Completed Event: Track and Field at Battle on the Bayou on April 3, 2026 ,
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Track and Field
at Battle on the Bayou
University of Oklahoma Athletics
OU Alumni Ready for Olympic Action
August 14, 2008 | Track and Field
Aug. 14, 2008
NORMAN, Okla. — Action from the 29th Olympiad in Beijing turns to the Bird's Nest and track and field this weekend as four University of Oklahoma alums will be a part of the field attempting to bring home Olympic glory. Michael Blackwood, Danny McFarlane and Aldwyn Sappleton will all compete for their native country of Jamaica while Laverne Jones-Ferrette runs under the Virgin Islands' flag.
McFarlane and Jones-Ferrette will be the first of the four athletes to compete on Friday beginning with McFarlane in the first round of the men's 400-meter hurdles at 8:55 a.m. CT. Jones-Ferrett will be in the blocks of the women's 100-meter dash later in the night at 9:50 p.m. Both will look to advance to Saturday action with the second round of the women's 100 at 6:45 a.m. and the semifinals of the men's 400 hurdles at 8:15 a.m.
The semifinals of the women's 100-meter dash are scheduled for Sunday at 6:45 a.m. with the finals at 9:25 a.m. The 400-meter hurdles final is slated for Monday at 9 a.m.
McFarlane is the reigning silver medalist in the men's 400-meter hurdles and enters this year's games as the No. 5 athlete in the world with a time of 48.39. USA's Kerron Clement is the world's top-ranked athlete in the event with a time of 47.79.
Jones-Ferrette, who ran in both the 100 and 200 in the 2004 Athens Games, enters the Beijing Games with a season-best time of 11.24. USA's Torri Edwards leads all competitors with a time of 10.78.
Blackwood begins his quest for an Olympic medal in the men's 400-meter dash on Sunday, competing in the first round at 8 p.m. Jones-Ferrette will also return to the track on Monday, in the first round of the women's 200-meter dash. Both events continue through Thursday with the finals of the men's 400 at 7:55 a.m. and the women's 200 at 8:10 a.m.
Jones-Ferrette enters the 200 with a season-best time of 22.62 while Jamaica's Veronica Campbell-Brown leads the field with a qualifying time of 21.94.
Blackwood, a member of Jamaica's 4x400-meter relay and eighth-place finisher in 2004, enters the Beijing Games with a time of 45.21. Americans are expected to finish 1-2 in the event as Jeremy Wariner (43.86) and LaShawn Merritt (44.00) have the world's two-fastest times.
Blackwood will return to action on the 4x400 on Friday, Aug. 22 at 7:10 a.m. The Jamaican relay took bronze in 2000 with Blackwood on the team, but did not finish the race in 2004, receiving a disqualification.
The fourth member of the OU contingent begins competition on Wednesday as Sappleton takes to the track in his first Olympic Games, competing in the men's 800-meter run. Sappleton's season-best time of 1:46.87 came on June 14. Abubaker Kaki of the Sudan leads the world with a time of 1:42.69.
Saturday, June 13
Friday, June 12
Thursday, June 11
Wednesday, June 10
