Gay sets American record in 100

Jun 29, 2008 - 12:35 AM By Simon Lewis PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

EUGENE, Oregon (Ticker) - World 100-meter champion Tyson Gay threw down the gauntlet to his American rivals, setting a national record of 9.77 seconds in Saturday's semifinals at the United States Olympic Track & Field Trials on Saturday.

Gay more than made a point by beating Maurice Greene's nine-year-old mark of 9.79 after having survived a scare in his opening-round heat Saturday at Hayward Field.

When he returned to the track 2 1/2 hours after finishing fourth in his first heat, Gay was all business, breaking into the lead at 30 meters and not letting up at all as he powered through the line, also breaking Greene's four-year-old Olympic trials record of 9.91 in the process.

There was another significant record in the same heat. Runner-up Jeffery Demps, from Florida, set an American high school boys record for the event, clocking 10.01 to reach the semifinals on Sunday.

Among those joining them will be Travis Padgett, who won the second semifinal in a personal-best 9.89, and heat three winner Darvis "Doc" Patton, who likewise set a personal best in 9.89.

In 92-degree heat earlier Saturday at Hayward Field, Gay, the IAAF world 100-, 200- and 4x100-meter gold medalist, was a clear leader as he coasted at 60 meters, but he eased up a little too much and found himself caught in a blanket finish five meters out.

Realizing his predicament, Gay was forced to speed up again and needed to dip at the finish line.

That proved crucial as, after an anxious wait to see the results flashed up on the scoreboard, Gay was relieved to have been placed fourth, the final automatic qualifying spot for a quarterfinal place later in the afternoon.