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Armstrong gets his Olympic medal; Jamaican women drop baton in 4x100
 Aaron Armstrong, one of the oldest former Cougars at the 2008 Olympics, finally got his medal Friday as a member of 4x100m relay team for Trinidad & Tobago. Armstrong ran for the Cougars in 1999 and had seen former Barton teammate Bernard Williams earn an Olympic medal in 2004. This year it was the 31-year old Armstrong’s turn as Trinidad took the silver medal in the 4x100m relay behind a world record effort from Jamaica. Armstrong did not run in the finals for Trinidad but did run in the opening round to send the team to the finals and will receive a medal. He had run in the 200m earlier in the Olympics, making it to the quarterfinals. The Jamaican women weren’t as fortunate with former Cougar Veronica Campbell-Brown anchoring things as the 2nd exchange dropped the baton and the team did medal. Jamaica was the defending 4x100m Olympic Gold medal winner.
4x100m Relay (M) – Aaron Armstrong
The medal chances for Trinidad & Tobago increased tremendously in the opening round as the United States dropped the baton and defending Olympic Champion Great Britain was disqualified. Trinidad, running in that same heat nearly botched the final exchange as well when Armstrong had to grab hold of Richard Thompson’s forearm to ensure the handoff on the way winning the heat.
In the finals Trinidad ran 2nd to a world record time of 37.10 turned in by Jamaica as Usain Bolt continued his tremendous Olympics with his 3rd world record as part of the relay team. Trinidad finished 2nd in a time of 38.06. Japan was 3rd in 38.15. Armstrong now becomes the 2nd member of the 1999 Barton track team with Olympic Medals. Walter Davis, a freshman on the 1999 team, has been to a pair of Olympics but come up short of gold in the triple jump. A member of the 1998 team – Derrick Brew – has 2 Olympic medals.
4x100m Relay (W) – Veronica Campbell-Brown (Aleen Bailey, Simone Facey)
The fate of the baton making it around the track that cost former Cougar Tyson Gay and the US Men’s team Thursday cost Campbell Friday. Campbell was set to run the anchor leg of the 4x100m relay when the 2nd exchange didn’t make it through. Sherone Simpson’s pass to Kerron Stewart on the 2nd to 3rd leg wasn’t completed and the team was disqualified, leading the field at the time.
During the opening round former Cougar Aleen Bailey ran the 3rd leg of the relay with Campbell anchoring. That was the same finish as the 2004 Olympics when the Jamaican team won the gold medal. Campbell was in pursuit of her 4th Olympic Gold medal all-time and her 2nd of the 2008 Games. She will leave Beijing with the one gold in the 200m. She now has 3 gold (04 and 08 200m; 04 4x100m), 1 silver (2000 4x100m) and 1 bronze medal (04 100m) in her trophy case.
Still to compete
Barton athletes have completed the 2008 Olympics.
For full coverage of the 2008 Olympic Track and Field events, go to http://www.iaaf.org/OLY08/index.html
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