The 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials conclude Sunday, the only day to feature solely finals. The last day includes high-profile races such as the men’s and women’s 1,500 meters and the men’s 200-meter dash. By the end of competition, the still-unsolved mystery of the third spot on the women’s 100-meter dash team will be resolved either by a coin flip or a run-off between Allyson Felix and Jeneba Tarmoh. Also scheduled for Sunday are the finals of the men’s and women’s 400-meter hurdles, as well as the women’s long jump. Here are a few storylines to watch for on the final day of competition.
2:45 p.m., women’s javelin
In the first final of the afternoon session, Gresham High School’s Haley Crouser, 17, will be one of 12 women competing in the javelin finals. In the preliminary rounds on Friday, Kara Patterson threw better than 60 meters on her only attempt of the day. The 60.49 meter throw was just under the Olympic “A” standard of 61 meters but was the farthest throw of the day.
4:23 p.m., women’s 1,500 meters
The women’s 1,500 meter final will offer a rematch for Morgan Uceny, Jenny Simpson, Margaret Infield, Anna Pierce and Nicole Schappert, who finished first through fifth respectively in their semifinal heat with less than a second separating Uceny from Schappert. Oregon’s Jordan Hasay, four years removed from setting a national high school record in the 2008 Olympic Trials finished eleventh in her semifinal and did not advance to the final round.
In the men’s 1,500 meters, a trio of Hayward Field-based runners, Oregon’s Matthew Centrowitz and OTC Elite’s Jordan McNamara and Oregon alum Andrew Wheating will be gunning for an Oregon sweep after making an informal bet with Oregon coach Vin Lannana. If they pull it off, Lannana has agreed to shave his trademark beard.
Centrowitz won his semifinal heat in 3:41.90, finishing just five thousandths of a second ahead of fellow Nike runner Leonel Manzano. McNamara finished in seventh in the same race, grabbing the final time qualifier position for the final. William Leer won his semifinal heat in 3:51.27, just ahead of Wheating who placed second in the much-slower first heat in 3:51.40.
4:50 p.m., men’s 200-meter dash
The final day concludes with the finals of the men’s 200-meter dash. Maurice Mitchell and Isiah Young finished 1-2 in their semifinal heat, separated by just two hundredths of a second. Darvis Patton advances as one of two time qualifiers after he finished third in Mitchell and Young’s heat, with Wallace Spearmon, Calesio Newman and Jeremy Dodson rounding out the field.
Women’s 100-meter run-off/coin flip
If women’s 200-meter champion Felix does not voluntarily give up her spot on the 100 meter team then either a run-off or a coin flip will need to be conducted at some point on Sunday to break the third-place tie between Felix and Tarmoh.