Olympians Tyson Gay and Trayvon Bromell were eliminated in the 100m first round at the USATF Outdoor Championships (Summer Champions Series), failing to make the world championships team in the event.
Gay, 34, is racing this weekend eight months after the death of 15-year-old daughter Trinity Gay. His last attempt to make the world team is in the 200m on Saturday and Sunday in Sacramento, but Gay is an underdog there, too.
Gay was third in his 100m heat in 10.17 seconds on Thursday, well off his American record of 9.69 seconds set in 2009. The top two automatically made Friday’s semifinals.
“I had a slight stumble in the blocks and couldn’t really recover,” Gay told media in Sacramento, adding that he was dealing with minor injuries this year.
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Starting in 2005, Gay had qualified for every Olympics and world championships except for 2011. He also was taken off the 2013 Worlds team for failing a drug test.
Gay is the last man to outsprint Usain Bolt at an Olympics or worlds, sweeping the 100m, 200m and 4x100m titles in 2007. Gay is the fastest man in history without an Olympic medal to his name.
Bromell, a 2015 World 100m bronze medalist, finished third in his heat in 10.22 fading in the last half. Bromell, 21, was racing for the first time since the Rio Olympics, coming back from Achilles surgery. He was racing hurt.
After summer surgery, Bromell kept off his foot until January, but when he returned to the track the pain came back. Bromell missed another month of training. He’s still dealing with inflammation, but a doctor said there’s no chance he could tear anything in Sacramento.
“When I got to like, 50 [meters], I started feeling some pain,” Bromell told media in Sacramento. “I wanted to show people that I’ve got heart.”
Bromell is not racing in the 200m this weekend, so he is definitively out of worlds in London in August.
“Next year, you’re going to see a new Trayvon,” he said.
The other favorites — Justin Gatlin and Christian Coleman — won their heats in 10.0 and 9.93, respectively, to advance. The final is also Friday, when the top three will qualify for the world 100m team and likely the top six for the 4x100m relay.
Gatlin said this year is “probably the most injured I’ve ever been.” He missed weeks of training, slowed by a quadriceps/groin problem since February, according to The Associated Press.
In the women’s 100m, all the favorites advanced to Friday’s semifinals, including Rio Olympic silver medalist Tori Bowie (10.90), nine-time Olympic medalist Allyson Felix (11.03) and Olympic Trials winner English Gardner (11.04).
Felix has a bye into the world championships 400m as defending champion, which she plans to race. Her worlds schedule beyond that is to be determined.
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