What We Learned From Day 3 of the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials
There were four race finals in Eugene, Ore. on Sunday evening, as well as the completion of the men’s decathlon, with some of the most prominent track and field stars competing.
Here’s a look at each of those races, and who has stamped their ticket to Tokyo:
Women’s 400 meters
The nine-time Olympic medalist Allyson Felix made her fifth, and final, Olympic team by taking second. Felix was fourth heading into the final 100 meters, but managed to run down the competition. The 19-year-old Quanera Hayes won the event handily, while Wadeline Jonathas held on to take third place.
Men’s 400 meters
Michael Norman, who has run the fourth-fastest 400 meters of all time, took a lead fairly early on and didn’t look back. He was joined by teammate Michael Cherry, who was on the 4×400 relay team that won gold at the 2019 world championships. Randolph Ross, who won the 400 at the N.C.A.A. championships last weekend, held on for third place, edging out his North Carolina AT teammate Trevor Stewart.
Men’s decathlon
It is nearly impossible to summarize the 10 event decathlon finals in just a paragraph, but we’ll try. Garrett Scantling, who once went to a training camp with the Atlanta Falcons, led from practically the beginning, and won the event. Steven Bastien performed particularly well in the running events, winning the 100 and the 400 meter, and finished second. Zach Ziemek won the long jump and the pole vault, and took second in the high jump, to finish in third. Neither Bastien nor Ziemek had the Olympic standard coming into the trials, but both achieved it in Oregon and are set for Tokyo.
Women’s 100 meter hurdles
Kendra “Keni” Harrison was the quickest out of the blocks, propelling her to victory in the women’s 100 meter hurdles. She was followed closely by Brianna McNeal in second, while Christina Clemons barely edged out Gabbi Cunningham for fourth. They both officially finished in 12.53, but Clemons ran the race in 12.521 while Cunningham finished in 12.526.
But Cunningham might still go to Tokyo. McNeal has been suspended for five years for an antidoping violation, but was allowed to run while she appeals the suspension. Her fate, and therefore Cunningham’s, should be decided in the next few weeks.
Men’s 100 meters
Trayvon Bromell, who has the world’s fastest time this year, took first place in 9.80 and will have a chance at winning the medal that eluded him in Rio, where he finished eighth. Ronnie Baker, who has never competed in an international event, took second in a personal best 9.85. Third place went to Fred Kerley, who took bronze in the 2019 world championships in the 400 meters. In going from longer distances to shorter ones, Kerley is bucking the usual progression of shorter to longer as runners age.
Two of the biggest names in the race, Noah Lyles and Justin Gatlin, finished seventh and eighth. Lyles is the 200-meter world champion and was trying to add the 100 to his arsenal, while Gatlin, who won gold in the 100 at the 2004 Games, pulled up with what looked like a hamstring injury.
There are seven more days of competition to come. Monday’s events include the women’s 1,500-meter final, the men’s 800 final, and the women’s 5,000 final. Tuesday, June 22 and Wednesday, June 23 will be counted as rest days.
Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/06/20/sports/olympic-trials-track-field/