Talking Trials: A World Record, a dead heat and Lolo time

The brotherhood that is the decathlon was on full display
as Curtis Beach lets Ashton Eaton win the 1500 meters
(photo: TrackAndFieldPhoto)

This is the fourth installment of "Talking Trials." There will be more to come every day during the 2012 USA Olympic Track and Field Trials from Hayward Field on the University of Oregon campus in Eugene, OR.Full results for the trials are here.

On Saturday, the weather started out rough once again, but ended beautifully. The Women's 100 meter hurdles were delayed 30 minutes because of hard rain, but that would be the smallest of the problems at Hayward Field on this day, as an Olympic spot would remain in limbo after a three hour deliberation of who finished third in the Women's 100 meter final. The official statement was that the race's third and final Olympic spot would end in a tie.

The stars would be on display as Lolo Jones would reach the 100 meter hurdle final and then would run just fast enough to finish inside the top three in the final; taking the third spot on the podium and booking her trip to London. After finishing and realizing she made the team, she did a version of "the worm" on the track. To say she was excited to be an understatement

The story of the day would be Ashton Eaton and his pursuit of the World Record in the decathlon. Needing to run 4:16.37 for 1500 meters to set the mark, Eaton would run an inspired 62 second last lap and finish in 4:14.48 to break Roman Sebrle’s 11 year old record by 13 points, scoring 9039. Joining him on the London team would be 2009 and 2011 World Champion, Trey Hardee. Beijing Gold Medalist, Bryan Clay, would fail to qualify after a disqualification in the 110 meter hurdles ended his quest. 1976 Olympic Gold medalist Bruce Jenner was in attendance to watch the athletes compete in the event that made him famous. I was able to sit behind he and his sons as they watched the decathlon and it was very surreal to watch him go down memory lane, while being inspired by what he was witnessing.

Allyson Felix on the phone during the review
process. 

And while Eaton's performance was the most exciting, it wasn't the only one people were talking about when they left Hayward Saturday. Carmelita Jeter would take the 100 meter title, with Tianna Madison finishing right on her heels. The true battle to make the team would be in third. Jeneba Tarmoh was initally declared the victor over Allyson Felix for the last spot on the team, but then the photo finish was reviewed to the 1/1000th of a second, showing a dead heat. As of the release of this post, there was still no resolution to who would go to London. I'm hoping for a run-off.

The after party facet of the event was once again an exciting one. The fans were out in droves and there was quite the who's who of past stars at the Wild Duck Cafe. If you want to see some runners, throwers and jumpers, this is the place. You'll have to trust me on this one!

More instagram photos from Day Two at Hayward:

Nike had a lot of cool signage

Ashton Eaton, World Record Holder

Lolo and the hurdle team

The Women's 100 was a great example of this!

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Daily Daegu: On the last day, Mo Farah gets his Gold

Farah's eyes now turn to London 2012

The Brits will have a lot to be excited about heading into London 2012. After many years of mediocrity in the distance events, they now have the favorite, or at minimum, co-favorite, for both the 5000 and 10,000 in Mo Farah. Farah looked great on Day 9 in Daegu, taking charge when he needed to and powering home for that Gold Medal in the 5000; the one he desperately wanted in the 10,000. His winning time was 13:23.26. Bernard Lagat gave a hard charge down the homestretch to pass the Ethiopians, Imane Merga and Dejen Gebremeskel, for Silver, but ran out of room to catch Farah. Merga held on for third, but was disqualified for stepping inside the rail. Karma for his continued jostling with force? Perhaps. Gebremeskel came in fourth, but will be awarded the Bronze. Farah's training partner, Galen Rupp, looked great until about 450 to go, when he just couldn't kick with the big boys. Rupp's last lap was 58, Farah's was 52. Rupp would finish ninth.

The Women's 800 was a barn burner as well, as it looked to be Gold for Caster Semenya with 200 to go. At that point, Russia's Mariya Savinova had one more push and outlasted Semenya to the line to take the Gold in a blazing 1:55.87. The early leader, Kenya's Janeth Jepkosgei, barely held off a diving Alysia Montano, for the Bronze. Montano's time was 1:57.48. Maggie Vessey finished sixth in a season's best of 1:58.50. A strong showing, but not likely what she wanted.

Kirui didn't stay with the pack long

The night before was the Abel Kirui show in the Men's Marathon. Kirui broke free around 25k and ran a 14:17 5k from 25k to 30k. That was enough to secure his victory and his victory was huge. Kenya's Vincent Kipruto finished second in 2:10:06, which was 2:28 behind Kirui's 2:07:38. Kirui is now a repeat World Champion. Can he bring that kind of intensity to London next year? He'll surely have better competition, but he would have beaten just about anyone today. Ethiopia's Feyisa Lilesa broke up the Kenyan sweep with a Bronze finish in 2:10:32. Mike Morgan, of the Hanson-Brooks Distance Project, was the top American in 31st in 2:18:30. Nick Arciniaga, the most accomplished American on the team, finished a disappointing 41st in 2:24:06. Hard to think he'll truly be a threat to make the London team with a performance like that going into the trials, but maybe he was holding back a little or just having a bad day. The Marathon is a strange beast.

The night finished with the 4x100's. The Women's went off first and the Americans did not disappoint. Bianca Knight got off to a great start, Allyson Felix worked the backstretch, Marshevet Myers ran an unbelievable curve and Carmelita Jeter isn't going to give away a lead in the final stretch. A job well done and a Gold Medal to show. The Men were up next and would be the last event on the track for the 2011 IAAF Track and Field World Championships. The Jamaicans were the heavy favorite and delivered as promised. They went above and beyond with a new World Record in 37.04. All this without Asafa Powell. The Americans failed to finish yet again, although this was just as much the British team's fault as it was Doc Patton's. Coming around the third curve, Patton caught an elbow from Great Britain's Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, sending him to the track and ending the United States' chances at Silver. Could it have been avoided? Probably. Just more disappointment for the 4x100. Not much you can do in that situation, except to be aware it may happen next time.

All in all, the 2011 IAAF Track and Field Championships went off without a hitch. The United States got more medals than expected and had some very nice surprises in the distance events with Jenny Simpson taking the Gold in the 1500 and Matt Centrowitz taking the Bronze in the 1500 as well. All eyes will focus on London 2012 now. Hope you enjoyed the coverage here and on Universal Sports!

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Daily Daegu: Is Day 4 Nick Symmonds time to shine?

Symmonds has been hot in Daegu so far
(TrackAndFieldPhoto)

Day 3 at Daegu ended in a flourish, with Americans Carmelita Jeter and Jason Richardson both claiming gold medals. Jeter continued to dominate in the 100, while Richardson has seemingly come out of nowhere in the past month in the 110 hurdles. While he was helped by Dayron Robles' DQ and pushing on Silver Medalist Liu Xiang, Richardson ran his best at the right time and was rewarded for it. Allyson Felix's doubled was thwarted by Amantle Montsho, but a Silver at the World Championships is nothing to sneeze at. Jillian Camarena-Williams also took home Bronze in the Shot Put. A great day for American sprinters, hurdlers and throwers!

But that's not what I generally cover here. The only distance event of Day 3 was the Men's Steeplechase and our boys didn't look so good. As I said on twitter yesterday, "the American Steeple contingent could use a Fam injection on the men's side and some Simpson/Pierce on the women's." Emma Coburn is the only American in either final and she looked great. But hopefully we can get stronger before London next year.

Day 4 brings on lots of distance fun as the Women's 5000 heats start up at 9:20 eastern tonight with Amy Hastings, the injured Molly Huddle and the white hot Lauren Fleshman gunning for the finals. After that, we'll get to see the Men line up in the 1500 prelims. Coming off a big win in London, Leo Manzano will be ready to go, with collegian Matt Centrowitz and Andrew Wheating bringing their Oregon flair to the line.

The American morning session of Day 4 kicks off at 7:35am eastern with the Women's 1500 semis, where all 3 ladies are still alive. At 8:00am, Nick Symmonds will take aim at the medal stand in a stacked 800. David Rudisha is a heavy favorite for Gold and Abubaker Kaki the same for Silver, but the bronze is wide open and Symmonds appears ready to bring it home. Watch out for a dual between Symmonds and 2004 Olympic Champion, Yuriy Borzakovskiy, for that last spot on the podium. Next, at 8:20am, Emma Coburn will finish her excellent season in the Women's Steeplechase final. Closing the night will be the next leg of the LaShawn Merritt redemption tour. After two excellent performances in the rounds, he looks to be the favorite to bring home the Gold in the Men's 400.

A very exciting night and day ahead after an exciting morning for us Americans!

You can watch on television and online via Universal Sports. Results are on the IAAF's Daegu site.

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