Bleacher Report - Summer Olympics

Oregon Track and Field: How About a Women's Triple Crown...and a Title Sweep?

Red Shannon — Tue, 21 May 2013 01:22:44 -0400

You can see it in their eyes and hear it in their words.

It's the same focused gaze I saw in Ashton Eaton's eyes at last summer's Olympic Trials when he defied the elements to break the decathlon world record.

The University of Oregon women's track team exudes an attitude of purpose and determination I haven't often seen—at any level of sport.

Four straight runner-up finishes at the outdoor national championships will tend to do that.

The collective frustration of coming so close and the resulting resolve to finally break through is exemplified by this tweet from junior 800-meter specialist Laura Roesler:

Once I'm on a path towards something I REALLY want, no one or nothing can stand in my way or distract me. I got a one-track frame of mind
— Laura Roesler (@lroesler5) May 19, 2013

The concept of "team" has never been more pronounced. Roesler's sentiments run through the entire women's squad as if an outdoor championship were definitely possible—even probable.

But because everyone on the team understands the enormity of the task and the quality of the competition, they cannot yet utter the words I know they are thinking: outdoor champions.

Which leads one to ask—considering the previous four years of not quite grasping the ultimate prize—"what makes this year any different?"

The extra impetus of having a shot at an unprecedented triple crown is the short answer. In the current academic year, the Ducks women have already captured national Division 1 titles in cross country and indoor track.

The long answer includes factors like home-field advantage (the NCAA championships will be held at Oregon's Hayward Field June 5-8), a particularly deep and versatile team this year and a bit of an underdog role with the likes of Kansas and Texas A&M dominating the polls throughout the season.

On the road to the championships, the whittling-down process begins this week (May 23-25) at the West Preliminaries in Austin, Texas, and the East Preliminaries in Greensboro, North Carolina.

There, the top 12 finishers in each event will advance to the championships in Eugene. The controversial qualifying format has detractors arguing that the trip to the preliminary sites is an unnecessary and risky requirement for college's top stars, who often have no incentive to go all-out but intentionally perform just well enough to advance.

But it does provide an arena where the so-called bubble athlete can step up and earn an unexpected spot on the championship team.

Given Oregon's strong team dynamic and laser-like focus, the unsavory prospect of becoming a spectator and not a competitor on Hayward's home turf should push many of the second-tier Lady Ducks to personal bests in Austin.

This leads me to predict Oregon will bring a surprisingly strong team—in terms of quantity and quality—to the championships.

And don't forget that most of Oregon's specialists have multiple-use capability. Expect coach Robert Johnson to devise a plan in Austin that will maximize Oregon's scoring potential in Eugene.

For example, the Ducks' defending 100-meter champion, English Gardner, could be asked (she'll probably beg) to step into the blocks of the 200—in addition to duty on the 4x100- and 4x400-meter relays. Gardner, whose self-proclaimed baby is the 100, turned a blistering 22.62 seconds at the recent Pac-12 Track & Field Championships—a time which could easily score points in the 200 championship finals.

I noticed on the entry list that Johnson does have Gardner penciled into a 200 slot.

In fact, peering over the lists, there are several X-factors who could translate into surprise points for Oregon. Here a few random examples:

Sophomore Lauren Crockett in the high jump
Freshman Jenna Prandini, a sure points-getter in the sprints or relay, could score in the long jump as well
Sophomore Jillian Weir in the hammer
Multi-sport freshman Liz Brenner in the javelin

A triple crown for the women of Oregon would certainly be another high-water mark in a community already known as Track Town, USA. But there exists another plot twist that would surely rattle the old timbers of Hayward—a sweep of both the women's and men's titles.

And that is not outside the realm of possibility. The men, like the women, are currently ranked No. 3 in the most recent rankings and have been gaining momentum.

But that's another story for another day. Let's see how things shake out in Austin.

Follow @rojosports

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Bay to Breakers 2013: Highlighting Top Runners from Sunday's Race

Jesse Reed — Sun, 19 May 2013 12:46:36 -0400

The 2013 Bay to Breakers was a phenomenal hit. Thousands of people participated in the San Francisco race, which began at Howard and Main streets, wound its way through Golden Gate Park and finished at Ocean Beach.

On the men's side, Ethiopian Tolossa Gedefa Fufi was the first to cross the finish line with a time of 35 minutes and one second, as announced by KGO Radio in San Francisco:

American runner Ryan Hall finished in second place with a time of 35:40. ASICS America captured this image of Hall crossing the finish line:

According to SFGate.com's Will Cane and Peter Hartlaub, Fufi's first-place time was the slowest winning time since 2003 and only the second time in the race's history that the winning time was over 35 minutes.

Racers blamed a new course design that featured more turns at Golden State Park than in previous years, per the report.

On the woman's side, Diane Nukuri-Johnson of Burundi finished in first place with a time of 40:12. KGO Radio again shared the news:

Meanwhile Adrienne Herzog of the Netherlands came in right behind her in second place with a time of 40:14.

Unlike most races that feature world-class athletes, the Bay to Breakers features a massive contingency of amateur runners who famously come to the race wearing zany costumes of all shapes, sizes and make.

The pristine, fog-free weather in the Bay Area on Sunday morning made for a perfect setting for these amateurs to show off their costumes and have a roaring good time.

As usual, many of the costumed "participants" weren't even registered. Traditionally, many of the locals hop into the fray for a few blocks and then hop back out when they tire out.

Even though this is a serious event for the small percentage of elite runners who participate, there's no doubt the Bay to Breakers is more of a party than anything else for most. This year's party went off without a hitch, and you can be sure next year's big event will be just as fun.

Follow me on Twitter @JesseReed78

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Bay to Breakers 2013 Results: Men's and Women's Top Finishers and Best Photos

Steven Cook — Sun, 19 May 2013 11:57:26 -0400

It was another exciting and entertaining Bay to Breakers in San Francisco, as the 102nd edition saw Ethiopian Tolossa Gedfa Fufi win the men's race and Diane Nukuri-Johnson of Burundi, Africa win in the women's circuit.

Local San Francisco radio station KGO broke the news on Twitter, saying the race was called at 7:35 PT.

Nukuri-Johnson is no stranger to winning races, as she's competed for Burundi in the 2000 and 2012 Olympics in long distance. She went to college at Iowa University, where she was an All-American and competed in the 5,000-meters.

Although the professional runners have claimed victory, that's only where the real fun begins as the 12-kilometer festival encompasses the city of San Francisco with crazy costumes, hilarious antics and occasional (yet legal) nudity.

The weather was a big question heading into the day, but sunny skies prevailed as the morning began. Water and sunscreen were much bigger priorities than rain jackets on Sunday.

Top Men's Finishers

Place	Name	Nation	Time
1	Tolossa Gedefa Fufi	Ethiopia	35:01
2	Ryan Hall	USA	35:40
3	Tesfaye Sendeku Alemayehu	Ethiopia	36:04

Results via KTVU

Top Women's Finishers

Place	Name	Nation	Time
1	Diane Nukuri-Johnson	Burundi	40:12
2	Adrienne Herzog	Netherlands	40:42
3	Chelsea Reilly	USA	40:56

Results via KTVU

Best Photos

All California eyes were watching Ryan Hall, the hometown youngster running in his first Bay to Breakers with winning expectations. He came just short, finishing in second amidst a stellar performance captured by Asics on Twitter.

It was a day for the runners, but that didn't stop one of the world's biggest athletes from stopping by. Or a pretty fantastic look-alike, at least.

Jes Ryzenberg caught a beautiful picture of a horde of thousands of participants and posted it on her Twitter and Instagram accounts.

Bringing your kids to an event that features nudity and drunkenness is a controversial decision, but this little guy got a pretty exclusive ride around the 12 kilometers.

Will Kane of the San Francisco Chronicle found an interesting character attracting law enforcement.

All hands were on deck in the San Francisco police department for one of the biggest events of the year, but that didn't stop these cops from posing with some imitators.

Jeff Ranieri of San Francisco's local NBC affiliate posted a sweet aerial view of the action on on his Twitter account.

Whether it's professional runners or grown men wearing jumpsuits and fannypacks, everybody was out to have a good time at the 2013 Bay to Breakers.

All photos not sourced above are courtesy of the official Bay to Breakers Livefyre stream

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Bay to Breakers 2013: Date, Start Time, Route and Race Preview

Timothy Rapp — Sat, 18 May 2013 12:09:02 -0400

The Bay to Breakers run, a 12K race in San Francisco, is one of the most entertaining races in the country. At the annual running, you will see both serious runners and folks running in full costume (and yes, even a few streakers).

Would you expect anything less from San Francisco?

Let's take a closer look at this annual spectacle.

When: Sunday, May 19th at 7 a.m. PT

Where: San Francisco, CA

Route: Info on the race's route can be found here.

Preview

Bring your costume!

One of the time-honored traditions is both registered runners dressing in costume and non-registered runners dressing up and joining the fray for a few blocks at a time.

While alcohol is not permitted at the race, there's no shortage of participants that have imbibed before the race, to say nothing of the hordes of people gathered to watch the race, one of San Francisco's largest annual parties.

And yes, nudity is permitted, though not encouraged. So if you are bringing your kids, well, get ready to cover their eyes.

Sure, there are plenty of serious runners at the race who are there to beat personal bests or challenge themselves at the longer distance. But the real color of the run comes from the costumed participants.

Will Kane of the San Francisco Chronicle has more info on the race:

"It's a 12-kilometer art project," said Matt Striker of the San Francisco Travel Association. The race is a "pressure release valve for those of us that live here."

More than 30,000 registered runners will start the 7.5-mile course at Howard and Main streets at 7 a.m. Organizers expect another 50,000 to 70,000 people will turn up to watch the mobile mob huff and puff up the Hayes Street hill or sprint for the finish through Golden Gate Park.

As Kane notes, police and race officials will be at a heightened state of awareness following the bombings at this year's Boston Marathon, and additional security will be enlisted, as well as surveillance cameras being added to several points along the race.

But, of course, the expectation is that the race will go off without a hitch and once again be a blast.

The race dates back to 1912 (then called the Cross City Race) and was started to lift morale alongside rebuilding efforts in the city after a devastating earthquake rocked San Francisco in 1906. It's now evolved into one of the largest—and most memorable—races in the United States.

If you've never seen pictures of the event, it's quite the spectacle. It may not be the most traditional of races, but it's arguably the most fun.

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Michael Phelps Denies Reports of Swimming Comeback

Alex Ballentine — Fri, 17 May 2013 20:53:27 -0400

U.S. Olympic swimming legend Michael Phelps may not be done writing his legacy.

UPDATE: Friday, May 17, at 9:18 p.m. ET by Ian Hanford

Michael Phelps tweeted out denying his reported comeback:

However, NBC reporter Peter Busch claims that he's confident in his information:

---End of update---

According to NBC reporter Peter Busch, the most decorated Olympic athlete of all time has decided to resume his swimming career and has his sights set on competing in the 2016 Olympic games in Rio. The 2013 FINA World Championships are set to take place July 19-August 4 in Barcelona, although there has been no indication that he will compete there.

Phelps told CNN in March that he had retired from competitive swimming and was looking forward to taking up golf. Now it appears that the links have been put on hold. And the Olympic competition has been put on notice.

At 27 years old, Phelps' return to swimming makes him a legitimate contender. He already holds the record for most gold medals won by an athlete with 18 and has 22 medals in total.

The 2012 games saw the 6-foot-4 Phelps claim four gold medals and two silvers, with two of those golds coming in individual events. The friendly competition between he and fellow American swimmer Ryan Lochte, who won five medals himself at the 2012 games, was one of the bigger storylines of the last Olympics. Now it appears Phelps will be back in the spotlight once again.

The 2016 games just became much more intriguing with Phelps trying to once again make his mark as the greatest Olympian of all-time.

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