jun.27.2008

The U.S. Olympic track and field trials (and the U.S. Olympic swimming trials, too) are the most cutthroat in the world. No track and field athlete gets a free pass to the United States Olympic team. Every runner, jumper and thrower must finish in the top three here or sit at home and watch on television what might have been.

Other nations pick their teams by committee or a combination of trials and selection. But any American who has a bad day or is slowed or sidelined by injury is out of luck.

Jeanette Bolden knows the anguish from two sides. She won a gold medal in the 4×100-meter relay in 1984. She has been the women’s head coach at U.C.L.A. for 14 years and is the head coach of this United States women’s Olympic team. In a news conference here, she addressed the Americans’ automatic selection process.

“Fortunately and unfortunately,” she said, “our system is fortunate for those three who make the team, and it’s unfortunate for everyone else trying to make the team.

Whether or not they make the team, you are going to see the best and the brightest, and that’s what this is about, having the trials and going through our system and being here in Eugene. The athletes will be well supported and the fans will get to see track and field in its truest sense. The individuals know they can’t blame it on anyone else. It’s just you and the clock.”

Assuming they meet the qualifying standards, many elite runners enter more than one event. That way, if they don’t make the Olympic team in one, they have a chance in another. Sprinters such as Tyson Gay and Torri Edwards have declared their intention to run both the 100 and 200 meters and have good chances to make the team in both events.

It’s tougher for distance runners because of the energy demands. For that reason, Abdi Abdirahman, Dathan Ritzenhein and Dan Browne have scratched from the men’s 5,000 to concentrate on the 10,000. (Ritzenhein has already qualified for the Olympic team in the marathon.)

Xavier Carter scratched from the men’s 400 to concentrate on the 200, where his qualifying time of 19.92 seconds is the fourth best in the field. Jen Rhines scratched from the women’s 10,000 to concentrate on the 5,000.

No matter what Rhines does, she cannot escape Shalane Flanagan. In April last year, Flanagan set an American record of 14 minutes 44.80 seconds for the 5,000. Eight weeks ago, she set an American record of 30:34.49 for the 10.000. She is far ahead of the other Americans in both events, she will run both in the trials and (assuming she makes the Olympic team in both) she should be an Olympic medal contender in both.

Source: www.nytimes.com
 By Frank Litsky