EUGENE, ORE. ? Bershawn “Batman” Jackson, who has won the last four Kansas Relays 400 hurdles titles, now is an Olympian in the event.
Jackson, a 24-year-old Miami native who placed fourth in his specialty at the 2004 Olympic Trials, won Sunday in 48.17.
Kerron Clement, the 2007 world champion, finished second (48.36), while 2000 Olympic gold medalist Angelo Taylor was third (48.42).
“My main thing was to make the team,” Jackson said. “I was very nervous. If I didn’t make the team, I think I would have given up track and field, I was feeling so much pressure.”
On the prospect of the U.S. 400 hurdles team sweeping in Beijing: “Amazing awaits, that’s the whole theme of the Olympics. We’re definitely going to sweep, but who comes in first, that’s anybody’s guess,” Jackson said.
Tyson Gay won the 100 in a world-record 9.68 seconds. However, his time doesn’t count, because it was wind-aided.
“It means a lot to me,” the 25-year-old Gay said. “I’m glad my body could do it, because now I know I have it in me.”
The previous fastest time under any conditions was 9.69, run in 1996 by Obadele Thompson. Gay’s race came with the wind blowing at 4.1 meters per second; anything above 2.0 is not allowed for record purposes.
Walter Dix, the 2007 NCAA champion from Florida State, overtook Darvis Patton in the final 20 meters for second place. Dix clocked 9.80 and Patton 9.84, as each of the first six finalists turned in times under 10 seconds.
The official world record is 9.72 seconds, set by Jamaica’s Usain Bolt on May 31 in New York – with Gay a distant second.
Long jumper Dwight Phillips, the 2004 Olympic gold medalist finished fourth by less than an inch. Only the top three finishers in each event earn the right to go to the Olympics, and so Trevell Quinley, Brian Johnson and Miguel Pate will be on the team instead.
In the women’s 400 hurdles, Tiffany Ross-Williams, Queen Harrison and Sheena Tosta qualified. In the women’s discus, Aretha Thurmond repeated her trials victory from 2004 by throwing 213 feet, 11 inches, and she’ll be joined in Beijing by Suzy Powell-Roos, who’s on her third Olympic team, and Stephanie Brown Trafton. Derek Miles won the pole vault in 19 feet, 0-1â4 inches, and 40-year-old Jeff Hartwig and U.S. record-holder Brad Walker also qualified.