2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials, Track & Field

Olympic Trials Day 2 Preview

Olympic Trials Day 2 Preview

Jun 22, 2012 by Jesse Squire
Olympic Trials Day 2 Preview

Day 2 of the Olympic Trials will see the conclusion of the decathlon, along with the finals in the women's 100 hurdles and 100 meters.

Live results
TV coverage will be from 8:00 PM to 9:00 PM on NBC.

Today's Schedule


12:30 PM ET Men's 110m Hurdles Decathlon
1:20 PM ET Men's Discus Throw Decathlon
3:30 PM ET Men's Pole Vault Decathlon
3:30 PM ET Men's Javelin Throw Qualifying
5:55 PM ET National Anthem  
6:00 PM ET Men's Shot Put Qualifying
6:00 PM ET Men's Javelin Throw Decathlon
6:15 PM ET Women's 100m Hurdles Semi-Finals
6:20 PM ET Women's Triple Jump Qualifying
6:40 PM ET Women's 100 meters Semi-Finals
7:00 PM ET Men's 100 meters Qualifying
7:20 PM ET Men's High Jump Qualifying
7:30 PM ET Women's 800 meters Semi-Finals
7:45 PM ET Men's 800 meters Semi-Finals
  TV Coverage Begins  
8:00 PM ET Men's 400 meters Semi-Finals
8:15 PM ET Women's 400 meters Semi-Finals
8:30 PM ET Men's 1500 meters Decathlon
8:45 PM ET Women's 100m Hurdles Final
8:52 PM ET Women's 100 meters Final

Decathlon


The first day belonged to Ashton Eaton. In cold and wet conditions, he set decathlon world records for the 100 meters (10.21) and long jump (8.23m / 27' 0"). After that he came out with a decent shot put (14.20m / 46' 7¼") and a good high jump (2.05m / 6' 8¾")--which was actually great considering the wet runway.

Bryan Clay is on pace to easily exceed the Olympic 'A' standard of 8200 points, which he needs, and is locked in a good battle with Trey Hardee for second. Barring disaster, those three will be your Olympic team. What if there is disaster? No one else appears to have any real chance at the Olympic 'A' standard of 8200 points. It's these three guys, or fewer.


Women's 100m Hurdles


The Favorites:
Kellie Wells (Nike / Orlando, FL)
Dawn Harper (Nike / Los Angeles, CA)
Kristi Castlin (adidas)
From Ato Boldon: "Harper got on the Olympic team in ’08 with a big lean at the tape. Now she returns - as reigning Olympic champion. Castlin’s stock has gone way up in the last month. Kellie Wells is consistently good."

The Celebrity: Lolo Jones (Asics / Baton Rouge, LA)
If you haven't heard about Lolo Jones yet, you must be living under a rock. She represents as much media exposure as an American trackster is able to get these days. Before the Olympic Trials was the right time for her to make such a big push, because she faces a serious uphill battle just to make the team.

The College Girl: Christina Manning (Ohio State / Waldorf, MD)
Of the likely finalists, Manning is the only one who just finished a college season, one in which the Buckeye won the indoor and outdoor national titles. Does this mean she's a) tired or b) race sharp?

The Old Lady: Ginnie Crawford (Nike / Los Angeles, CA)
At 28 years old, Crawford is hardly old by anyone's standards, but it looks like she's past her peak years as a hurdler. However, she's still could get into the top three if someone has an off day.

Didn't she retire?: Joanna Hayes (Gold Medal Athletic Club / Los Angeles, CA)
Four years ago, Hayes tore a tendon in the Olympic Trials final and called it quits. She coached, did TV work, and had a baby. Then she decided to try a comeback last November and started training again with Bobby Kersee. Her first round race yesterday was only her fifth race of the season--after not racing at all in the previous three years. "If you can make it into the final, you have a shot, no matter who the favorite is", she says. At 35 years old, it would be the most improbable turnaround if she did make the Olympic team.


Women's 100 meters


The Favorites
Carmelita Jeter (Nike / Gardena, CA)
Tianna Madison (Saucony / Los Angeles, CA)
Allyson Felix (Nike / Santa Clarita, CA)
In the only meeting between these three this year, Madison came out on top. Jeter has been the dominant force in US sprinting for several years, and Felix has shown a new burst of speed lately. Madison was best known as a long jumper, but those of us who saw her sprint in high school are not surprised that she has run so well since turning to sprinting this year. All three now live in southern California, but Madison is the only one who grew up in a cold weather state, and thus the potentially cool and damp Eugene conditions would bother her the least.

The Youngster: English Gardner (Oregon / Voorhees, NJ)
Gardner is the only major contender who comes from the collegiate ranks, and she's just a sophomore. She ran very well at the NCAA Championships to turn back LSU's Kimberlyn Duncan (entered only in the 200 at the Trials). It's hard to say whether or not she'll have any home advantage, but the Oregon crowd will certainly be behind her.

The unknown: Jeneba Tarmoh (Nike / San Jose, CA)
Tarmoh isn't exactly unknown, as she was an All-American at Texas A&M before leaving early to go pro last year, and was a World Junior champion four years ago. But it's fair to say that she's not gotten the attention that many other women sprinters have. She was not listed among NBC's "key qualifiers" to the semifinals, despite having the second-fastest time.