches from athletes who already competed in the 400 meters.

Heat four: Walter Dix of Florida State, fresh off taking second overall in the 100 meters, crossed the line in 20.66 and made it look easy for the win in heat four. It was an effortless performance for Dix who looks to put his name on the list in the 200 meters as well.

"I felt really relaxed and had a good relaxed race," said Dix. "The time was good and I was able to conserve some energy."

Heat five: Wallace Spearmon ran an easy 20.81 for the win in heat five. Spearmon ran the first turn easy and did not have to put down the hammer at all in his opening run.

"It was pretty easy today," said Spearmon. "Overall, I'm just trying to get through the rounds as easy as possible. It was a good workout and I'm just going to come out and try and win this 200."

Damein White of Cal State-LA clocked 20.83 for second.

The men's quarterfinals are scheduled for 12:10pm on Saturday, with the semi-finals set for 2:29pm later in the session.

Women's 200m Qualifying: 24 of 29 move on, Felix looks smooth
• Results

Heat one: Marshevet Hooker once again looked great coming out of the blocks, running all the way through the race with her winning time of 22.87.

"It went pretty well," said Hooker. "I ran the turn and relaxed in the straight away. I got three more rounds so I just wanted to get through it."

Heat two: Bianca Knight sped out of the blocks for the victory in 22.74. Knight, who turned professional after her NCAA Indoor title as a freshman this past season, looked great from the start and did not miss a beat.

"This race showed me I'm ready to run on this level," said Knight. "My goal was to get out and after I saw I would qualify I shut it down. The 200 is my most confident race. It's my money race. I know every time I step on the track I'm going to do well."

Former teammate Alexandria Anderson of Texas earned second in 23.10.

Heat three: Allyson Felix ran 22.68 for the win as the defending World Champion looked as though she jogged the last 50 meters.

"It was about the same," said Felix. "I have always loved the 200. I was ready for it since the start."

Stephanie Durst also ran her race to advance, with a second-place time of 23.15.

Heat four: Carmelita Jeter ran an easy 23.21 to win heat four, coasting the entire turn and into the homestretch.

"I'm fine," said Jeter. "I just had to finish the race because there were only four people in my race. I definitely have to run faster and make up for that terrible 100 I had."

Former Houston standout Ebonie Floyd took second with her time of 23.49,

Heat five: Shalonda Solomon claimed the final qualifying heat in her time of 22.51. Solomon took the turn great, not losing a stride the entire race.

"I'm very happy with the way I ran," said Solomon. "It was a seasonal best for me, because I started off the year slow and building up at each race."

Torri Edwards, who took second in the 100 meters earlier in the week, placed second in 22.87.

The women's quarterfinals are scheduled for 11:50am on Saturday, with the semi-finals set for 2:05pm later in the session.