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The first week of the Olympic trials brought us joy, heartbreak and controversy. We have seen Amy Hasting have redemption in the 10k, some barely misses in the 800 meters and a dead heat for third in the 100 meters. Here are a few of my thoughts on this rest day.

10k redemption-After finishing a disappointing fourth at the marathon trials, Amy Hastings came back to win the women’s 10k and punch her ticket to London. Much like the trials in the January, Shalane Flanagan led the 10k. It was not till the final lap that Hastings passed Flanagan and Natosha Rogers and held on for the win in a time of 31: 58.36. Hasting could have just finished the race and made the team for only four runners had the A-standard. The 10k team is Hastings, Lisa Uhl and Janet Cherobon-Bawcom.

100 meters tie- If you have not heard yet in the women’s 100 meters there was a dead heat for third and the final spot on the Olympic team. Carmelita Jeter won the 100 final, with Tianna Madison finishing second. Allyson Felix and Jeneba Tarmoh both finished in 11.068 seconds for third.  Surprisingly, there was no procedure in place to determine the winner. USATF has decided the decision will come down either to a run-off or flipping a coin. Felix and Tarmoh get to decide which one. More info here.

Strength and Beauty in the 800 meters- Alysia Montano blasted the first 400 meters in 55.88 and held on for the win in 1:59.08.  Geena Gall and Alice Schmidt took second and third to make the team.  Molly Beckwith and Phoebe Wright missed the team by milliseconds. Wright's 5th place time of 1:59.72 is the fastest 5th place time in Trials history.  If you ever wondered why Montano wears a flower in her hair, you can find out here.

Hayward record in the 400 meters- Sanya Richards-Ross ran a Hayward Field record 49.28 seconds in the 400 meters to win the U.S. Olympic trials final and book a third trip to the Olympic Games. DeeDee Trotter made her third team with a 50.02. The third-place finisher was Francena McCorory.

100 hurdles team set- Reigning Olympic champion Dawn Harper out-sprinted Kellie Wells and Lolo Jones to win the women’s 100m hurdles in 12.73, with 2011 U.S. champion Wells second in 12.77 and two-time World Indoor 60m hurdle winner Jones surging to place third in 12.86.

Only 1 in the triple jump- Amanda Smock will be the only representative fromthe US in the triple jump. She qualified for the Olympics, jumping a total of 45 feet 9 inches. After Smock failed to make the Olympic Team in 2008, her father crossed "2008" off of his credential and added "2012." While Smock's father passed away after the 2008 Trials, Smock has kept the credential hanging in her closet and looks at it every day. She was able to achieve her dream.

Semi-Finals-There were few surprises with who advanced in the steeplechase and 5k. The biggest surprise was perhaps Lauren Fleshman, who has been running around 11 MPW, made it to the 5k final and Jackie Areson did not. Nicole Bush also did not make it to the final of the steeplechase. Finals field for the 5k & Steeplechase. 

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• Olympics
• Running
• Track & Field
• Summer Games

This post is related to an event on our Calendar:

• USA Olympic Trials T&F;

This post is related to the following ongoing stories:

• 2012 NCAA & Professional Track & Field
• 2012 U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials

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