|
Campbell wins 200m gold again; Sands takes bronze in triple jump
 Make it two straight gold medals in the Olympic 200m for Veronica Campbell-Brown. The former Barton Community College track standout ran the best 200m of her career in winning the 2008 Beijing Olympics gold medal after capturing gold in the same event in the 2004 Olympics in Athens. Campbell becomes the 2nd female to win back-to-back 200m in Olympic competition, matching the feat of Barbel Eckert of East Germany in 1976 and 1980. Leevan Sands earned his 1st Olympic medal with a bronze effort in the men’s triple jump. Tyson Gay saw his Olympics end without a medal when the men’s US 4x100m relay team dropped the baton on the final exchange. Aaron Armstrong, running as part of the Trinidad & Tobago 4x100m relay team, won that heat to advance to the finals. The Jamaican women’s 4x100m relay team with former Cougars Campbell and Aleen Bailey running, also moved into the finals.
200m (W) – Veronica Campbell-Brown
Campbell jumped out early in the race and never let off the pedal, running a career-best 21.74. She had the 2nd quickest reaction time out of the blocks and led the entire way. By the time the runners reached the straight away, Campbell was the clear leader in the race. Allyson Felix of the US came in 2nd in 21.93 with Kerron Stewart, Campbell’s teammate from Jamaica, taking 3rd in 22.00. The top 6 spots belonged to 3 United States’ runners and three Jamaican runners.
Campbell and Eckert are the only two runner to win the 200m twice in Olympic competition. Florence Griffith-Joyner took silver in 1984 then set the Olympic and World Record of 21.34 that still stands today in winning gold in 1988. Campbell became the 1st former Cougar to win individual gold at the Olympics with her 22.05 winning effort in Athens. She is still the only former Cougar to own individual gold at the Olympics. She is also 1 of 4 former Cougars to have relay gold. This year’s time of 21.74 is the 2nd fastest winning time in Olympic history behind that mark of Griffith-Joyner.
Triple Jump (M) – Leevan Sands
 Sands set the national record for the Bahamas with his triple jump of 57-8 1/2 on his 3rd jump of the finals. Sands had jumps of 55-5 3/4 and 54-3 3/4 before busting the longest jump of his career on the 3rd attempt. That mark stood 2nd after the 1st 3 jumps to the 57-9 3/4 jumped by eventual silver medal winner Phillip Idowu of Great Britain. Portugal’s Nelson Evora bested both jumpers in the 4th round with his gold medal mark of 57-11 3/4. None of the 3 jumpers were able to better their marks in the final 2 rounds.
Sands joins former Barton teammate John Moffitt as medalist in jumping events at the Olympics. Moffitt won silver for the US in the long jump at the 2004 Olympics. The two were teammates at Barton in 2001 and 2002.
4x100m Relay (M) – Tyson Gay, Aaron Armstrong
 The United States team was set to earn a spot in the finals in an event they have won more than any other country. But for the 2nd straight Olympics, the US will not win gold. This time they won’t even run in the finals after a dropped baton handoff on the final exchange between Darvis Patton and Gay.
That increases the chances of Trinidad & Tobago of earning a medal in the event – it would the nation’s 1st in the 4x100m – with former Cougar Aaron Armstrong running the 3rd leg. Trinidad cruised to a win in the same heat after American’s dropped the baton, winning in 38.26 – the best time in either heat. Four teams were disqualified in the heat. Defending Olympic champion Great Britain was disqualified in the 2nd heat as well, also increases Trinidad’s chances for a medal. Jamaica will be the heavy favorite in the event with the track star of the 2008 Olympics Usain Bolt leading the way. Bolt did not run on the Jamaican team that won heat 2 in 38.31.
4x100m Relay (W) – Veronica Campbell-Brown, Aleen Bailey (Simone Facey)
Former Cougars made up half of the Jamaican women’s 4x100m relay in the opening heat that rolled to a win in the 2nd heat in 42.24 – best time of either heat. Aleen Bailey ran the 3rd leg and handed off to Campbell to anchor the win. That was the same final two runners in the 2004 Olympics when Jamaica won the gold medal. Former Cougar Simone Facey is part of the Jamaican Relay pool but did not run in the relay.
Still to compete
Friday, August 22
4x100m Relay - Women
Veronica Campbell, Aleen Bailey, Simone Facey (Jamaica)
Finals - 8:15 am CDT
4x100m Relay - Men
Aaron Armstrong (Trinidad &Tobago)
Finals - 9:10 am CDT
For full coverage of the 2008 Olympic Track and Field events, go to http://www.iaaf.org/OLY08/index.html
-30-
Check out Barton Track Online at www.bartonccc.edu/sports |
IAAF Tops List 