Taylor and Claye Punch Triple Jump Tickets to London with 1-2 Finish at U.S. Olympic Trials
Sunday, July 1, 2012 | Track and Field
Reigning IAAF World Champions Christian Taylor (outdoor) and Will Claye (indoor) finished 1-2 in the men's triple jump at the U.S. Olympic Trials, punching their tickets to London as members of Team USA on the eighth day of the U.S. Olympic Trials at historic Hayward Field.
Taylor used a season's best leap of 17.63m/57-10.50 on his first attempt of the afternoon to take home and the gold and claim his spot on the U.S. Olympic team, wowing the crowd with a mark well above the Olympic A standard of 17.20m/56-5.25.
Claye leapt an outdoor personal best of 17.55m/57-7 to claim the silver, as he'll represent the United States in both the men's triple jump and the men's long jump. Claye earned silver in the long jump last week, turning in a mark of 8.23m/27-0. With his 17.55m/57-7 in Saturday's event, Claye went down in the record book as the 10th-best performer in U.S. triple jump history.
Florida junior and NCAA indoor and outdoor triple jump champion Omar Craddock (Killeen, Texas) finished just outside medal contention, leaping 16.55m/54-3.75 to come in fourth overall. All three Gators' first jumps proved to be their furthest, taking advantage before inclement weather set in.
Gator freshman Dedric Dukes (Miami, Fla.) cemented his phenomenal freshman year with his performance in the semifinals of the men's 200 meters. The All-American ran 20.70 to finish third in his heat and ninth overall, just missing out on the finals of the event to Auburn's Marcus Rowland, who claimed the eighth and final spot.
Florida sophomore Eddie Lovett (West Palm Beach, Fla.) finished his season in the semifinals of the men's 110-meter hurdles, finishing sixth in his heat and 17th overall in 13.60.
2008 Beijing Olympics Silver Medalist Kerron Clement will represent for the Orange and Blue tomorrow in the finals of the men's 400-meter hurdles. Clement will race at 7:12 p.m. ET during NBC's primetime broadcast, with coverage beginning at 7 p.m. ET. The three-time NCAA Champion for the Gators will look to make his second Olympic team after taking silver in both the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials.
The NBC Sports Group presents unprecedented coverage of the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials as American athletes compete for a chance to take part in the London Games.
A total of 12 hours of live track and field coverage will be a part of a record 67.5 hours of total Olympic Team Trials coverage by NBC in 2012. Covered in prime time between NBC and the NBC Sports Network, the 12 hours of live coverage will span the course of eight days.
A full recap of each day's events and results will be available on GatorZone.com. For news, schedules, events and the Facebook and Twitter feeds of the 2012 Olympic Trials, please log on to http://www.gotracktownusa.com/.
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U.S. OLYMPIC TRIALS – TRACK & FIELD (JUNE 21-JULY 1, 2012 – EUGENE, OR)
SATURDAY, JUNE 30, 2012
FIELD EVENTS
Men's Triple Jump – Finals
1. Christian Taylor, 17.63m/57-10.50 (SB)
2. Will Claye, 17.55m/57-7 (oPR)
4. Omar Craddock, 16.55m/54-3.75
RUNNING EVENTS
Men's 200 Meters – Semifinals
9. Dedric Dukes, 20.70 (-1.8)
Men's 110-Meter Hurdles – Semifinals
17. Eddie Lovett, 13.60 (+1.2)
| NBC SPORTS GROUP LIVE TELEVISION COVERAGE | ||
| Date | Time | Network |
| Sunday, July 1st | 7-8 p.m. ET/PT | NBC |
| 2012 U.S. OLYMPIC TRIALS TRACK & FIELD SCHEDULE (ALL TIMES ET) | ||||
| TIME | EVENT | ROUND | FORMER/CURRENT GATORS COMPETING | QUALIFYING STANDARD (ATHLETE 2012 MARK) |
| SUNDAY, JULY 1 | ||||
| 7:12 p.m. | Men's 400-Meter Hurdles | Final | Kerron Clement | A: 49.50; B: 49.80 (Clement: 49.04) |
