Blanton Set for U.S. Olympic Trials

NORMAN, Okla. -- DaBryan Blanton, who missed the 2004 NCAA Outdoor Championship meet with an injury, is ready to start his trip to Athens on Saturday. He is scheduled to run in the third heat of the preliminaries of the 100 at 3 p.m. Pacific time at the Alex G. Spanos Stadium on the campus of Cal State-Sacramento.

Blanton, whose career best in the 100 is a 10.07, is set to run in lane eight in the prelim heat and two of the higher ranked runners in the field are also in his heat. The top four in each of four heats plus the next eight times will advance to the quarterfinals, scheduled for 5:22 p.m. Saturday. The semifinals are set for Sunday at 2:30 p.m. with the final scheduled for 4:48 p.m.

USA Track and Field will take three runners in the 100 meter dash to the Olympic Games in Athens in August. An additional three runners from the 100 could be added to run the 400 meter relay.

Blanton hasn't run in competition since May 1 when he defended his Big 12 title in the 100. He pulled up just before the finish line but still won the race because of the lead he had at that time. He was entered in the 100 at the NCAA Regional in late May but was forced to pull out before the race began because the injury hadn't healed. Since he didn't compete in the NCAA Regional, he wasn't eligible to participate in the NCAA Championships in June.

Blanton's career best time was posted in May 2003 when he set a Junior National record in the 100 with a 10.07 at the NCAA Midwest Regional meet. His best legal (non-wind aided) time in 2004 was a 10.22 and he posted that at the Texas Relays in April.

In an ironic twist, the track Blanton will compete on this weekend in the Trials is the same one that he ran on last year at the NCAA Championships. Blanton was favored in the 100 heading into the final after posting the top qualifying time. A false start in the final sent him to the sideline under the NCAA's one false start rule.

Shomari Wilson, who competed at OU and earned All-America honors during his Sooner career, also is entered in the meet in the 100. Wilson will start the meet from lane two in the same heat that Blanton is entered in. Wilson ended his Sooner career in 1999 and 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.

Meanwhile, OU's Jessica Eldridge, who is in Italy getting ready to compete in the IAAF World Junior Championships. finished fifth in the 800 at a pre-meet in Italy Thursday. Eldridge, who will compete in the meet in the 1500, ran a 2:10.92 in the 800 in an event that was held in the same facility she will compete in during the world meet. Eldridge is scheduled to run in the 1500 prelim on Friday, July 16. The final in the 1500 is set for Sunday, July 18.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

Related News

Related Videos

Sponsors