London 2012: 6 Things We Learned About US Olympic Track at Prefontaine Classic

The United States' best and brightest track stars descended on Eugene, Oregon to run in the Prefontaine Classic, a chance to once again prepare for Olympic trials, and eventually, the Olympics themselves.

Though the international competition was not stellar, some athletes were still able to stand out in a big way.

With a good deal of the United States' top runners competing in the meet, this is a chance to draw a few conclusions regarding the state of the U.S. Olympic track team.

Here are six things we learned from their performance.

Allyson Felix Is Ready to Win Gold in the 200

Allyson Felix ran away with the 200-meter dash in Eugene, winning by nearly half a second. Her blistering time of 22.23 seconds was just .01 seconds off the world lead for 2012.

This time is especially impressive considering the lack of major competition at the meet. Felix could have felt safe towards the end of the race, so she likely did not give her best possible time.

Felix had an excellent race, being the second fastest off the blocks and using her long speed to cruise well ahead of her competition by the finish.

If she continues this kind of strong form, Felix has a legitimate chance to finally win gold in the 200-meter dash in the London games after coming up short in Athens and Beijing.

The U.S. Is Stacked in the Shot Put

American Reese Hoffa won the shot put in Eugene, while Ryan Whiting and Christian Cantwell also put on strong performances, finishing fourth and fifth, respectively.

These three behemoths constantly compete with each other, regularly pushing each other to new heights.

Whiting is the youngest of the three and is the future of American throwing. He is the reigning indoor world champion, and at age 25, his best days are still ahead of him.

Cantwell, meanwhile, won silver in Beijing and has a serious chance of winning gold in London, though he will need one of his strongest performances ever.

Finally, Hoffa was already the world leader going into the Prefontaine Classic, but he improved on his lead by nine centimeters. At this point, Hoffa has to be considered the favorite to take gold at the London games.

While the American throwers will have strong competition, all three have the potential to medal at the London games.

The U.S. Can't Compete with the Europeans in the Javelin

While the Prefontaine Classic featured numerous strong showings from Americans, the javelin was not one of them.

The only American in the meet, Cyrus Hostetler, finished fourth with a season best 81.02 meter throw, but he is still over five meters behind the world leader.

Javelin is typically an event that the Europeans dominate, and this year looks no different. 

Nick Symmonds Can Compete with the Best 800 Runners

The 800-meter run is not usually an event that the Americans are strong in, but Nick Symmonds could give the Americans a fighting chance in London.

Symmonds finished third at the Prefontaine Classic, posting a season best in the process as he competed with two strong runners from Sudan and Ethiopia.

His time was only a second off the world best this year, and he was within striking distance in this meet.

If he can stay within striking distance in London, Symmonds could conceivably work his way onto the winner's podium, as he showed he can remain competitive with the best in Eugene.

Sanya Richards-Ross Is the Favorite in the 400

The performance of Sanya Richards-Ross has to be one of the highlights of the Prefontaine Classic, as her blistering 49.39 second 400-meter dash was a season best and set the new world lead.

Richards-Ross is already the reigning indoor world champion, so her status as world leader cements her as the favorite in London.

Most impressive is that Richards-Ross won the event despite season bests from six of the competitors at the meet. She stepped up along with her competitors to win a close race, and her performance bodes well for her chances in London.

Justin Gatlin and Walter Dix Can Compete with Usain Bolt in the 100

The Prefontaine Classic featured strong performances from Americans in the marquee event, the 100-meter dash.

Walter Dix finished fourth with a subpar 10.04, but he has a wind-aided 9.85 second dash on his record this season, and he has the potential to surprise in London.

Justin Gatlin was the headline at this meet, though, as he won the race with a solid 9.90 second time, despite being the last runner out of the blocks.

Gatlin doesn't have a lot of mileage on his legs after serving a four-year ban from track and field, so he runs with the vigor of a younger sprinter.

With times close to what he ran to win gold in Athens in 2004, Gatlin is proving that he still has the ability to be a marquee sprinter on the world stage.

If Usain Bolt stumbles and Gatlin gets a solid start, Gatlin could conceivably shock the world in London.