(Allyson Felix)
(Photo belongs to Sports Illustrated)
All good things must come to an end. It was sad to see another Olympic Trials come and go that I was not apart of. However I will admit it was great watching it on television live. There were so many great performances this weekend, not only from the US Olympic Trials but the Jamaican Olympic Trials as well.
Allyson Felix was amazing in the women's 200. It has been a while since I have seen a woman command the 200 like that. Felix dazzled the crowd with a time of 21.68 to break an Olympic Trials record formally held by Florence Griffith Joyner (Flo-Jo). Carmelita Jeter was the closest athlete to Felix finishing second with a time of 22.11. Felix currently sits amongst the greats in the history of the sport. All that is left for her to do is win the good medal. With Veronica Campbell-Brown of Jamaica having an average year in the 200 and Shelly Ann Fraser-Pryce also of Jamaica having never broke the 22 second barrier, I think the title is well within her grasp.
In the men's 200 Wallace Spearmon dominated the second half of the race to walk down every athlete in front of him to a commanding win with a time of 19.82. Spearmon has been the most consistent American sprinter this season at 200 meters especially with Walter Dix out due to injury. The youngsters Maurice Mitchell of Florida State the NCAA Champion and Isaiah Young of Ole Miss also qualified to send a pretty solid squad to the London Olympics. However the only real threat to win or even medal is Spearmon.
In the men's 110 high hurdles there were some great performances and major letdowns. Let's focus on the good first. Aries Merritt who won the indoor world title proved that his consistent development in the event is finally paying off with a personal best time of 12.93 to win the trials title. Merritt is one of two serious threats to win the gold for Team USA. The other would be Jason Richardson, Richardson also went under 13 seconds with a time of 12.98 for second. Richardson is the defending world champ and will look to keep China's Liu Xiang and Cuba's Dayron Robles from the top of the podium.
The let downs came from David Oliver and Terrance Trammell. Oliver has been Team USA's most consistent hurdler over the past years and even has the American record. However the muscular hurdler was unable to make the team finishing a disappointing 5th. The even more painful performance to watch was that of Terrance Trammell. I have been a fan of Trammell since I was middle school student. I watched him at South Carolina and all throughout his professional career. It was painful to see Trammell not only lack the speed by the technical execution needed for hurdlers.
The men's 400 hurdlers had the same set up. Angelo Taylor must seriously be considered as the Edwin Moses of his time. His career spans back to 2000. He has been a top tier 400 hurdler for more than decade. Having won the event twice already at the Olympic Games in 2000 and 2008, Taylor looked very strong for majority of his race. He clipped the second to last hurdle stumbling but was still able to finish 2nd. I would not be surprised if Taylor win's his 3rd Olympic Gold Medal and stands at the top of the podium for 400 hurdlers. Although Kerron Clement has all the talent in the world, he has yet to get his technique together. He was far from is 47.24 performance in 2005,but he did have surgery earlier this year. Clement had a third place finish at the trials and will have just a few weeks to get it together for London.
The let down in this event came from Bershawn Jackson. I will be the first to admit I a huge fan of "Batman". That nickname perfectly suits him. After having a injury laden 2011 season and a strong start to this season, the former World Champion looked poised to qualify for another Olympic team. During the final lean at the tape he stumbles across the line falling and unable to outline Clement for the final position. It will be an interesting group of low hurdlers, especially with Jackson not part of the group.
Lashinda Demus again proves to be the class of the women's 400 meter hurdles world wide. The current American record holder has kept a low profile this season obviously focusing on a big performance at the Olympic Games. The defending world champion ran a dominant race finishing with a time of 53.98. Demus timed her steps perfectly and effortlessly won the event with a little left in the tank to spare. Melaine Walker of Jamaica ran nearly a second slower and will have to run a personal best to take the title from Demus.
Leo Manzano had better medal at the London Olympics in the 1,500. Manzano has been main-stay in American distance circles. However he had never received a major international medal in any distance event. At last year's World Championships Oregon alumnus Matt Centrowitz earned a bronze medal and was considered the next great athlete in American middle distance racing. Manzano would not be denied, his final lap was simply sensational. He outkicked Centrowitz to claim the title and certainly looks capable of earning a medal.
There was a upset of equal value in the women's 1,500. Jenny Simpson formerly Jenny Barringer of Colorado, stunned the world last year by winning the IAAF World title. She is now doubt a true talent and strong persona in the eye of American distance running with her success at the NCAA level. Winning the title was expected to be a harbinger for the future American distance running. Morgan Uceny apparently did not get the memo,. Besides Uceny was the overwhelming favorite at last year's World Championships but was tripped during the race and was unable to make the podium. Uceny ran a strong race complemented with a solid final lap to win with a time of 4:04.59.
The women's Long jump took the field event headlines. Brittney Reese who has been the best long-jumper in the United States since the great Jackie Joyner Kersee retired, shows why she is the world champion. Reese leaped out to 23-5 1/2 on her final jump to surpass youngster Chelsea Hayes. Reese is inching closer and closer to 24 feet and maybe ready this summer to reach that mark.
The men's triple jump added intrigue as well. Former Florida Gators Christian Taylor and William Claye finished 1-2 in the triple jump as expected. Walter Davis would stop a would be Gator sweep by finishing 3rd. However we was unable to reach the "A" standard and retired following his performance. That leaves the door open for any athlete that meets the "A" standard that wants to compete for Team USA. It was sad to see Davis retire in that fashion. Before Taylor and Claye, Davis was at times the lone representative for Team USA in the Triple Jump and carried the country on his back in the event for almost a decade. Thank you Walter Davis for a great career.
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