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Current, Former Rebels To Vie For U.S. Olympic Team Spots
OXFORD, Miss. – Eight
current and former Ole Miss Rebels will be among the top American track
and field athletes to congregate in Eugene, Ore., over the next 11 days
for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials.
Returning to one
of the most hallowed sites in the sport, the trials will be held at
Hayward Field, site of the '72, '76, '80 and '08 Olympic Trials. The
country's most prestigious pre-Olympic event, the Olympic Trials is
where the roster for Team USA will be selected for the 2012 Olympic
Games in London. Competition runs Thursday, June 21 – Sunday, July 1.
Current
Rebels who will be competing for a spot on Team USA are senior Carson
Blanks (400-meter hurdles), juniors Mike Granger (100 meters), Ricky
Robertson (high jump) and Isiah Young (100 and 200 meters) and freshman
Sam Kendricks (pole vault).
Highlighting the
former Rebels who will be at the trials is four-time world long jump
champion Brittney Reese, a 2008 Olympian who is the favorite to win
gold in 2012. Other former Rebels in Eugene will include Antwon Hicks
(110-meter hurdles) and Lee Moore (400-meter hurdles).
Among
current Rebels, Blanks, Granger and Robertson have all competed at the
USA Championships in previous years, while Young and Kendricks will
make their first appearance. Robertson was fourth in the high jump last
year, just barely missing a chance to represent his country at the
World Championships.
Reese has been the world’s
premier women’s long jumper for the past four years, capturing four
straight world titles (2009 and 2011 outdoor, 2010 and 2012 indoor) and
taking gold at the USA Outdoor Championships in each of the last four
years. She is the American record holder in the indoor long jump. Only
Jackie Joyner-Kersee and Marion Jones have jumped farther in American
history outdoors.
Granger and Young will be the
first Rebels in action this Saturday, June 23, in the 100 meter
qualifying (6 p.m. CT). Robertson will take part in high jump
qualifying at 6:20 p.m. on Saturday. A full list of qualifying rounds
and potential semifinal and final rounds with Rebel athletes is below.
The
largest national championship track meet in the world, the U.S. Olympic
Trials hosts more than 1,000 athletes as they compete for the right to
represent Team USA at the Olympic Games. With the country’s dominance
in the track and field over the years, there are some events in which
the U.S. Trials can be even more competitive than the Olympic Games
themselves.
The meet will be broadcast live on NBC
on Saturday, June 23 (7-8 p.m. CT), Sunday, June 24 (6-7 p.m. CT),
Saturday, June 30 (8-9 p.m. CT) and Sunday, July 1 (6-7 p.m. CT). Other
days will be shown on the NBC Sports Network (June 22, 25, 28, 29).
Ole Miss Athletes At U.S. Olympic Team Trials
Sat, 6/23 – Men’s 100m Qualifying – 6:00 p.m. (Granger, Young)
Sat, 6/23 – Men’s High Jump Qualifying – 6:20 p.m. (Robertson)
Sun, 6/24 – Men’s 100m Semi – 4:30 p.m.
Sun, 6/24 – Men’s 100m Final – 6:48 p.m.
Mon, 6/25 – Men’s Pole Vault Qualifying – 7:30 p.m. (Kendricks)
Mon, 6/25 – Men’s High Jump Final – 7:50 p.m.
Thu, 6/28 – Men’s Pole Vault Final – 7:05 p.m.
Thu, 6/28 – Men’s 400mH Qualifying – 8:00 p.m. (Blanks, Moore)
Fri, 6/29 – Men’s 200m Qualifying – 3:45 p.m. (Young)
Fri, 6/29 – Women’s Long Jump Qualifying – 5:30 p.m. (Reese)
Fri, 6/29 – Men’s 400mH Semi – 5:35 p.m.
Fri, 6/29 – Men’s 110mH Qualifying – 6:05 p.m. (Hicks)
Sat, 6/30 – Men’s 110mH Semi – 6:20 p.m.
Sat, 6/30 – Men’s 200m Semi – 8:00 p.m.
Sat, 6/30 – Men’s 110mH Final – 8:40 p.m.
Sun, 7/1 – Women’s Long Jump Final – 5:00 p.m.
Sun, 7/1 – Men’s 400mH Final – 6:12 p.m.
Sun, 7/1 – Men’s 200m Final – 6:50 p.m.
(All times Central)
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