Olympic Trials: Star Spangled Performances Highlight Day Six

On the anniversary of this country’s declaration of independence, another capacity crowd of 20,936 packed Hayward Field to witness the next addition of the selection process to assemble the American team for the Beijing Olympics. Those track and field fans who relish the distance events were presented a holiday treat tonight as Olympic aspirants battled for Beijing spots in events ranging from 1500 meters to the 10,000.

In the premiere event of the evening, 25 runners lined up for the start of the men’s 10,000 meters. Controversy had swirled around the event as allegations surfaced that the former CU distance star and current Nike athlete Adam Goucher, non-finisher in the 5000, had been accorded special treatment and had been leapfrogged over athletes with better 10,000 marks to gain entry into the 10,000. Controversy was sent to the sideline as the race began under windless conditions and descending darkness. At the opening gun, defending champion Abdi Abdirahman jumped into the lead and launched off on a pace calculated to produce a finish ahead of the Olympic A standard of 27:50. Lap after lap, Abdirahman, like a tireless plow horse, ground out laps in the 65-67 range to drive the race toward its ultimate A standard objective. At various times Fasil Bizuneh, Galen Rupp, Meb Keflezighi, Dathan Ritzenhein, and Jorge Torres, another CU athlete and former national 10,000 champion, joined in to accompany Abdi in his mission. Afforded virtually no assistance by the other athletes, Abdirahman continued to apply the pressure by knocking out punishing lap after lap. Finally, as the race approached its climax, Oregon runner and crowd favorite Galen Rupp, who had shadowed Abdirahman for the entire race, forged into the lead to the cheers of the partisan crowd. A penultimate lap by Rupp in 63 seconds could not shake Abdirahman and, indeed, Rupp courteously slid to lane two just prior to the final lap to allow Abdirahman to regain the lead. During the final circuit, the plow horse transformed into a thoroughbred as a final push by Abdirahman over the last 400 proved to be the margin of victory as Abdi finished in 27:41. 89 – below the A standard of 27;50 which he already possessed. Rupp, buoyed by the crowd, rode the cheers to a second place finish in 27:43.11, while CU great Jorge Torres, who earlier had made a critical [and correct] decision to hang with the leaders, grabbed the final Olympic spot by finishing third in 27:46.33. Other Colorado athletes performed well. James Carney, who ran most of the race with Goucher, finished sixth in 27:58.81 to nip Goucher who finished seventh in 27:59.31. Dathan Ritzenhein, already a marathon Olympian, finished eighth in 28:05.31. Edwardo Torres, Jorge’s brother, finished 11th in 28:35.91.

No less competitive was the final of the women’s 5000 held earlier in the evening. Shalane Flanagan had targeted this race to complete her 10,000 / 5,000 distance double. Her worthy and rested competitors had other plans. After an early lead by Colorado distance star Renee Metivier Baille, Arianna Lambie took over the lead. With 2000 meters remaining a lead pack of Lambie, Flanagan, Jen Rhines, Kara Goucher, Lauren Fleshman, and Sara Slattery broke away and signaled that the Olympic athletes would come from this pack. With 1200 meters remaining, Flanagan, the defending national champion, made a decisive move and, over the next 200 meters, shook all but Rhines and Goucher. Two consecutive laps by Flanagan at 66 could not seal the deal. In the final circuit, Kara Goucher, nipped by Flanagan in the 10,000 just one week earlier, uncorked a final lap in 63 seconds for the win with a time of 15:01.02. Rhines got up for second [in 15:02.02] while Flanagan nailed her second Olympic position with a third place time of 15:02.81.

In the women’s high jump final, 2006 national champion Chaunte Howard, showing no ills effect from delivering a child in 2007, was nearly flawless in winning the event with a clean leap of 6”5 ½ “. Second place finisher Amy Acuff made her fourth Olympic team with a best jump of 6’ 3 ½”. Track buffs wondered why Acuff, who had been leading throughout most of the competition, made the late-event jumping decisions she did. With Howard jumping clean at 6’ 5 ½”, an Acuff clearance at that height would not have altered the standings. An Acuff pass at 6’ 5 ½”,if followed by a clearance at the next height, might have produced an Acuff win. Sharon Day grabbed the final Olympic spot.

Semi-final rounds of both the men’s and women’s 1500 stimulated excitement for Sunday’s finals. On the men’s side, Gabe Jennings flashed 2000 OT form in kicking from behind to win his semi-final heat. In the other semi-final, Bernard Lagat, the cagey veteran, showed just enough to win in 3:43.83. Other worthy finalists such as Alan Webb, Rob Myers, Colorado’s Lopez Lomong, and Leo Manzano all advanced without difficulties. The Hayward Field faithful are anxious to see how the 1500 field will choose to challenge Lagat – the reigning World champion and undefeated in 2008. On the women’s side, the night belonged to sixteen year old Jordan Hasay. Already a household world among track circles, Hasay ran without fear or anxiety, and unleashed a big-time move over the final 250 meters of her semi-final race to move from eighth to fifth and gain a spot in the finals. Her time of 4:14.50 established a new American high school record and represented the 5th fastest American Junior time ever run.. Hasay will run in Sunday’s final with, among others, Shannon Rowbury and Lindsey Gallo, the two winners of the semi-final races.

Qualifying rounds in both the men’s and women’s 200 took place tonight. Form held as all favorites on the men’s side, including 100 winner Tyson Gay, advanced without difficulty. Shawn Crawford, a former Olympic champion over 200 meters, found his old form and posted the best qualifying time of 20.18. In the women’s 200, reigning World 200 meter queen Allyson Felix showed dominance in winning her heat in 22.68. Shalonda Solomon posted the best qualifying time of 22.51.

In other finals, A.G. Kruger took the men’s hammer final with a prodigious throw of 247’ 11”. Kruger will lead a trio of throwers which will include Kevin McMahon and Thomas Freeman to the Olympic Games in Beijing.

In the qualifying round of the men’s javelin, the Hayward Field crowd was stunned to witness the anemic efforts put forth by long-standing dominating American Breaux Greer. Perennial champion Greer, sporting patriotic hair spiked in red, white, and blue, failed to make it to the finals with throws that were 60-70 feet shorter than his American record effort of slightly under 300 feet he launched in last year’s national championship meet.

With a leap of 55’ 3”, Walter Davis led a dozen triple jumpers into the weekend finals in this event.

The evening concluded with a stunning array of spectacular fireworks to commemorate the holiday. But for the sellout crowd that packed Hayward Field tonight, perhaps the more impressive fireworks show had been earlier witnessed on the track and in the field during Day Six of the these fantastic Olympic Trials.

For full results: www.usatf.org/events/2008/OlympicTrials-TF/schedule.asp