US record-holder Greer fails in javelin

He cites a shoulder injury for poor throw

EUGENE, Ore. - Give the men's javelin field credit for being colorful.

From the pink, black, and white spiked hairdo of American record-holder Breaux Greer to the multicolored striped uniforms and matching javelins of the "Olympic Picasso," Roald Bradstock, they caught the attention of the Hayward Field crowd last night at the US Olympic track and field trials. But the varied color combinations were not nearly as shocking as the results of the qualifying round.

Greer failed to reach the final, finishing 17th out of 24 competitors with a throw of 67.20 meters (220 feet 6 inches).

It was 79 feet shorter than his American-record toss last June.

When asked what happened, Greer said, "I don't know. It was like I was skiing out there on some ice.

"I had a little shoulder trouble in December and went and got it fixed. All the doctors, my team of 3,000 people that keep me duct-taped together, suggested not coming here. I came anyway."

Ahmed in running

It was a good day for Boston-bred 1,500-meter runner Said Ahmed and the prerace favorites. Familiar names like Bernard Lagat, Lopez Lomong, Alan Webb, Rob Myers, Leonel Manzano, and Gabe Jennings all advanced to the final. There were some anxious moments for some runners, especially in the first heat, with Lagat and Webb worried about being boxed in as the field rounded the final turn.

"I wanted to stay out of trouble and get through," said Webb. "[In the last 100], I wanted to keep calm, stay out of getting tripped up. I kind of got a little boxed in. I probably should have been more aggressive going into 200 meters to go."

In the second heat, Ahmed (3:41:05) was pleased to qualify with sore hamstrings. He arrived at the track early yesterday to treat his injuries with ice and hopes a rest day before the final will help.

"I've got to represent Massachusetts," said Ahmed, who ran for Boston English. "Everybody [in Boston] is staying up late watching me."

When asked how he felt after the race, Ahmed said, "Tired. I'm not 100 percent. My legs are hurting. I'm really in pain, but they're not waiting for me."

In other good local news, Marblehead's Shalane Flanagan qualified for the Olympic team in the 5,000. Kara Goucher won in 15:01.02, followed by Jennifer Rhines (15:02.02) and Flanagan (15:02.81).

Gay good to go

Tyson Gay easily made it through the first round of qualifying in the men's 200. So easily, he appeared to be jogging as he crossed the line in 20.43 seconds in the second heat. More important, he didn't seem to suffer ill effects from running the fastest 100 meters in history (wind-aided 9.68) in the final last Sunday.

"It feels good," said Gay. "I just needed that first one to get some of those cobwebs out. That's the time I wanted."

Gay said his right hip was sore, but that everything else felt fine.

When asked if he had enough recovery time between the 100 and 200, Gay said, "Yes, I did. Four days was enough."

Second thoughts

Jeremy Wariner finally talked with reporters 1 hour 15 minutes after the men's 400-meter final Thursday night. It took Wariner that long to calm down after he lost to LaShawn Merritt (44.00 seconds) by two-10ths of a second. He tried to put a positive spin on his second-place finish.

"I'm happy to be on the team and I'm happy for LaShawn," said Wariner. "I'm going to fly home and train harder. I'm going to meets in Rome, Paris, and Stockholm, so I have chances to bounce back.

"This motivates me and I know I need to train harder. I got to 200 meters and let [Merritt] get me in the end. I made a move at 150 meters and I forced it instead of using my kick at the end. I didn't execute right. I think I'm still the favorite [at the Olympics]. I've been there before and I know what it takes to win."

Wariner and his agent, Michael Johnson, claimed the loss was an aberration. But while Wariner has a gold medal, two world championships, and a personal best of 43.45, Merritt appears in the midst of a breakthrough season. The key for Wariner is not to panic after his second loss of the season to Merritt. And Johnson sees no reason for concern. Not even about Wariner's lackluster kick.

"It's not that Jeremy's kick wasn't there," said Johnson. "Jeremy's kick was there, but he made some mistakes in the race. He used his kick in a place where he wasn't supposed to, and he executed it in a way that he wasn't supposed to and he knows that. I'm concerned when I can't pinpoint exactly what happened. Since I can pinpoint it, I'm not concerned. I'm concerned when LaShawn goes out there and runs faster than what I think Jeremy is capable of running. That didn't happen."