The crowd noise surrounding the shot put momentarily delayed the start of the 100m quarterfinal Saturday afternoon.
It didn’t take long for the sprinters to take center stage after that.
Tyson Gay’s 9.77 seconds in the 100m Saturday afternoon eclipsed the former American record of 9.79 seconds, won his quarterfinal and ensured the crowd will be buzzing for tonight’s final at 4:49 p.m.
Almost afterthoughts because of Gay, two other sprinters set records as well. Jeffrey Demps set a new U.S. high school and world junior record by finishing in second place in the first heat in a time of 10.01.
In the second quarterfinal, Travis Padgett’s second-place time of 9.89 broke Ato Bolden’s 12-year-old collegiate record. Darvis Patton ran 9.89 to win the second quarterfinal, the seventh-fastest time ever by an American.
Gay’s time set a U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials record, also. He said the race was a statement after almost failing to qualify in the day’s earlier preliminary heats, when he let up with five meters to go and was caught by the field at the finish line, finishing fourth.
“I was pretty sure it would have been on ESPN as one of the most hit plays,” Gay said.
As for Padgett, Bolden said, “Records are meant to be broken. I’m glad to see these young guys running well.”
Locals Nick Symmonds and Andrew Wheating continued their 800m qualifying unscathed, reserving their spots in Monday night’s final. “I know the crowd will be cheering for Wheating but I know they’ve got my back too,” Symmonds said. “I think I have my roommate lined up if we go through.”
Both took different paths to advance.
Wheating passed his first heat competitors by swinging to the outside lanes for the second race in a row, taking second in 1:46.23 to U.S. champion Khadevis Robinson. Robinson made up for a shaky quarterfinal on Friday night by leading the race from start to finish, holding off an advancing Wheating in the process. Symmonds had been in sixth in his heat after 600 meters, but wound up winning in 1:47.14 by sneaking up the inside lane and passing four runners down the final straightaway.
Their finishing kicks were necessary after each runner was buried deep in the pack for all but the final 150 meters.
“I hope it’s there on Monday,” Wheating said. “I might have a little bit of a chance to make it to Beijing and I think I’m going to make that a bigger chance and make it a reality.”
Oregon Track Club Elite member Christian Smith also made the final, while teammate Matt Scherer finished fifth in his heat, one spot out of qualifying.
Kerron Clement won the first heat of the 400m hurdles semifinals with a time of 48.20. Bershawn Jackson followed with a 48.63 win in the second semifinal, leaving 2007 U.S. outdoor champion James Carter in a nonqualifying sixth. Carter ran with a strained hamstring in his left and lead leg.
“Me at my worst,” he said. “I’m gonna go home, get healthy and be world champion next year.”
The fastest track in America
Ato Bolden was on hand to see his record broken Saturday as an NBC analyst, and said he believes Hayward Field’s surface is the reason behind all the fast times.
“I came out here on Thursday and I said ‘You know, this is faster than the surface I ran on in 1996’ and everybody said ‘Oh, we don’t know, it’s not Mondo,’” he said, referring to the track surface that has been used at every Olympics since 1976. “It’s not automatic that Mondo means a fast track,” Bolden continued. “I mean 10.78 and 9.77, this might be the fastest track in America. I think it’s safe to say that.”
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