Day by day Breakdown of the Trials

DAY 1, FRIDAY, JULY 9

Marion Jones won three events (100, 200 and long jump) at the 2000 Olympic Trials and plans to contest the same events in 2004. She took last year off to have a baby but remains the favorite if she’s anywhere near her old form. As the sun begins to set on the opening day of the 2004 Trials, Jones takes her mark for the first round of qualifying in the women’s 100-meter dash. She won’t lack for world-class challengers. Torri Edwards emerged in 2003 as a serious threat, winning a silver medal at the World Championships. Some of the best women athletes in the world get the Trials off to a fast start with the first four events of the heptathlon. Shelia Burrell, a bronze medalist at the 2001 World Championships, is the favorite. Qualifying in the men’s and women’s 400 hurdles is always entertaining, as are the opening rounds of the women’s 800 and 5,000 meters. The opening day of competition concludes under the lights with the men’s 10,000 final. The United States has made significant strides in this event, led by Abdi Abdirahman, Meb Keflezighi and Alan Culpepper. Keflizighi won this event in 2000, and Abdirahman finished fifth in the 2000 Olympics. By the 25th and final lap, the stadium will be rocking. In other words, don’t leave early.

DAY 2, SATURDAY, JULY 10

The world’s fastest men take the stage early on the second day for heats in the 100-meter dash. Tim Montgomery is the world record holder at 9.78 seconds. Maurice Greene is the defending Olympic champion. Both are looking to rebound from sub-par 2003 seasons. Justin Gatlin, Bernard Williams and John Capel, on the other hand, are getting faster each year and figure to be in peak form during an Olympic year. Greene’s Hornet Stadium record of 9.93 seconds could take an early fall. The men’s shot put final should be one of the highlights of the meet. In 2000, the top three finishers in the men’s shot all threw lifetime bests in the sixth and final round. Adam Nelson, the defending Trials champion and Olympic silver medalist, returns, as does John Godina, a three-time world outdoor champion. Christian Cantwell, the runner-up at last year’s NCAA meet in Sacramento, is capable of muscling past his elders. Marin Jones takes center stage in the women’s 100 final at 5:30 p.m.

DAY 3, SUNDAY, JULY 11

Six finals make this one of the Trials’ most compelling days. The men’s pole vault features the defending Olympic champion (Nick Hysong) and the defending Trials champion (Lawrence Johnson). Derek Miles, the former Bella Vista High School star who emerged during the 2000 Trials, should be in the mix. Four years after being criticized for not living up to the legacy of Jesse Owens, Carl Lewis and other great long jumpers, the U.S. men once again look like the class of the world. Dwight Phillips is the world champion. Savante Stringfellow and Miguel Pate are in the 28-foot range. The men’s and women’s finals in the 400 hurdles should be thrilling. Angelo Taylor is the reigning Olympic champion, and James Carter, another 2000 Olympian, is poised to improve on his fourth-place finish in Sydney. Sandra Glover defends her title in the women’s hurdles. As the hurdlers take their victory laps, the tension surrounding the men’s 100-meter final reaches the breaking point. On a lightning-fast track, with the right wind conditions, anything, including a world record, is possible.

DAY 4, MONDAY, JULY 12

For those who like their drama in two-minute bursts, Monday offers a double serving with the men’s and women’s finals in the 800 meters. Nicole Teter, an also-ran in 2000 who grew up in the rural town of Cottonwood north of Sacramento, is now one of the world’s best. Veteran Jearl Miles-Clark is the American record holder at 1:56.40. In the men’s 800, David Krummenacker is the 2003 world indoor champion. For years, the women’s discus was an afterthought in the United States, but the 2000 Trials changed all that. Sellout crowds cheered practice throws. Aretha Hill, Kris Kuehl and former UCLA teammates Seilala Sua and Suzy Powell are now among the world’s elite. The women’s high jump final looks to be a veteran affair with Tisha Waller, Amy Acuff and Gwen Wentlund. The evening concludes with the women’s 5,000 meters final. Keep an eye on former Stanford standout Lauren Fleshman.

DAYS 5 & 6, TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY, JULY 13-14 – NO COMPETITION

DAY 7, THURSDAY, JULY 15

Following a two-day respite to catch their breaths, fans and athletes return to Hornet Stadium for the start of the meet’s second half. Jones competes in the long jump, and she has world-record potential if she harnesses her speed. The final of the men’s 400-meter dash will give an indication as to whether the United States can continue its streak of five straight Olympic gold medals. Tyree Washington and Alvin Harrison are veterans who have shown flashes of brilliance, but it’s not uncommon for a young challenger to emerge out of nowhere in the Olympic year. The men’s 3,000-meter steeplechase features a trio of relative newcomers – Tim Broe, Anthony Famiglietti and Daniel Lincoln. Thursday’s menu also includes qualifying races in the men’s and women’s 1,500 meters.

DAY 8, FRIDAY, JULY 16

Tom Pappas inherits the tradition of U.S. decathlon champions that began with Jim Thorpe and continued through Dan O’Brien. Pappas has gained valuable experience since winning the 2000 Trials and finishing fourth in the Olympics. In 2003, he twice topped 8700 points and won the world title. Pappas should be leading at the end of Friday’s first five events. Not typically one of the strongest U.S. events, the men’s javelin spotlights a strong-armed exception: Breaux Greer, the fourth-place finisher at the 2001 World Championships. But all of this is a prelude to 45 minutes of distance-running nirvana – the finals of the men’s 5,000 and the women’s 10,000 meters. Adam Goucher won the 5,000 at the 2000 Olympic Trials but has battled injuries since. His successor could be a fellow Colorado alumnus, Jorge Torres. Deena Drossin is the American record holder in the women’s 10,000.

DAY 9, SATURDAY, JULY 17

The second day of the decathlon begins at 9 a.m. and concludes shortly after 5 p.m. In between, there will be three other finals and a whole lot of gearing up for Sunday’s climactic finale. Walter Davis was a junior-college kid when he finished third in the triple jump at the 2000 Trials; now he’s one of the world’s best. Suzy Favor Hamilton guns for her fourth Olympic berth in the women’s 1,500 final. The women’s 400 final features a great mix of veterans and newcomers. Miles-Clark might try to double back from the 800. If not, a couple of other veterans, Michelle Collins and Natasha Colander-Richardson, should be leading contenders. One of the most exciting newcomers in U.S. track is Sanya Richards. Richards set an American junior record on this same track last year in winning the NCAA title as a Texas freshman.

DAY 10, SUNDAY, JULY 18

The U.S. Olympic Trials invariably saves its best for last. In 1996, Michael Johnson shattered the world record in the 200 meters. In 2000, it was local favorite Stacy Dragila vaulting to a world record on the final day of competition at Hornet Stadium. Dragila has an opportunity to write the same storybook ending in 2004. But some other legends figure to have their say. Allen Johnson, the 1996 Olympic champion, shoots for an unprecedented third straight Trials victory in the 110-meter high hurdles. Gail Devers does the same in the women’s 100 hurdles, returning to the track where she set a U.S. record of 12.33 in winning the 2000 Trials. Defending champion Adam Setliff is the discus favorite, and a talented group of high jumpers take aim at the 16-year-old Olympic Trials record of 7-8½. The men’s 1,500 is always a crowd favorite. Michael Stember, the former Jesuit High School and Stanford standout, rode the crowd’s energy to a third-place finish in 2000. Then there’s the final two races of the meet – the men’s and women’s 200-meter dashes. In 2000, the highly anticipated showdown between Michael Johnson and Maurice Greene wound up being an injury-induced letdown, even though three sprinters broke 20 seconds. Greene is still around, as is the 2000 winner, John Capel. The United States has speed to burn in this event. Marion Jones must be considered the favorite in the women’s 200, but who knows how fast Allyson Felix will be by the time July rolls around? Felix shattered Jones’s high school and world junior records in 2003. At the end of the day, one’s thing’s for certain: The United States will send its usual powerhouse team to the Olympic Games in Athens, Greece.