►The first thing most observers noticed about men’s 1500 semifinals, besides the pouring rain, was the inequality of the two sections: Most of the big names ended up in the second heat, purely as a result of qualifying times and luck of the draw as determined by the computer.
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On the next-to-last day of the U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials at Hayward Field, the OR redshirt sophomore had the record-setting crowd of 22,847 on its feet for the start of the men’s 110-meter hurdle final.
Coward’s third trip to the Olympic Trials was about more than just the race.
“They’re going to do great in Rio and make America proud”, she said.
University of OR junior Devon Allen finished first in the 110-meter hurdles to secure a spot on the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team.
Just 18 months after a knee injury at the Rose Bowl wiped out his 2015 track season and hindered his football season the following year, Allen became the first Duck to qualify for the Olympics since Andrew Wheating and Galen Rupp each did so in 2008. He watched Oregon’s celebration of beating Florida State on crutches.
William Kincaid, from Portland, finished eighth with a time of 13:39.96.
“Nothing can be worse than being told you can never run again, even if you come up a little short here”, Merritt said.
In a din that sounded like “Autzen Stadium after a touchdown”, he found his father, Louis, and twin sister, Carissa.
Allen said he hasn’t had time to reflect on the journey. “He believed he’d win”.
Christina Epps moved from fifth place into second on her fifth attempt, surpassing the Olympic qualifying standard with her jump of 46-6 to make her first Olympic team while Andrea Geubelle was third at 45-9 ¼ to also make Team USA for the first time.
Merritt was an emotional favorite to make the Olympics after having kidney transplant surgery last August. He planned to file a protest to review the finish. I still love playing. “I’m kind of exhausted, but I’m ready this weekend”. Merritt and Gatlin, if they run both races as planned, will have a full schedule in the Olympics. Their images are plastered on promotional materials.
“I feel like this is my time”, he said, sitting back in a chair on the UO campus almost two weeks before he sent Hayward Field into a roar.
All three of those hurdlers will advance to Rio, with the rest of the field not making it. The 2012 London Olympics saw Aries Merritt take a gold medal in the event, but he did not qualify for Rio. “Someone else can have a turn, I guess”, Merritt told the Associated Press after the race.
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Several former world champions have taken their bow this week, from decathlete Trey Hardee to sprinter Sanya Richards-Ross. “This is my fourth meet of the year”. “Keep doing that while I can”.
