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University of Oklahoma Athletics
Blanton Finishes 26th at U.S. Olympic Trials
July 10, 2004 | Track and Field
NORMAN, Okla. -- Two months without competition proved to be too big a challenge for OU junior DaBryan Blanton Saturday at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Sacramento, Calif. Blanton, who has battled a hamstring injury since late April, finished 26th in the preliminary round and did not advance to the quarterfinals. Blanton, who had not run a race in competition since winning the Big 12 title in the 100 on May 1, ran a 10.44 and missed advancing to the next round by two spots and .03 seconds. The last qualifying time for the quarterfinal round was a 10.41.
Former Sooner Shomari Wilson finished 31st in the prelims with a 10.51.
“It was just too early for DaBryan to run, especially after two months without competition,” said Sooner sprint coach Shanon Atkinson. “That break from competition, coming back from the injury, really set him back.”
Blanton repeated as the Big 12 champion in the 100 on May 1, finishing the race with a 10.60. He had experienced tightness in his hamstring prior to the race and actually jogged through the final few meters of the final after experiencing pain in the hamstring near the end of the race. He had such a big lead at that point, though, that he still won the race. Blanton was forced to pull out of the 100 at the NCAA Midwest Regional at the end of May because the injury hadn't healed and that kept him from running in the 2004 NCAA Outdoor Championships in mid June.
The time today was the second slowest of the season for the Forney, Texas, sprinter following the 10.60 from the Big 12 meet. He had a legal time of 10.22 to win the Texas Relays in April and has a career best of 10.07 in the 100 from the 2003 NCAA Midwest Regional. That time proves what he can do when healthy as it set an American Junior National record. Two of his other six times from the 2004 outdoor season would have easily advanced him to the quarterfinals and his fastest time of the 2004 season, the 10.22, would have sent him to Sunday's semifinals.
Wilson, who ended his OU career in 1999, was a two-time All-American at OU, earning the honor in 1997 as a member of the 400 meter relay and in 1999 in the indoor 200. He also won the Big 12 title in the outdoor 200 in 1999.
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