In the style of pro hockey, I present my Three Stars of Hammer Time, the sort of first day of the Olympic Trials...

Third Star: Kibwe Johnson (New York AC / Kamloops, BC)
Johnson has not had as smooth a start to his season as he did last year, when he broke the 80 meter barrier in both May and June. But he came out strong here and was leading from his first throw, never trailed, and won.

Second Star: Amber Campbell (Nike / Myrtle Beach, SC)
The women's hammer throw was entertaining and competitive, with seasonal bests coming from five of the top six, personal bests from three of the top five, and all three Olympians over the old meet record.  Campbell was at one point all the way down to fourth place, but she rallied in the fifth round with 71.80 meters (235' 6") which stood up for the win and is now the meet record.

Third Star: Amanda Bingson (UNLV / Las Vegas, NV)
Four years ago, Bingson didn't know what the hammer throw was. Now she's an Olympian, and in improbable fashion. At the NCAA Championships two weeks ago, I expected a ding-dong battle between Bingson and Southern Illinois' Jeneva McCall. It never materialized, as Bingson was totally out of rhythm and fouled on four of her six attempts. I ignored her in my Hammer Time preview because she was so far out of it in Des Moines.  Yet she rebounded with three throws beyond her old PR, the best of which went beyond the Olympic 'A' standard and earned her a spot on the Olympic team.  Totally unexpected things like this are why people like Track and Field News editor Garry Hill call the Olympic Trials the best meet on the planet.