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Barton to be represented by 11 current or former track and field stars
 The 2008 Olympics in Beijing are underway but the for 11 current or former Barton Community College track stars, their Olympics don’t get started until Friday when the track and field portion of the Olympiad begins. Barton will have 2 current members of the track team in Beijing and 9 former members. Of those 11, 9 will participate in individual events while 2 will be in a relay pool. The two current members of the Barton track team are Tabarie Henry and Ryan Brathwaite. Henry will run the 400m for the US Virgin Island while Brathwaite will compete in the 110m high hurdles for Barbados. Headlining the former Barton contingent will be Tyson Gay, who is among the favorites to medal in the men’s 100m and Veronica Campbell, the defending gold medal winner in the 200m for the women. Hyleas Fountain will take the best mark in the world into the Heptahlon.
Tyson Gay (USA) – 100m, 4x100m relay
Gay’s was the favorite in the United States to win both the 100m and 200m at the US Trials but pulled a muscle in the 200m and was not able to qualify, so he will just run in the 100m and probably anchor the US men’s 4x100m relay. The men’s 100m will begin on the opening day of the track and field portion of the Olympics. Gay will run in one of the 1st events in the Track and Field Friday morning in Beijing with the opening round of the 100m. That will actually be Thursday night in the United States. He runs at 8:45 pm CDT (9:45 am in Beijing). The quarterfinals will also be run the same day, starting at 6:45 am CDT (7:45 pm in Beijing). The semifinals and finals will be run Saturday. Gay won the 100m and 200m at the 2007 World Championships and has the 3rd fastest time in the world this year at 9.77. Only Usain Bolt – world record 9.72 as well as a 9.76 – has run faster. It will be the 1st Olympics for Gay.
 Hyleas Fountain (USA) – Heptathlon
Fountain will in fact be part of the 1st track and field event when she lines up to run the 100m hurdles in the women’s heptathlon at 8 pm CDT Thursday (9 am Friday in Beijing). The 1st day of competition in the Heptathlon will feature the 100m hurdles, high jump, shot put and 200m. The 2nd day will conclude the 7-event heptathlon with the long jump, javelin, and 800m. She rolled to a win at the US Trials scoring 6667 points, which is the best mark in the world this year. It will be the 1st Olympics for Fountain.
Veronica Campbell-Brown (Jamaica) – 200m, 4x100m relay
Campbell is the defending gold medal winner in the 200m and also took 3rd at the 2004 Olympics in Greece. But she finished 4th at the Jamaican Trials in the 100m and will not run in that event at the Olympics. Campbell has run the 2 fastest times in the world this year in the 200m, running a 21.94 during her country’s trials. Her Jamaican teammates as well as the US runners have combined to post 10 best marks. Only 6 of those 10 marks will be allowed to run with 3 representing Jamaica and 3 the US. The 200m will begin on day 5 with the 1st round starting at 9:40 pm Monday CDT (10:40 am Tuesday in Beijing). The quarterfinals will take place at 6 am Tuesday CDT (7 pm in Beijing). The semifinals will be at 8:55 am CDT Wednesday (9:55 pm in Beijing) with the finals running at 6:30 am CDT Thursday (7:30 pm in Beijing). During the 04 Olympics, Campbell ran a 22.05 to capture gold. It will be Campbell’s 3rd Olympics.
Mardrea Hyman (Jamaica) – 3000m steeplechase
Hyman will also run in an individual event for the Jamaican women, competing in the 3000m steeplechase. The steeplechase will also be part of the 1st day’s competition with the women running at 7:25 am CDT (8:25 pm in Beijing on Friday). The finals of that event will take place on day 3 – Sunday – at 8:30 am CDT (9:30 pm in Beijing). Hyman’s best time this year is 9:41.68 – a time that she will probably have to improve on to make the finals of the event. It will be Hyman’s 2nd Olympics. She competed in the 1500m at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia. Hyman finished 14th at the 2007 World Championships in the 3000m steeplechase.
Aleen Bailey (Jamaica) – relay pool
Bailey will not run an individual event but will be part of the Jamaican 4x100m women’s relay pool in Beijing. She made the finals of both the 100m and 200m at the 2004 Olympics.
Simone Facey (Jamaica) – relay pool
Facey will not run an individual event but will be part of the Jamaican 4x100m women’s relay pool in Beijing.
 Tabarie Henry (US Virgin Islands) – 400m
Henry will be a sophomore at Barton this fall and will be competing in his 1st Olympiad. Henry already holds the national record in the Virgin Islands in the 400m with a 45.37 he ran this past July. Henry will probably need to break the 45.0 mark to compete for a spot in the finals. He will open his 1st Olympics on day 4 of track and field. The 1st round of the 400m is set for 8 pm Sunday night CDT (9 am Monday in Beijing). The semifinals of the event will take place at 8:45 am Tuesday CDT (9:45 pm in Beijing). The finals are set for Thursday at 8:20 am CDT (9:20 pm in Beijing).
Laverne Jones-Ferrette (US Virgin Islands) – 100m, 200m, 4x100m relay
Jones will run 3 events at the Olympics competing in the 100m and 200m as well as the 4x100m relay team for the US Virgin Islands. She will start with the 100m on day 2, running at 9:50 pm Friday CDT (10:50 am Saturday in Beijing). The quarterfinals of the event will take place later in the day, starting at 7:35 am Saturday CDT (8:35 pm in Beijing). The semifinals are set for 6:45 am Sunday CDT (7:45 pm in Beijing). The finals will also be Sunday, running at 9:25 am CDT (10:25 pm in Beijing). The 200m will begin on day 5 with the 1st round starting at 9:40 pm Monday CDT (10:40 am Tuesday in Beijing). The quarterfinals will take place at 6 am Tuesday CDT (7 pm in Beijing). The semifinals will be at 8:55 am CDT Wednesday (9:55 pm in Beijing) with the finals running at 6:30 am CDT Thursday (7:30 pm in Beijing). Jones has run a bet of 11.24 this year in the 100m and a 22.62 in the 200m. The 100m time places her with a good shot at the semifinals while the 200m time has her near the Top 10 among those in Beijing. Jones ran in the 04 Olympics, making it to the quarterfinals in both events.
 Leevan Sands (Bahamas) – triple jump
Sands will compete in his 2nd Olympics, unable to get out of the qualifying round in 2004 in Greece. This year he has the 13th best jump in the world with his leap of 56-8 3/4 and will be shooting for a spot in the finals. The qualifying round for the triple jump will be on day 4 with Sands jumping at 9 pm Sunday CDT (10 am Monday in Beijing). The finals are slated for day 7 at 7:20 am CDT Thursday (8:20 pm in Beijing). He finished 4th at the 2005 World Championships in the triple jump.
Ryan Brathwaite (Barbados) – 110m hurdles
Brathwaite – a sophomore to be at Barton as well this fall – will be in his 1st Olympics as well. Brathwaite will take over where another former Cougar left off as a 110m hurdler from Barbados. At the 04 Olympics, Jones made the quarterfinals of the event, running a 13.85. In the 1st round that year Jones ran his career best mark of 13.56. That is a mark Brathwaite has already eclipsed with his 13.50 he ran this past July. Last summer he made the semifinals of the 2007 World Championships. Brathwaite will open his Olympics on day 4 of the track and field portion of the portion of the Olympics with the opening round at 10:10 pm CDT Sunday (11:10 am Monday in Beijing). The quarterfinals are set for the next day at 7:45 am CDT Tuesday (8:45 pm in Beijing). Semifinal rounds will be Wednesday at 8:30 am CDT (9:30 pm in Beijing) and the final are slated for Thursday at 8:45 am CDT (9:45 pm in Beijing).
Aaron Armstrong (Trinidad & Tobago) – 200m, 4x100m relay
Armstrong will be in his 1st Olympics as well, earning a spot in 200m as well as the 4x100m relay for Trinidad & Tobago. Armstrong has a season best of 20.48 in the event. His career best dates back to his days at Barton when he ran a 20.08 in 1999. The 200m will have the 1st 2 rounds on day 4 with the 1st round running at 9:05 pm CDT Sunday (10:05 am Monday in Beijing) and the quarterfinals at 7:05 am CDT Monday (8:05 pm in Beijing). The semifinals will be run Tuesday at 8:25 am CDT (9:25 pm in Beijing) and the finals are slated for Wednesday at 9:20 am (10:20 pm in Beijing).
For full coverage of the 2008 Olympic Track and Field events, go to http://www.iaaf.org/OLY08/index.html
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