U.S. Olympic trials 800m yields surprises, screams of heartbreak
Alysia Montano stumbles in her race to miss return trip
Less than two years ago, Boris Berian was flipping burgers at a fast-food restaurant. In less than two months, he'll be running at the Olympics.
Berian finished second in the 800-metre final behind Clayton Murphy to secure his spot in Rio.
It's been a long journey for the 23-year-old from Colorado Springs, Colo. Last month, he didn't even know if he'd compete here because of a lawsuit filed by his former sponsor, Nike, over what kind of gear he wears. Nike dropped the lawsuit and Berian made it.
Alysia Montano had no such luck. The runner who was cheated out of a medal by dopers at the last Olympics got tripped up on the second lap of the women's 800 final and did not finish.
"It doesn't really settle in in that moment where you're thinking, 'This is it,"' Montano said about the moment when she hooked shoes with Brenda Martinez, who had made contact with the leader and eventual runner-up, Ajee Wilson. "And then, you get up and they're really far away. Your heart breaks."
Montano did get up. She jogged a bit, then stopped, fell to her knees and began to wail as she kicked her foot to the ground in disgust. She got up again and ran to the finish line, then collapsed to her knees, put her head on the ground, looked skyward, clutched her right hand to her heart and let out a primal wail.
Officials reviewed the tape and deemed the smash-up a result of incidental contact. They did not disqualify anyone. Asked if she would protest, Montano replied: "What good would that do me?"
Poster child for athletes robbed of medals
The woman who showed her devotion to the sport by running on this track two years ago while eight months pregnant made herself the poster child for all athletes who've been robbed over the past several years by what investigators say is a state-sponsored Russian system that encourages doping among its athletes.
She finished fourth or fifth at 2011 and 2013 world championships, and at the London Olympics, behind Russians who were later found to have cheated. She may get those medals someday.
She will not get one this year and the fact that the sport's governing body, the IAAF, has called for the Russian track team to be banned from the Rio Games comes as small consolation for her.
"Eight years of my life as a professional runner, and my entire professional career has been a farce, basically," the 30-year-old said.
"Now, people are saying Russians aren't running in the Olympics, but they're missing the whole point. The IAAF is a corrupt institution and it's still running the games."
Kate Grace, Wilson and Chrishuna Williams made the 800 team for the women; Clayton Murphy and Charles Jock join Berian on the men's side.
Sam Kendricks won the pole vault to make his first Olympics, four years after coming to trials, but getting bumped off the start list at the last minute by higher qualifiers.
Lucky 11th
They don't give any medals for 11th place. Javelin thrower Sean Furey didn't care. In his case, 11th was good enough to make the Olympics. Because Furey was one of only three throwers who had reached the Olympic qualifying standard, he earned a spot on the team. So did fourth-place finisher Sam Crouser and, yes, the winner, Cyrus Hostetler.
Broken Dreams
Joey Uhle's chances for an Olympic spot all but ended when his pole broke on his first attempt. The pole smacked him on the kneecap and, though he lined up to jump again, he wasn't quite the same. "It messes with your mind a bit, throws you off your balance," he said.
Rupp, Romp
Galen Rupp, Bernard Lagat and Lopez Lomong all made it through qualifying at 5,000 metres. If Rupp qualifies at 5,000, he'll have to decide between that distance and the marathon. He's already qualified for the 10,000 and plans on competing in that event.