Page 16 - aruba-today-20240627

A16 SPORTS
Thursday 27 June 2024
Richardson back on track 200, McLaughlin-Levrone in 400 hurdles

as Olympic trials enter homestretch

By EDDIE PELLS and was look at the race that McLaughlin-Levrone.
PAT GRAHAM closed the curtain on the The sure thingAfter lower-
AP Sports Writers first half of the action at ing the world record to
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — Hayward Field. Another of 50.68 seconds at world
Sha'Carri Richardson and America's brightest stars, championships in 2022,
Noah Lyles are coming Athing Mu, went tumbling McLaughlin-Levrone ba-
back for Part II. Sydney on the first lap of the 800 sically took two years off
McLaughlin-Levrone and meters Monday night, de- from the 400 hurdles and
Gabby Thomas are joining nying her a chance at a left the track world won-
the show. repeat of her Olympic title. dering if she might move to
The second half of U.S. In the U.S., the top three fin- another event.
Olympic trials for track and ishers in each event make Not to be. She rededi-
field kick off Thursday, and the Olympics — provided cated herself to her main
the final four days at Hay- they have the Olympic event, and if she fails to
ward Field will feature the qualifying standard in their earn an Olympic spot —
full complement of Amer- Sha'Carri Richardson celebrates her win in the wins women's event — and there are no or fails to win Sunday's fi-
ica's biggest names in the 100-meter run final during the U.S. Track and Field Olympic free passes, even for the nal — it would be as big
sport. Team Trials Saturday, June 22, 2024, in Eugene, Ore. best at their craft. a surprise as any at this
Richardson and Lyles will Associated Press "This is my 12th Olympic meet. She knows there are
try to earn spots in the 200 400-meter hurdles, the specialty, the 200 meters, Games, my 47th national no sure things. "Always re-
meters to go along with the event where she holds the where she won an Olympic championship, and this spect your competitors,
titles they won in the 100 world record and is the bronze medal in Tokyo. is the hardest team in but know I can go out
over the first weekend. reigning Olympic cham- If any of them needed a the world to make," said there and continue to do
McLaughlin-Levrone looks pion. And Thomas tries refresher on what's really coach Bobby Kersee, who what I've been doing,"
to secure a spot in the to nail down a spot in her at stake, all they had to do works with both Mu and McLaughlin-Levrone said.
"So no anxiety. Just con-
tinuing to perform to the
best of my ability."
Fast companyThomas
knows she'll have her work
cut out to return to the
Olympics.
Among those the neurobi-
ology major from Harvard
is set to face are Richard-
son and Twanisha Terry,
the third-place finisher in
the 100. Also, there's McK-
enzie Long, the NCAA 100
and 200 champion from
Ole Miss who has the fast-
est time this season at 21.83
seconds.
Thomas sees this as yet
another indication of the
strength of the sport on
the women's side. It's why,
once the Olympics are
over, she's on board for an
all-women's track meet in
September.
"It's a big moment for
women's sports. I'm really
inspired by that," Thomas
recently said. "It's a big mo-
ment for women's track
and field, too. Soccer and
basketball, they're getting
so much love right now. But
track and field we have
such an amazing product,
especially the women —
we are crushing it. I think
we're fun to watch."
Final HurdleHurdler Grant
Holloway keeps his Olym-
pic silver medal from Tokyo
in a box. And while it does
serve as motivation, the
medal doesn't necessarily
fuel him.q