LaTasha Colander signals her victory - US Trials (© Getty Images)
On the second day of the US Olympic Trials (10 July), there were but three finals. But two of them saw big names crashing out of Olympic team selection as shot putter Christian Cantwell and defending Olympic women’s 100 metres champion Marion Jones each failed to finish in the top three.
Colander takes surprise win - Jones fifth - in 100m
For Jones, who saw half the competitive field defeating her as she finished only fifth, it was a matter of never having completely reached the Olympic-level fitness needed to achieve her season goals. There were times this year when Jones had shown flashes of her previous form, but on a high-pressure weekend when three closely-spaced races were required, the flaws became evident.
Torri Edwards and Gail Devers won the race out of the blocks, and Edwards quickly assumed a noticeable lead which she held until well after the halfway point. Running immediately to her left, LaTasha Colander used the same template which had been so successful in previous rounds, coming from a position behind the leaders, pulling even with Edwards, and then passing her with a strong finish just before the tape to score a major win, in 10.97 to Edwards’ 11.02.
Again, Lauryn Williams was hampered by a bad start, but she showed great resolve and fought her way back to a third-place 11.10, just nudging two-time Olympic champion Gail Devers (11.11) and defending Olympic champion Marion Jones (11.14) off the team.
The 27-year-old Colander has shown a great breadth of running repertoire, winning the 2000 Trials title in the 400 metres and now adding a second title in the 100. But she admitted that throughout her competitive career, she has always seen challenges in events in which she isn’t specializing.
“I started out doing hurdles, and I switched to the 400 to get stronger,” she explained. “Then I wanted to see what I could do in the 100. As long as I am doing my best, I have the same positive mind-set.”
It’s Nelson’s Shot, as Cantwell fouls five-times!
That positive mind-set was clearly lacking in Christian Cantwell’s performance in the men’s Shot Put. Except for his third round 20.56, the season leader produced a series of five fouls and ended up in fourth. His advancement to Athens had been one of the most highly assumed outcomes of the Olympic Trials.
“I picked the wrong day to have a bad day,” he admitted later. “On every throw, it felt like I was dancing around like I’d never been in the ring before. I felt good coming in today, but it didn’t happen for me.”
Cantwell’s failure and the attention given to his unrealised expectations perhaps unfairly gave winner Adam Nelson an empty feeling, despite a late-round 21.64 which elevated the competition level somewhat from its mediocre beginning. The Sydney silver medallist waited until the fifth round to explode with his winner and left the other shot putters behind in adding a second Olympic Trials title to the one he won in 2000.
After all of the talk by the throwers following yesterday’s qualifying round, it was surprising to see such a precipitous drop in the performance level today. Only Nelson’s winning throw seemed to capture the essence of a battle royal for Olympic team positions.
Nelson - Muscles are a little tighter
“This year, I decided to spend more time in the weight room early. As a result, my muscles have been a little tighter, and I haven’t thrown as far in meets,” said Nelson. About the US chances in Athens, he was more than simply positive. “In a month, we should have three guys ready to try and sweep the medals.”
Although clearly part of the world shot putting elite, Reese Hoffa was not generally expected to defeat both three-time world champion John Godina as well as this year’s world leader in the event, especially in such a high-stakes competition.
Hoffa had kept pace with Godina throughout the day, and his early 20.98 was only marginally inferior to Godina’s early 21.00. In the fifth round, Hoffa registered 21.14, his best of the day, and Godina could only respond with a final-throw 21.08. Still, both of the big men could celebrate an Olympic assignment. Cantwell’s plight was a bit of deja-vu for Godina, reminding him of his own fourth-place finish in 2000.
Burrell takes Heptathlon with 6194
The third event to complete Olympic selection was the Women’s Heptathlon, which saw Shelia Burrell doing what she needed to do in the 800 metres, running 2:14.13 and moving to the top of the point totals with 6194 to win the event. The Edmonton bronze medallist returns for the second time to the Olympic Games, accompanied by Tiffany Lott-Hogan (6159) and newcomer Michelle Perry (PB 6126).
Perry showed splendid running range during the two days, hurdling in 13.02, running the 200 in 23.08 - both times against strong headwinds and worthy of international notice as individual events - before capping the seven-eventer with a PB 2:12.81.
‘Easy’ Greene on course – men’s 100m
The men’s 100 metres passed through the first two rounds to advance sixteen candidates for tomorrow’s semi-final and final.
After seeing the breezy conditions in the opening round, the sprinters became resigned to running all weekend with a headwind and somehow found a way to deal with the problem.
Defending Olympic champion Maurice Greene moved away from the other sprinters well before the midpoint of his quarter-final race and won easily with 10.06 against a 1.3 wind. Running alongside Greene at the end and only slightly behind was Bernard Williams (10.11). Collegiate runners Tyson Gay (10.17) and Mardy Scales (10.23) took the next spots, ahead of Dwight Phillips (10.25).
Busy schedule for Phillips
Phillips will be an extraordinarily busy athlete on Sunday, with possibly two rounds of the 100 in addition to the men’s Long Jump final, all in a compact, television-friendly time format.
Crawford the fastest
Shawn Crawford posted the best time in the third of the three races, running 10.00 into a 0.7 wind and blazing past Leonard Scott, who had the early lead and held on to finish third in 10.15. Like Crawford, Coby Miller waited until the last moment to make his move, and a late surge brought him past Scott for second in 10.13.
In the second race, John Capel led the field in the opening metres while relatively isolated by his lane one assignment. Justin Gatlin quickly spotted his own disadvantage partway through the race and tried in vain to overtake the current world 200-meter champion who won in 10.01 to Gatlin’s 10.03, slightly hindered by a 0.4 wind. In a distant third and fourth were Brian Lewis (10.14) and Tim Montgomery (10.16).
Woody out, Taylor through – 400m Hurdles
The Men’s 400 Hurdles semi-finals saw Joey Woody, the Paris silver medallist, fall out of consideration with a fifth-place finish, although Sydney champion Angelo Taylor’s title defence is still alive.
James Carter and Bennie Brazell dueled strongly and evenly throughout the backstretch and all the way through the remainder of the first heat, with Carter prevailing at the end, 48.46 to 48.52. Woody ran tentatively during the first half but still was in third place coming off the curve. LaBronze Garrett passed Woody before the final barrier and ended in third (48.93). 2000 Trials finalist Sherman Armstrong, running on the outside, then put on a final surge and ended Woody’s Olympic quest, 49.17 to 49.19.
Jackson – 48.28 – 400m Hurdles
Bershawn Jackson did a lot of gear changing during the middle of the second heat but finished strongly with a season-best 48.28. Regan Nichols made a big move coming into the fifth hurdle and took a noticeable lead at that point, but Jackson had lots in reserve and Nichols eventually faded to fifth (49.60).
Meanwhile, the scramble was on for the three remaining final spots, with Sydney champion Taylor (49.19) besting Ricky Harris (49.32) and LaRon Bennett (49.35) as all three advanced.
Demus – in control
The women’s 400 Hurdles semifinals saw a rewriting of the US statistical lists by two competitors at opposite ends of the age spectrum.
In the first semifinal, after early leader Raasin McIntosh had hurdle problems at the fifth barrier, current World junior champion Lashinda Demus was in control the rest of the way and breezed to a PB 53.70 in the first semifinal. Her performance moves her to the number-seven position among US 400 hurdlers of all-time.
Brenda Taylor and McIntosh maintained contact over the rest of the course and took the next two spots in 54.83 and 55.00, respectively. Taking the final qualifying spot was Megan Addy with 56.03.
US year leader Sheena Johnson sped away in the second semifinal and quickly made up the stagger on Sandra Glover, running on Johnson’s immediate outside. Glover, the Paris silver medallist, seemed almost indifferent to the situation until reaching the final straightaway. The more experienced Glover then sped away to a 53.78 win against Johnson’s 54.16. Shauna Smith (55.51) and Patrina Allen (55.75) also advanced, while former world record holder Kim Batten, grimacing with every step during the final run-in, was eliminated by her seventh-place 57.20.
Toomey’s hopes entombed on the curve - women’s 800m
The women’s 800 metres semifinals saw one favourite advance to the finals while another fell out of consideration.
In the first semifinal, US list leader Nicole Teter took the lead off the gun and registered a splendid wire-to-wire win in 2:01.05, with Nicole Cook (PB 2:02.33) winning the scramble for second. Frances Santin (2:02.45) and Teter’s training partner, Chantee Earl (2:02.55), took the remaining qualifying spots for the final on Monday.
At the bell in the second semifinal, Hazel Clark held the lead over her sister-in-law, Jearl Miles Clark, and US indoor champion Jen Toomey. The pace quickened noticeably down the final backstretch, as first Kameisha Bennett, and then Sasha Spencer, entered the picture before the final curve, effectively boxing Toomey against the curb and preventing her from starting her kick.
Down the final stretch, a phalanx of three runners crossed the finish almost together, with Miles Clark winning in 2:00.33, ahead of Hazel (2:00.36) and Bennett (PB 2:00.37). Spencer took the all-important fourth place in 2:01.58, while Toomey gave up the chase and finished fifth in 2:03.89.
All favourites go through – men’s 800m
The men’s 800 metres semifinals saw all of the favourites stay alive for Monday’s final.
Yesterday’s leading runner, Khadevis Robinson, took the lead in semifinal one at the 600 mark and remained unchallenged in his 1:47.49 win. Following Robinson all the while, Derrick Peterson eased into the finish, barely holding second in 1:47.87 as Jesse O’Connell repeated yesterday’s plan with a final sprint to take third in 1:47.88. The last finalist was first-lap leader Jacob Koczman (1:48.15).
As he is wont to do, Jonathan Johnson immediately took the lead in semifinal two with Jebreh Harris on his shoulder, and so it remained through 600 meters. Off the final curve, the scramble began. Last year’s NCAA champion Sam Burley ran wide and clipped everyone right at the tape with 1:46.79, followed by Johnson’s 1:47.19. David Krummenacker was content with his observer role in third for much of the race, and that’s where he finished, in 1:47.30, with Harris (1:47.36) holding on as the last advancer.
And finally…
Three field event qualification rounds completed the second day’s program.
Amy Acuff, Tisha Waller, and the suddenly world-class Chaunte Howard are among the thirteen moving to the Women’s High Jump final, although the 1.82 jump required of them was not overly taxing.
In the Women’s Discus, US leader Aretha Hill had the top qualifying mark with 62.51 on her only throw of the day. She was followed by Sydney Olympian Kris Kuehl with 60.08, as this pair represented the only competitors to exceed the automatic qualifying standard of sixty metres.
A finalist in last year’s world championships in Paris, Suzy Powell had a lacklustre day with her 56.05 best, but it still was good enough for tenth place and a spot in Monday’s final.
In the Men’s Hammer, the mid-morning qualifying session wasn’t too early for A.G. Kruger who threw a PB 73.75 to come away with the top qualifying performance.
US leader James Parker, last year’s national champion, was close behind Kruger with 73.24 as only two competitors exceeded seventy meters in the qualifying.
Kevin McMahon, with six past Olympic and World Championships appearances, was in the third spot at 69.98, while five-time US champ Jud Logan’s return from retirement was successful in bringing him into the final twelve – exactly - with a throw of 67.46.
Ed Gordon for the IAAF
