Now that trials are underway, statuses change each day. I mistakenly thought since Track and Field started on Thursday with hammer throw, that they would be done by the weekend. Nope, again the United States is showing their last minute attitude by having the competition go until July 1. Games start July 27!!! Am I the only one freaked out by how little time there is between winning your spot on the team and the Olympics? I mean, they have to get all their adorable athletic outfits ready. It’s not like there is a huge storeroom with gobs of sizes to pick from… well maybe there is, who knows. More than 100 athletes will achieve their Olympic dreams in Track and Field events this week!
Australia originally had slated 54 athletes to attend the games in Track and Field, but Genevieve LaCaze set records and managed to get a spot on the Australian Olympic team. Way to go, Genevieve!!
Great Britain has 281 athletes already selected. But they have also has their share of new makers. After winning the 100m, Dwain Chambers yelled “Fuck off!” to the crowd. Adam Gemili has also secured his spot.
In the U.S. on Thursday, hammer thrower hopefuls found themselves in lovely northern Oregon. Beaverton hosted the Olympic trials complete with warm weather and a bit of sun, which is a big deal considering the way summer has been shaping up here in the Northwest. The best part about the hammer trials was the free admission! The trials were open to anyone who wanted to come and watch. Check out the results”¦ if I am reading this right, Jessica Cosby did very well. Amber Campbell placed first.
Other Track and Field events took place on Friday June 22. I assume the pole vaulting was canceled because our Northwest weather decided to make an appearance. I never pole vaulted but I have run”¦ again quick and short distances.
A cool thing to note, Friday’s events played into the Men’s Decathlon. The first five events took place, the last five will take place on Saturday. I always pay attention to the decathlon, because of Reebok. Do you remember the Dave vs. Dan commercial?
Bummer that Dan didn’t make it. Dave Johnson went on to win the bronze medal. But I loved the attention it gave the decathlon. It takes a strong competitor to be able to compete successfully in all ten events. This year may give us a trio in the competition: Trey vs. Ashton vs. Bryan. Ashton has already set two qualifying records in the decathlon. If you are thinking about trying out for the decathlon, here are the events:
- 100-meter dash
- Long jump
- Shot put
- High jump
- 400-meter dash
- 110-meter hurdles
- Discus throw
- Pole vault
- Javelin throw
- 1500-meter run
Friday also began the Women’s Heptathlon. Not as famous as the decathlon but just as cool. Maybe Nike needs to make a commercial featuring some of these awesome athletes. FYI, heptathlon includes:
- 100-meter hurdles (my FAVORITE!)
- High jump
- Shot put
- 200-meter dash
- Long jump
- Javelin throw
- 800-meter run
Galen Rupp won the men’s 10,000-meter run, finishing in 27:25.33. Amy Hasting won the women’s 10,000-meter run, finishing in 31:58.36. I could NEVER run that far – that’s 6.21371192 miles.
William Claye finished first in the men’s long jump with 7.98 m. This was only his first round, there is more to go. Hopefully he can keep it up! The women’s long jump doesn’t start until June 29th. I wonder why they have them so far apart?
It will be exciting as the week in USA trials plays out. I, for one, will be paying close attention. You can keep up on the news and results at the official site for 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials.
2 replies on “2012 Olympics: Track and Field”
What a great recap! And for real – Over 6 miles in under 30min? Color me impressed! I am amazed if I can get 2 miles in that amount of time, maybe sneak in an extra half mile if I had a cuppa joe beforehand!
The Olympic swimming trials were (are?) here this week and even though I’m not really a big fan of swimming or even the Olympics in general, all of the buzz surrounding it is pretty exciting, especially when it’s local.