Lauryn Williams\' ailing father had his prayers answered with an unexpected gift that will enable him to travel to Greece to watch daughter run.
Ah, almost as quickly as Marion Jones and Tim Montgomery have become drug free, the Olympic Trials have come and gone. While some people were at the top of their game and should be celebrated, many were equally as poor, and will now be mocked and ridiculed in no particular order.
Shawn Crawford, an alumnus of Clemson University qualified for his second event of the Olympic Trials Sunday with a win in the 200m. Duane Ross, another alumni of Clemson placed second in the 110m hurdles, also making the 2004 US Olympic Team.
Three hurdles with ties to the University of South Carolina made the Olympic US team in the final day of the US Olympic Track and Field Trials.
Kane graduate Amy Rudolph has until Aug 9 to get the A standard after taking 3rd in the women\'s 1500 finals in 4:08.57. She had just missed earlier in the Olympic Trials, getting 4th in the 5000. Simon Gratz grad Joyce Bates-Fair was 13th overall in the women\'s 100 Hurdles Semis, going 12.99.
Two-time Olympic 110 Hurdles Gold Medalist Roger Kingdom, now a coach at California University of Pennsylvania, decided against appealing to be included in this year\'s Olympic Trials in his signature event. The story in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Former Simon Gratz star Joyce Bates-Fair, advanced from the quarterfinals in the 100 Hurdles, going 13.01. Chambersburg grad Christopher Clever took 6th in the Javelin Finals with a throw of 233-02. John Taylor (Bishop McDevitt) was 8th at 232-09; and Baldwin\'s Mark Bridge was 12th at 202-00. Bridge injured a muscle in the qualifiers. That story from the Pittsburgh Post Gazette.
Super Sophomore Jeremy Wariner (Baylor) wins the Olympic Trials 400m. Jeremy ran a quick 44.37 in a race that had 7 men under 45 seconds. Jeremy got out to a quick start in the race and never relinquished the lead.
Amy Rudolph, who missed a spot on the 5000 team with her 4th place finish, stayed in the hunt in the 1500 with a 4:15.76. Yough\'s Jim Carney finished 15th in the 5000 Finals, going 14:00.34. In the women\'s 10000, Kristin Price (Penn-Trafford/NC State) finished 13th in 33:51.53. And in the 1500 Semi-Finals, Aaron Lanzel (Eisenhower), was 15th in 3:44.05.
Texas Tech Junior Jonathon Johnson is headed to Athens. Jonathon won in 1:44.77. Jonathon was the NCAA champion at the same distance earlier this year.
Former University of Florida athlete Erin Gilreath became the second UF women
South Carolina senior Otis Harris won the silver medal 400m at the US Olympic Track and Field Trials. He now joins South Carolina junior Lashinda Demus on the US Olympic team headed to the 2004 Athens Olympics.
At the Olympic Trials, Eisenhower grad Aaron Lanzel advances to the Semis with a 2nd place 3:47.11 in his heat. Chambersburg grad Christopher Clever had the 3rd best Javelin qualifer with a throw of 238-11. Baldwin\'s Mark Bridge was right behind at 235-07. And Bishop McDevitt\'s John Taylor was 5th best at 234-10.
Lauryn Williams is turning pro. The story in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Qualification list of PA athletes at this year\'s USATF Olympic Team Trials. (Thanks to Mark Schwartz for adding quite a few names I never would have known, and a few I really should have known.)
Coastal Carolina\'s Amber Campbell launched a throw of 218\' 1\" on her first throw of the women\'s hammer throw preliminaries to automatically qualify for the finals at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Sacramento, CA, July 12.
Sanya Richards, a St. Thomas Aquinas graduate who recently turned pro after one full season with the Texas Longhorns, set American Junior Record for the second time in two months. She has the fastest times going out of the quarterfinals.
Hazel Clark finished third in the 800m to secure a spot in the 2004 U.S. Olympics at the 2004 U.S. Olympic Team Track & Field Trials on Monday at the Alex G. Spanos Sports Complex.
We don't always have time to find the article links, but thanks to folks like Mark Schwartz, we can keep up with the fine coverage of our state's best in PA's newspapers.
Haverford grad Shayne (Wiley) Culpepper Photo by Victah Sayler, Photo Run won the Women\'s 5000 in 15:07.41. Amy Rudolph (Kane HS) was 4th in 15:13.74). Former McDowell multi-event star Sheena Gordon tooks 8th in her Olympic Trials premier, clearing 6-00.50. James Carney (Yough/MIllersville), advanced in the Prelims of the 5000. After her 4th place finish in the Heptathlon, Hyleas Fountain missed advancing from the Prelims of the Long Jump by a quarter of an inch, leaping 20-09.00. Chris Dugan, (Southmoreland HS), did not advance from the Prelims of the 3000 m Steeplechase, taking 20th in 8:47.11. USATF Quote from USATF.org SHAYNE CULPEPPER, adidas \"This was one of the hardest races of my life, I had to dig really deep. It\'s a dream come true, after 2000 was so disappointing. I knew Marla (Runyan) had a great kick, so I tried to save something for the last 100 meters. You have to be ready on that day. To win with that time is such a joy.\"
Former Clemson track and field athlete Shawn Crawford will compete in the 100m dash at the 2004 Olympic Games after placing third in the event at the US Trials in Sacramento, CA. Crawford crossed the line with a time of 9.93. In June, Craword recorded this year\'s world-fastest time in the 100m with a time of 9.88, winning the Prefontaine Classic.
Ben Franklin (Philly) grad Shakeema Walker took 2nd in the Triple Jump with a leap of 46-01.50. She\'ll have until August 9th to make the \"A\" standard to make the team. Serene Ross was 5th and Inge Jorgensen was 11th in Javelin at the USATF Olympic Trials in Sacramento.
After a rough start, Rochester grad Lauryn Williams didn\'t panic, and came back to beat Gail Devers by .01 and Marion Jones by .04 to secure the 3rd and final spot on the US Women\'s 100 Olympic Team. Photo by Victah Sayler, Photo Run Central Dauphin East grad Hyleas Fountain finished 4th in her first Women\'s Olympic Trials Heptathlon competiton. In the final three events on Day Two of her event, she went 20-03.50 in the Long Jump, for 4th place. Unfortunately, it was the Javelin that cost her a shot to make the team. Her throw of 125-03 was 15th best. She did run 2:18.85 to take 5th in the final event, the 800. In the 100 Semis, Rochester grad Lauryn Williams advanced to the finals with the 4th best time. Philly\'s Jon Drummond did not advance from the prelims, going 10.45. And Harrisburg grad Dominique Darden did not advance in the semis of the 400 Hurdles.
Central Dauphin\'s East grad Hyleas Fountain is 2nd after the first day in the women\'s Olympic Trials Heptathlon, going 13.47, jumping 5-11.25 in the HJ, throwing the Shot 38-02 and posting a 24.02 200 for 3659 points, just 27 points out of first. Rochester grad Lauryn Williams posted the fastest 100 time in the Prelims, going 11.13. Harrisburg grad Dominique Darden advanced to the 400 Hurdles semis by just .07, going 58.05. In the women\'s 5000 Trials, both Amy Rudloph and Shayne Culpepper advanced. In the Javelin prelims, both Serene Ross (Wilmington HS) and Inge Jorgensen (also Wilmington) advanced to the finals. In the 10000 final, Former Millersville runner (Youth) James Carney took a remarkable sixth in 28:31.82. Former Woodbury PA (St. Francis) runner Brian Sell was in 17th at 29:17.83.
The TV schedule for the USATF Olympic Trials in Track & Field will include 14 hours on air July 9 - 18.
With the 2004 Olympics getting close to reality the track and field athletes are preparing for the trials with hopes of making it to the finals. Below is information on the track and field trials along with several sources of information on the track and field portion of the Olympic Games.