Cramp Fells Tyson Gay in 200m Trials

*Except that track, unlike any other sport, factors in the weather, columnist writes

(NEWSER) - Tyson Gay might have used the Olympic trials yesterday to cover 100 meters faster than any human in history, but he is not the world record-holder because track, unlike any other sport, attaches asterisks to records, Jim Caple writes on ESPN.com. Strong tailwinds propelled Gay to victory, but his breathtaking time of 9.68 seconds would have been 9.86 without the wind. More»

Hand-off gaffes disqualify both men and women

(NEWSER) - US track and field was hit by two nearly identical disasters today, when both the men’s and women’s teams flubbed the last handoff of the preliminary 400-meter relay, the Los Angeles Times reports. A wet, slippery night in the Bird’s Nest proved tough for the relay squads, with the British men’s team also blowing an exchange. More»

Liu had been one of China's favorite storylines

(NEWSER) - Chinese hurdler Liu Xiang, whose rock-star status had made him his nation's favorite Olympic storyline, dropped out of his first race today after just two painful steps, the Washington Post reports. Liu had recovered from a hamstring injury since pulling out of a May 31 meet in New York, but an Achilles tendon injury reemerged last week, and his sudden departure devastated the Chinese. More»

Few household names are present for Oregon trials

(NEWSER) - Before US track and field athletes can book their tickets to Beijing, they must prove themselves at the Olympic Trials in Oregon, which get under way today. With the field this year largely devoid of big names and the sport still shrouded in shame over doping scandals, the New York Sun takes a look at the likely stars and possible dark horses of a new generation. More»

(AP) - The US men's and women's teams swept the 1600-meter relays today, ending a string of frustrations for the Americans that included dropped batons in two earlier races. For the women, Sanya Richards anchored her team in a come-from-behind victory over Russia in 3:18.54, the world's fastest time since 1993. On the men's side, Jeremy Wariner crossed the line 12 strides ahead of Christopher Brown of the Bahamas, finishing in 2:55.39 to break the Olympic record by 0.35 second. More»