Track star Tyson Gay falls at Trials
The Associated Press captured the agony of Tyson Gay's injury, which may have halted his quest for Olympic gold less than a week after he ran the fastest time ever by a human being in the 100 meters. By Associated Press
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) -- Tyson Gay tumbled to the ground at the start of his 200-meter quarterfinal heat at the U.S. Olympic track and field trials Saturday and had to be carted off the track. Gay's agent, Mark Wetmore, said Gay suffered a sever cramp in his left hamstring but suffered no damage beyond the cramp. Gay is back at his hotel, resting with his physiotherapist. Wetmore said Gay felt some tightness in his hamstring while warming up. Running in the seventh lane, Gay was speeding to the lead in the first turn, but on his 14th stride, something went wrong. He went airborne, fell, then laid on the ground in pain, grabbing his left thigh and grimacing. Gay already had qualified for the Olympics in the 100 meters, but his availability for the games now will be determined by the severity of his injury. Though he's the defending world champion in the 200, trials rules call for the top three finishers to make the Olympic team — no exceptions.
Damein White, running in the lane next to Gay, said he saw Gay pull up and thought he saw something fly his way. "I tried to keep going off the curve," White said. "It kind of threw me off. He just pulled something. He'll be right back. Next year, we've got worlds. You'll see him there." More urgently, however, are the Olympics. Qualifying for the 100-meter dash starts Aug. 15, and Gay was one of the favorites along with world-record holder Usain Bolt and Asafa Powell, both of Jamaica.
The injury will open up another spot in the 200, where Gay, Wallace Spearmon, Xavier Carter, Shawn Crawford and Walter Dix were considered among the top runners going for only three spots. "It doesn't really change things on my part," Carter said. "Tyson's a great runner. He's No. 1. Everybody was shooting for him. I'm not going to change anything because he got hurt. I've got to continue doing what I was doing as if he wasn't hurt." Indeed, the 200 semifinals were set for later Saturday afternoon, and they would go on without Gay. If the injury is serious, it would be a blow for track, at least on the American scene. He was considered one of the fresh, young faces of a sport that has endured unrelenting doping problems over the past several years. Many were hoping to turn the page this season, and they were hoping Gay, a bit shy, but successful, would be a big part of that. "He's a champion," said Rodney Martin, who won the heat after Gay fell. "He'll recover. He'll recover." Gay returned to the track Friday for the first time since his wind-aided 9.68-second win in the 100 last weekend. He eased to a win in the 200 Friday. He practically jogged to the finish, looking around him for anyone who might be closing in. Nobody was. He finished in 20.43 and there was no scare, the way there was in his first 100 heat, when he pulled up early, misjudging the finish line before finishing strong to save face, and the race. "It feels good," Gay said. "I just needed that first run to get rid of the cobwebs. It felt pretty good and relaxing. That's about the time I wanted to run." He was injured during the quarterfinals ahead of Saturday's semifinals at 2:29 p.m. and the finals at 4:25 p.m. Sunday. (Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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Members of the U.S. track team are expected to leave for the games about 10 to 14 days before their event starts. Gay also was committed for a meet in London on July 25 and was considering running in a couple more events in Europe before the Olympics.
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