July 6, 2008
EUGENE, Ore. – Terrence Trammell will get his third shot at Liu Xiang of China at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing after Trammell earned his third consecutive berth to the Olympic Games in the 110-meter hurdles. Trammell, the reigning U.S. champion in the event, ran a 13.00 to place second at the U.S. Olympic Trials at Hayward Field to become the latest South Carolina Gamecock to punch his ticket to Beijing.
Trammell, who earned the silver medal in Sydney (2000) and in Athens (2004), is searching for his first gold medal at the Olympic Games. In August, he will travel to the home country of Xiang who bested Trammell for gold in Athens and at the World Championships in Osaka last year.
“I like that,” Trammell said of the “home advantage” Xiang will have in Beijing. “First I just want to thank God for allowing me to make my third Olympic team. Going to Beijing will be great. I feed off the electricity, so I’ll act like they’re cheering for me instead of cheering for him.”
Two Gamecock sprinters also competed on the last day of competition at the U.S. Olympic Trials Sunday to round out the South Carolina effort at the 10-day long competition held at the University of Oregon’s historic track.
Rodney Martin finished fourth in the 200-meter dash at 19.99 after being edged out at the line by Wallace Spearmon for the final individual spot to Beijing. Martin will travel as a pool candidate for the 4×100-meter relay after placing fifth in the 100-meter dash finals earlier in the week. Walter Dix and Shawn Crawford both ran wind-aided 19.86’s for the fastest times run at Hayward Field in all conditions, besting the 19.87 ran by Lorenzo Daniel in 1988. Dix, Crawford and Spearmon will represent the U.S. in the event after placing one, two and three.
Shalonda Solomon ran a 22.36 in a close 200-meter dash final to place seventh overall. Solomon enjoyed a strong week of competition at the U.S. Trials, competing in the 100- and 200-meter dashes in her first season as a professional. She ran the fastest times in the qualifying and quarterfinal rounds of the 200-meter dash Friday and Saturday.
