Johnson Can't Punch His Ticket to Beijing

By Alan Goldenbach
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, July 6, 2008

EUGENE, Ore., July 5 -- Allen Johnson's Olympic career might have ended in the cruelest way.

Johnson, the gold medalist in the 110-meter hurdles at the 1996 Olympics, aggravated a left-leg injury after the fourth hurdle during the preliminary heats at the Olympic track and field trials Saturday before 20,834 at Hayward Field. Running in Lane 8, Johnson stepped to his right and pulled out of the race.

"After the first hurdle, I felt it," Johnson said, "and as I kept going, the pain just got progressively worse. I didn't know what to expect. It didn't heal. It didn't hold up."

Johnson, 37, a 1989 Lake Braddock graduate and seven-time U.S. outdoor champion, said he had injured the posterior tibialis tendon in his lower leg in March. After the Adidas Track Classic in Carson, Calif., in May, however, the "sharp pain" became increasingly intense, he said.

Johnson said he knew he was running in a precarious position because the injury could act up at any moment.

"I was hoping for the best, but preparing for the worst," Johnson said. "It's real disappointing, but this is what sports is all about. I've had some great days and some bad days, and this is one of the bad days."

Johnson said he would like to avoid surgery at all costs, preferring to heal by rest. He said, though, that he has certainly run his last race of 2008.

When asked about his Olympic future, Johnson did not admit this was his last chance, but acknowledged that trying to qualify for the 2012 Games at age 41 would be a long shot.

"I doubt it," he said. "I'd like to do it, but if that's not possible, I can live with it."

Gay's Loss Is Their Gain

With Tyson Gay's leg injury preventing him from qualifying for Sunday's 200 final, no longer is one of the three spots on the U.S. Olympic team a foregone conclusion.

"It opens up a spot," said Walter Dix, who was the runner-up to Gay in the 100 earlier in the week and also advanced to the 200 final. "Everyone's fighting for a spot. It's anyone's game now."

Yet, as the two semifinal heats unfolded, several runners said they had Gay in the back of their minds, and were admittedly worried about how suddenly an injury can appear.

"It seemed like everyone tried to come out and go a little slow," said Wallace Spearmon, whose time of 20.05 seconds was the second-fastest of the semifinal heats. "It's a red flag. I ran a little bit nervous" in the semifinals.

None of the athletes wanted to find relief in Gay's injury, but they were blunt in recognizing that someone unexpected will make the Olympic team.

"I feel bad when any athlete gets injured because I know I've been there," said Shawn Crawford, who won the second semifinal heat at 20.21. "But it kind of takes a little bit of pressure off the field."

Felix Makes 200 Final

Allyson Felix, the 2004 Olympic silver medalist in the 200, advanced to Sunday's final after failing to qualify last week in the 100.

"I know there's more left in there," Felix said, "so I'm really excited about tomorrow's final."

Some very talented and accomplished runners, however, will not make the 200 team. Just as desperate as Felix will be Marshevet Hooker, who finished fourth in the 100. Bianca Knight has posted one of the three fastest times in each of the first three qualifying rounds, after not even reaching the final of 100.

"I have way more left than people think," Knight said. "I made it to the final, I put in a good time, and I didn't put it all out there."

Then, there's also Muna Lee, Torri Edwards and Lauryn Williams, who took the three Olympic team spots in the 100.

"Being third out of four shows me I've got some work to do," Williams said, "if I want to make the top three" and qualify.

Oliver Survives to Advance

Howard graduate David Oliver advanced easily to Sunday's 110-meter hurdles semifinals with the fastest qualifying times in the preliminaries (13.24 seconds) and quarterfinals (13.07).

Still, he wasn't thrilled with his performance.

"I was just disappointed with my technique," he said, "but it was about 'survive and advance.' It's important to go through these first two days before you start thinking of Beijing. But, hopefully, I'll be there on [August] 18th," when the 110 hurdles begin. . . .

Allen Simms, a 2000 Eleanor Roosevelt graduate, will try to make his first Olympic team Sunday when he competes in the final of the triple jump. Simms's leap of 53 feet 11 3/4 inches was the sixth-longest of Friday's preliminaries. He was 16th in qualifying at the 2004 trials. . . . Shane Stroup, a 2001 River Hill graduate, failed to qualify for Sunday's men's 1,500-meter final, placing 24th. . . . Ola Sesay (Eleanor Roosevelt), the 1997 All-Met outdoor track athlete of the year, placed sixth in the triple jump, but it was not good enough to qualify, either.