Merritt topples Wariner in 400 meters

Jul 4, 2008 - 5:48 AM By Simon Lewis PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

EUGENE, Oregon (Ticker) -- Jeremy Wariner suffered a surprise defeat at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials but the Olympic and world 400-meter champion will still get to defend his title in Beijing.

Wariner, ranked No. 1 in the world for the last four years, had to settle for second place in front of a sellout crowd of 20,927 at Hayward Field as world championship runner-up LaShawn Merritt turned the tables on him for the second time in a month.

Merritt, who had beaten the Wariner in Berlin on June 1 in a time of 44.03, went faster this time, starting strong and holding his lead down the home straight to win in 44.00.

"I came into the finals knowing that now was the time to do what I needed to do," Merritt said. "When I got to the curve, I was smelling Beijing and victory, so I just wanted to bring it home."

Merritt said he was focused on making the team, not on beating Wariner.

"When I compete, he's not in my pocket, so I'm not worried about beating him," Merritt said. "My focus was to cross the line first. I had to prove to myself that I could make this team and compete in Beijing and that's what I did.

"I feel blessed to make it to these Games. I have been coming in second in the U.S. for the past couple of years, but after today this moment is over."

With the top three in each event at the trials automatically qualifying for Team USA at next month's Games in China, Wariner made sure of his place by finishing a comfortable second in 44.20. David Neville was third in 44.61 and Reggie Witherspoon fourth at 45.01.

The American men's 400-meters squad has a big reputation to live up to in Beijing, having won 19 gold medals out of a possible 26 at the Olympics to go with 12 silver and 10 bronze. Wariner, Merritt and Angelo Taylor also completed a sweep of the medals at last August's World Championships in Osaka.

In the women's 400 meters, Sanya Richards erased the memory of her failure to make the 2007 World Championships by gliding onto the 2008 Olympic squad with a resounding victory.

The American record holder and 2006 World Athlete of the Year battled a strong headwind on the backstretch and came out of the final turn under pressure from Mary Wineberg on her inside but pulled away to win in 49.89, the third-fastest time in the world this year.

"I feel great," Richards said. "I've been thinking about Beijing all year, but I knew this was going to be the most important step to get there. I tried to contain all the nerves and the anxiety and execute a perfect race and I almost did.

"I got out really, really fast and then just tried to stay relaxed down the backstretch and then I worked the curve and came in strong. I am feeling like all my hard work is paying off and I definitely felt like the strongest today."

Wineberg was second in 50.85 and Dee Dee Trotter grabbed the final team spot in third place (50.88), just ahead of Monique Henderson (50.98).

Recollecting the fourth place in last year's national championships that meant she would not compete at the worlds in Osaka, Japan, Richards paid tribute to her family and fianc?? - New York Giants cornerback Aaron Ross - for helping her come back from the disappointment.

"It was the hardest thing ever," she said. "I remember after the fourth place I did not go to sleep the entire night and I had the 200 the next day.

"It was a really, really rough time for me, but I am very fortunate to have great family. My fianc?? was there to talk me through it and tell me everything is going to be OK. I have a great dad and a great mom. They just kept telling me everything in time and I feel like now is my time."

Ross also was credited with a pre-race pep talk for Richards ahead of her final Thursday night.

"He just told me to go out and execute," she said. "He has already got his Super Bowl championship and he really wants me to get this Olympic gold so he told me just stay relaxed, stay calm and execute and I will be headed to Beijing."

The women's long jump women final saw 2008 NCAA Indoor and Outdoor champion and 2007 World Outdoor finalist Brittney Reese clinch victory with her final jump of the competition.

Reese did it with a U.S.-leading 22 feet 9 3/4 inches that took her from second place to first in the sixth round.

Three-time U.S. Outdoor champion Grace Upshaw had led since the third round with a jump of 22-7, ultimately good enough for second, with Funmi Jimoh third in 22-0 3/4.

Anna Willard set an American record on her way to victory in the women's 3000-meter steeplechase final. The 2007 NCAA champion clocked 9:27.59 to lower the mark held by pre-race favorite Lisa Galaviz at 9:28.75 since July 28, 2007.

Willard, with a shock of pink running through her otherwise blonde hair, was a distinctive leader from wire- to-wire. The U.S. team places was sewn up two laps from home as Lindsay Anderson and defending national champion Jenny Barringer opened up a sizeable gap from Nicole Bush and Galaviz.

The only question was whether one of the three front-runners would go for the record and Willard answered the call with the fastest run ever on American soil. Anderson claimed second in 9:30.75 and Berringer completed the team for Beijing in third (9:33.11). All three women ran faster the previous trials record of 9:39.35 set four years ago in Sacramento by Ann Gaffigan.

Men's 1,500-meter favorites Bernard Lagat, Alan Webb, Lopez Lomong and University of Texas senior Leo Manzano all progressed to Friday's semifinals.

Webb, the reigning USA Outdoor men's 1,500 champion and American mile record holder, qualified fastest, winning the third and final heat 3:41.27. World 1,500 champion Lagat was fourth in that heat (3:42.11). Lomong won his heat in 3:43.38 from Manzano (3:43.41), while local favorite Gabe Jennings won the opening heat in 3:44.39.

Women's 1,500 favorites Christin Wurth-Thomas and Shannon Rowbury came through the opening round as the fastest qualifiers. Wurth-Thomas, the 2008 U.S. Indoor champion, won the first heat in 4:13.40, while Rowbury, the current U.S. leader following her 4:01.06 victory at the 2008 adidas Track Classic, won the second heat in 4:16.13 with Lindsey Gallo taking the third in 4:17.01.

Among the other qualifiers were three-time U.S. Outdoor champion Treniere Clement and 16-year-old high school student Jordan Hasay.

In the women's pole vault, all the expected contenders for team places progressed to Sunday's 12-woman final. American record holder Jenn Stuczynski, 2007 Pan Am Games silver medalist April Steiner Bennett, 2004 Olympian Jillian Schwartz and 2000 Olympic gold medalist Stacy Dragila were among the eight women clearing 14 feet 1 1/4 inches.