Olympic champion Allyson Felix has failed to make the U.S. team for Rio in her favourite event, the 200 meters, as her dreams for a rare sprint double ended at the American trials.
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A late lean by the world 400 metres champion was not enough for Felix as she missed qualifying for Rio by one-hundredth of a second by finishing fourth in 22.54 seconds.
And so, she started slow, never made up ground against Bowie or second-place Deajah Stevens and could not hold off Prandini, the former University of or star who had to wait about 30 seconds to see the result for third place go up on the board.
“I want be like her when I grow up”, the 23-year-old Spencer said. “Whatever happens, happens. I can’t control who makes the team or not”. He was disqualified, however, in his first race in Beijing, which has served as added motivation to make it back to the world stage in this Olympic year with a winning performance in the U.S. Trials.
Felix has run very little this season as she has been recovering from an ankle injury sustained in landing awkwardly on an exercise ball while doing core work.
For what seemed like an eternity Sunday there was a blank spot on the Hayward Field scoreboard where the name of the third-place finisher of the women’s 200 meters should have been.
Prandini, the former UO star, fell across the line to finish in 22.53 seconds.
The Olympians will take five days off from their long journeys before regrouping at Karolyi’s training center near Houston. It isn’t inconceivable that she and her teammates could sweep the medals in that event in Rio. “It didn’t happen. That motivated me even more to win the 200”. Back then, she required the reward of an almond chocolate bar from her parents for motivation. “I’m here just for fun”.
“She did tell me the other day that, ‘You know that you have a shot, and I didn’t believe it. She’s been so encouraging and supportive of me throughout this whole thing”.
She was named to the American Family Insurance ALL-USA track team in each of her first two years at Union Catholic.
“You realize that sometimes you have to lose in order to get better”, said McLaughlin, who still plans to compete at world juniors later this month in Poland. The trials put an end to three-plus years of anticipation for the electrifying 19-year-old, who has rapidly developed from bouncy prodigy to arguably the greatest gymnast of all-time. At London in 2012 she finally earned an individual gold in the 200, as well as gold medals in both relays. She was beaten out for third place by.
HALFWAY HOME: Barbara Nwaba has a slim 11-point lead over Kendell Williams in the heptathlon with three events remaining.
McLaughlin said she had been given incentives to succeed from an early age.
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Kerron Clement won the men’s 400m hurdles in 48.50 ahead of Byron Robinson who ran 48.79 and London 2012 silver medallist Michael Tinsley who finished in 48.82. In the men’s high jump, Olympic silver medalist Erik Kynard won his fourth consecutive national title, clearing 2.29m. “So I was just really thankful to be here”.
