Devon Allen, photo by PhotoRun.net
Devon Allen finished his 110 meter final with a roar from Duck fans, as he took the 110 meter hurdles in 13.03! That was just one of the highlights of Day Nine in the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials.
By Kylee O’Connor
EUGENE, Oregon — As the Olympic Track and Field Trials begin to wind down, the performances do not. Day Nine did not disappoint, as a Hayward Field record 22,847 fans came to see some of their favorite athletes compete.
Lagat qualifies for fifth Olympics in the 5,000:
Bernard Lagat dropped out of the 10,000-meters on Day One of the trials, and he was determined not to let his 5,000-meter race end the same way. Despite being 41 years old, Lagat kicked with 100 meters to go to win the 5,000 in 13 minutes, 35.50 seconds. He out-kicked second place finisher Hassan Mead by .2 seconds. Paul Chelimo took third in 13:35.92.
Lagat said that his coach, James Li, reassured him that the 10,000 would be beneficial, even though he didn’t finish the race.
“Coach Li changed everything,” Lagat said. “He said, ‘That 10,000 meters was just another workout, a tempo run. So you’re going to benefit from that race–it’s going to help you 10 days later.’ And it really did.”
Devon Allen upsets pros in 110 hurdles:
Two-time NCAA champion and current Oregon Duck Devon Allen upset a field of pros by winning the 110-meter hurdles. His time of 13.03 is the second fastest time in the world this year. Ronnie Ash and Jeff Porter, who both ran 13.21, placed second and third. World record holder Aries Merritt, who had a kidney transplant last year, narrowly missed the top three by .01 seconds.
Gatlin wins 200 from lane eight:
Gatlin was beaten by high school star Michael Norman in the semifinal of the 200 meters Friday. On Saturday, out of lane eight, 100-meter trials champion Justin Gatlin was able to win the 200-meter final in 19.75. He was just ahead of 400-meter trials champion LaShawn Merritt, who ran 19.79. Ameer Webb placed third in 20 flat.
Claye wins triple jump after not qualifying in long jump:
Will Claye placed third in the long jump on Day Three of the trials but didn’t have the Olympic qualifying standard, so he will not go to Rio in that event. He did, however, have the qualifying standard for the triple jump and won with a jump of 57-11. He surpassed American record holder Christian Taylor, who placed second with 57-0 3/4.
Nwaba leads heptathlon after day one:
Barbara Nwaba, representing Santa Barbara Track Club, led after day one of the heptathlon with 3,903 points, 11 points ahead of Georgia’s Kendell Williams. Nwaba jumped a personal best 6 feet, 2 3/4 inches to win the high jump.
NCAA champion Maggie Malone wins javelin:
Less than a month after winning the javelin at NCAAs, Texas A&Ms Maggie Malone took the next step and won the javelin to qualify for Rio. She threw 199-7, around nine feet ahead of second place finisher Hannah Carson.
Women’s 200 qualifying:
Three current or former Oregon athletes–Ariana Washington, Jenna Prandini, and Deajah Stevens–qualified for the 200-meter final. Favorites Tori Bowie and Allyson Felix also qualified for the final on Sunday.
