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2004 OLYMPIC TEAM TRIALS—TRACK
AND FIELD by Sam Grotewold Sacramento, California, July 18—Although both Alan Webb and Carrie Tollefson led from start to finish to win the men's and women's 1,500-meter runs on this final day of the 2004 U.S. Olympic Trials, their Olympic fates could not be more different. Webb, whose triumph over the best 1,500-meter runners in America was even more dominating than his 15-meter margin of victory would indicate, grabbed the lead in the first straightaway and never gave it up, squeezing the trigger at 800 meters to clear the field and move 30 feet up on Charlie Gruber, his closest challenger. Powering around the track on his final lap, Webb's fitness was so clearly superior to that of the group of men running behind him that it appeared they were competing in a different event. Shortly after he crossed the finish line as the winner in 3:36.13, the 21-year-old Webb let out a primal scream and then flashed the trademark grin that first became familiar to track fans when he broke the high school mile record three years ago. Gruber and fifth-place finisher Jason Lunn, who both hold the Olympic "B" standard, have until August 9 to run faster than the "A" standard of 3:36.20 to join Webb on the team. If either or both fail to run under the "A" standard, Webb will be joined on the team by Grant Robison, who did not make the finals in Sacramento but is currently the only other athlete, after Webb, to run under the "A" standard. Recent Ohio State graduate Rob Myers, the third-place finisher, is shut out of the list because he holds neither the "A" nor the "B" standard in the event. In the women's 1,500, Tollefson jumped to an early lead that she lost and then regained in the final 100 meters. Unlike Webb, her 2004 Olympic future is uncertain, and at this point the Olympic scenario for the women's 1,500 meters remains basically indescribable. As the winner of the Trials, Tollefson has until August 9 to achieve the Olympic "A" (4:05.80) or "B" (4:07.15) standard in the event. Suzy Favor Hamilton, who did not start Sunday's final due to a sore hamstring but has already achieved the "A" standard, would be on the team if Tollefson were to run faster than the "A"—because both athletes would then have the "A" time—or slower than the "B" standard—because of a rule stating that if only one athlete has the "A" or "B" time, then only one athlete goes to the Olympics, based on the order of finish at the Trials. Marla Runyan, who has already achieved the "B" standard, would also be included on the team if she were able to achieve the "A" standard by August 9, but for Runyan, who has already made the Olympic team at 5,000 meters, it is unclear if she will attempt to meet the time in the 1,500. If Tollefson meets the "B" standard but not the "A", and none of the other eligible runners meets the "A" standard, only she will be on the team for Athens. Second-place finisher Jen Toomey will have the opportunity to chase the "A" standard, and third-place finisher Amy Rudolph may or may not, depending on whether or not Runyan states her intentions up front. Though the Olympic Trials are now over, fans of U.S. track and field will be watching with great interest as a number of American athletes head to the storied meets of the European circuit to chase Olympic standard times in their respective events. As the clock ticks ever closer to the August 9 deadline, the Olympic picture in several events will certainly become much clearer.
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