Summer time is track time!

I know missed talking about the beginning of the season and then US Champs, and all the American records and world leading performances to date but all those amazing distances, heights and times tell me that this season is going to be a great one.

I think this season will show more new faces on the world stage that are legitimate contenders for world titles. That being said the newest face that is one of the biggest contenders for a World title is the new American record holder over the 100 hurdles Brianna Rollins. She shattered the colligate marks at both 60 and 100 hurdles this year and then at the US Championships demolished Gail Dever's American record running a 12.26, the fastest time in 21 years. Who knows maybe she can challenge the world record this year.

Also there was Justin Gatlin beating Usain Bolt in Rome. There also was the return of Tyson Gay, with him running a 9.75 in the 100 and a 19.74 in the 200 to win the sprint double at US Championships. Also this season Veronica Campbell-Brown tested positive for a banned substance. She is currently waiting to hear what will happen with a suspension of any sort. There have also been many injuries to 2012 olympians; Carmelita Jeter, Aries Merritt, Sanya Richard-Ross (had toe surgery), Lashinda Demus and the list could go on.

Every one this year is looking forward to the World Champinonships in moscow in August and I think this might be one of the fastest in history, maybe not 2009 fast when Bolt broke both the 100, 200 and was on the WR 4x100 team but you never know.

Day 3 Predictions

Women's Pole Vault
1. Jenn Suhr
2. Kylie Hudson
3. Becky Holiday

Suhr is the 2008 Olympic Silver Medalist. Although she has dealt with achilles injuries in recent years she is the clear favorite. Hudson has come on the scene in the past year and is the reigning US champ. Holiday is a consistent vaulter and will have a great shot at making it. Others that could possibly make the team are Mary Saxer, April Steiner Bennett and Lacy Jansen.

The Men's Long Jump
1. Will Claye
2. Marquise Goodwin
3. Christian Taylor

Claye is the favorite having competed in the world championships last year. Claye is also a great tripple jumper recently winning the World Indoor Title. Goodwin is the only other jumper in the final with the A standard so no matter where he finishes unless others jump 8.20m then he is going to London. Taylor has the closest PR to the A standard at 8.19m, although he is known more for his tripple jump prowess being the reigning World Outdoor Champion.

Women's Discus:
1. Stephanie Brown Trafton
2. Aretha Thurmond
3. Gia Lewis-Smallwood

Brown Trafton is the reigning Olympic Champion. She has set a new American Record this year and is the favorite. Thurmond has proved more consistent than Brown Trafton in the last few years. 
Lewis-Smallwood is the only other person with the A standard in the field. 


Men's Shot Put:
1. Reese Hoffa
2. Christian Cantwell
3. Ryan Whiting

These three have been the most consistent out of the field this year. Hoffa has been one of the best in the word this year. Cantwell hasnt had the year like he had in 2009 or 2010 but he is the Olympic Silver Medalist fron Beijing. Whiting is the reigning World Indoor Champion.

Men's 400m
1. LaShawn Merritt
2. Tony McQuay
3. Jeremy Wariner

Merritt is the reigning Olympic Champ and looks poised to challenge in London. McQuay is the US Champion from 2011 and is very consistent. Wariner is the 2004 Olympic Champ, but since 2010 hasn't looked like a real contender. I think Wariner will make the team but it will be hard for him to medal. There are a couple of USC Trojans that could challenge for a spot in Josh Mance and Bryshon Nellum.

Women's 400m
1. Sanya Richards-Ross
2. Francena McCorory
3. Natasha Hastings

Richards-Ross is the clear favorite. I don't think any of these women can catch her. McCorory has improved a lot over the past 2 years and with her World Championship experience from last year she looks to make her first Olympic team. Hastings was on the 2008 Olympic team in the 4x4 relay pool so she has the experience and a gold medal from those games and she also is the bronze medalist from the World Indoor Championships in March. Jessica Beard, Debbie Dunn and Dee Dee Trotter all have a shot to make the Olympic team.

Men's 100m
1. Justin Gatlin
2. Tyson Gay
3. Walter Dix/ Mike Rodgers

Gatlin and Gay are a step better than the rest of the field and barring disaster they will be on the team. Gatlin is in the best form he has been in since his drug ban, and Gay looks to be back in form from his torn labrum in his hip. Rodgers the 2009 US Champ looks to make his first Olympic team, but he will have to deal with a two time Olympic bronze medalist from Beijing Walter Dix.

Eaton WR, Lolo makes the team & Felix and Tarmoh tied for third

Ashton Eaton went into the final event of the decathlon needing about a 2 second personal best to get the world record. The gun went off and Eaton went right to the front behind Curtid Beach and Joe Detmer the two fastest in the field. Eaton was right on pace with 300 left and coming down the home stretch beach moved over and cheered Eaton to the win and the WR, in 4:14.48. Eaton ended up with a two day score of 9039 breaking the world record by 13 points, and only the second man to break the 9000 point barrier. What I thought was cool is that all the past US Olympic Decathlon Champions were in attendance to witness it. When Ashton was done he was greeted by the now former American Record holder and 1996 Olympic Champ Dan O'Brien, and the 1976 Olympic Champ Bruce Jenner. Trey Hardee finished in second with a point total of 8383 winning the discus on day 2.

Courtesy of Dan O'Brien's Twitter

The 100 hurdles was a GREAT race with the reigning Olympic Champ Dawn Harper winning in 12.73 into a -1.6m head wind.  In second place was 2011 US Champ Kellie Wells who four years ago tore her hamstring during the olympic trials. Finally in third place was Lolo Jones who is looking for redemption after hitting the 9th hurdle in Beijing. A lot of people wrote off Lolo including myself, she hasn't had a great year up to this point but she tured it up at the right time and gets a chance to redeem herself. 


The women's 100m has brought a lot of DRAMA! The first two places are set in stone with Carmelita Jeter winning in 10.91 and Tianna Madison finishing in second running another 10.96. But third place had to go down to a photo finish between training partners Allyson Felix and Jeneba Tarmoh. Originally Tarmoh was given the nod by .001s 11.068 to 11.069. But then after further review it was determined to be a dead tie at 11.068s. So who will get the spot Tarmoh or Felix? What are the tie braking rules for this situation? Should they have a run-off for the spot?

We will find out soon what will happen.

Day 1 Finals Results

The 10k finals at the end of day 1 were very entertaining.

In the men's Race the pace was pushed to be an honest one because Dathan Ritzenhein needed the Olympic A standard of 27:45. Right from the gun Galen Rupp and Ritz pushed the pace with each having about an 800m stint before the other would take over. This also pulled the guys in the race to fast times. In the end Galen pulled away in the last three laps for an easy win in 27:25.33 a new meet record. In second place was Matt Tegenkamp who already had the A standard. Then finally in third place was Dathan in 27:36.09, well under the A standard and punches his ticket to London after finishing fourth in the marathon trials. In the end the top three were under the meet record, and the race pretty much played out as many thought it would with Rupp helping Dathan to get the A standard and with the third guy being Tegenkamp.

Results

Rupp, Ritzenhein, Tegenkamp (L-R)
The 10k USA Olympians

The women's race was a little bit different. The pace started off slow, after about the first mile Lisa Uhl had a shoe come untied so she stopped to tie it, while her teammate Shalane Flanagan ran to the front to control the pace so Lisa could catch up to the group. A little after Shalane took the lead Deborah Maier of Cal, decided it was time to push the pace, and at the same time she tried to move to the front Natosha Rodgers of Texas A&M (the recent NCAA champion) fell pretty hard and sprinted about 300m to get back to the group chasing Maier. Maier opened up about a 50m lead before the chase pack reeled her in. With about a mile to go the pace picked up and Amy Hastings, Shalane, Uhl, and Rodgers started to pull away. With about 200m left it looked like Shalane was making the winning move around Hastings, but Rodgers then passed Shalane and coming down the homestretch Hastings found another gear and took the win and a ticket to London after finishing fourth at the Marathon trials in January. Rodgers finished in second with a new PR, but since it still wasn't faster than the A standard she wont be going to London. Shalane ended up in third, which I still think is great considering she is training through trials since she is going to be running the Marathon in London. This left the last 2 spots for London open to the only other women with the the A standard Uhl who finished fourth and Janet Cherobon-Bawcom who finished seventh. 


Results

Uhl, Cherobon-Bawcom, and Hastings (L-R)
The Olympic 10k Team

So even though my predictions for placements were a little off the six that I thought would go to London are going.

Also the decathlon started today, and Ashton Eaton came out flying. In the first two events he set all time decathlon bests with a 10.21 in the 100m and a jump of 8.23m in the long jump. In the shot put reigning World Champ Trey Hardee threw a lifetime best of 15.72m. In the last event of the day the 400 Eaton ran a great time of 46.70 in terrible conditions. At the end of the first day (5 events) Eaton leads Hardee by 322 points with the reigning Olympic Champ Brian Clay in third 476 points back.

Eaton and Hardee