(Newser)
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A US Olympic runner who said she felt "in her heart of hearts" that she belonged on the 100-meter team has withdrawn rather than race again, ABC News reports. Jeneba Tarmoh tied fellow American Allyson Felix in a 100-meter dash on June 23, but a day later, with only hours before a scheduled runoff, Tarmoh bowed out. “I understand that with this decision I am no longer running the 100-meter dash in the Olympic Games," Tarmoh said through her agent.
Tarmoh had agreed to the runoff reluctantly, saying she felt "robbed" of her rightful Olympic berth. In the June 23 race, a timer ruled Tarmoh the winner by a millisecond and she ran a victory lap with a medal—before officials changed the result. “In my heart of hearts, I just feel like I earned the third spot,” she said. Now, Felix and USA Track & Field are both expressing disappointment in Tarmoh's decision. At least she still gets to compete in the 400-meter relay.
