Gay falls out of 200
Cramp ends hopes of Beijing double
EUGENE, Ore. - Tyson Gay stumbled awkwardly to the track 40 meters into the men's 200-meter quarterfinal at the Olympic trials yesterday and did not finish the race, suffering what his agent called a ‘‘severe cramp’’ in his left hamstring.
As a result, he will not represent the US in the 200 at the Beijing Olympics next month. The good news, agent Mark Wetmore said in a statement, is that there was no apparent damage beyond the cramp. Gay will undergo an MRI as a precaution.
"I'm very disappointed," said Gay in his first statement after his shocking exit.
In a second statement after being treated with ice and compression back at his hotel, Gay added: "Before I went out on the track, I felt a little tightness in my hamstring. So, I had kind of a bad feeling. When I came off the curve, the first two steps were fine, and then I felt it sort of pull, about 40 meters in. Once I was on the ground, it didn't hurt as much as when it happened."
The 2007 world champion in the 200 was no more than 14 strides out of the blocks when struck by the cramp. His legs splayed out to the sides to stop his momentum, making every effort to avoid a more serious injury such as a pulled or strained hamstring. Once on the track, he rolled sideways, then grabbed his left hamstring before being carted away to receive treatment.
When Gay went down, the gasp from the Hayward Field crowd indicated how big a loss it is for the US team. In Beijing, Gay was expected to duel Jamaican rival Usain Bolt in the 100 and 200. Gay ran the second-best 200 time in history, clocking 19.62 seconds at the 2007 US outdoor championships. US track and field officials and fans hoped to see another historically fast final from Gay in the 200 today.
In making the men's 100 team last Saturday, Gay ran the fastest 100 in history with a wind-aided 9.68 seconds in the final. After the race, there were questions about how he would recover. Gay said his right hip felt sore following the 200 qualifying round Friday, but he was otherwise fine and four days provided enough recovery. But fellow competitors commented that doubling in the 100 and 200 was tough, especially in light of the times run in the 100 final.
"There were a lot of nines [nine-second times] in that race," said Wallace Spearmon, who reached the semifinal of the 100 and is a favorite in the 200. "That's hard on your body. A lot of people that was their first time doing it. I did my first time last year and the next two or three days after that, I was definitely in ice tubs. Sore everywhere. My toes were sore. My neck was sore. My ears were sore. That's pretty hard on your body. Then, to come back and try to double, that's pushing it, like Tyson showed today.
"Obadele Thompson ran 9.6 and he said his body was never right after that. I don’t think it's going to happen to Tyson. I hope it doesn't."
Word of Gay's collapse spread quickly among the men's and women's 200 runners. Muna Lee, who won the women’s 100 meters at the trials last week, blocked out the news, fearing she would lose focus. While the men took more cautious approaches to starts in later heats, they were also aware of the opportunity created.
"It opens up a spot," said Walter Dix, who finished second in the 100. "Everybody is fighting for that spot. It’s anybody’s game right now. It's going to be a good race. I was shocked. I knew that his legs hurt because my legs have been hurting. For everybody that's been doubling this week that made it to the final of the 100, it's been a tough two weeks. It wears you down. But it looks like he stopped before he could really tear anything. So, hopefully, he'll heal quick."
The fall by Gay again calls into question the USA Track & Field selection process where one bad race, one untimely cramp, can sideline an Olympic gold medal contender.
"It's tough on the athletes," said Spearmon. "You have to gear up hard twice within two months [for the trials and Olympics]. I don't know any other way to do it. Either you're ready on this day or not. You can be the best athlete coming into it and you can be the one sitting at home watching it from the house."
The next race on Gay’s schedule is the London Grand Prix July 24-25. If it is just a cramp, he should be ready to race. If not, Gay faces bigger issues heading into Beijing.
