2016 U.S. Olympic Team TrialsJul 5, 2016 by Dennis Young
Clayton Murphy Wins Trials 800, Boris Berian and Charles Jock Make Team
Clayton Murphy Wins Trials 800, Boris Berian and Charles Jock Make Team
Two college juniors sandwiched two seasoned professionals in the men's 800 final at the Olympic Trials. New pro Clayton Murphy won in 1:44.76, ahead of Bori
Two college juniors sandwiched two seasoned professionals in the men's 800 final at the Olympic Trials. New pro Clayton Murphy won in 1:44.76, ahead of Boris Berian's 1:44.92. Berian led for much of the race and was probably co-favored with Murphy before the final. Less than a month ago on the same track, Murphy won the NCAA 1500 as an Akron junior.
There was a major upset for third, though. Charles Jock was in second to last with 200 meters to go and closed maniacally to easily beat Ole Miss junior Craig Engels and veteran team-maker Erik Sowinski. Jock won the NCAA 800 in 2012, while Engels was a shocking fourth tonight after only advancing to the final on protest.
Because Engels was the ninth man in, the beginning of the race held the unusual and amateurish sight of an 800 starting with six men next to each other on a straight line and three more on an outside waterfall. Former 400 hurdler Brandon Johnson made sure the men's race mostly avoided the chaotic traffic with a hot first 200 meters.
Murphy seamlessly transitioned back into 800 meter running after focusing on the 15 for much of May and June but missing the 1500 Olympic standard by 0.03 seconds.
For Berian, his new Olympian status caps a week of stunning triumphs over Nike. First, the footwear giant dropped its lawsuit against him, letting him sign with whatever company he wanted. Tonight, in arguably the heart of Nike's track operation, he guaranteed that he'd be wearing a competitors shoes in Rio--and maybe more annoyingly for the swoosh, the soft-focus stories on Berian's defiance of Nike will now continue through August.
Jock's third place was shocking. He hadn't broken 1:47 in 2016. In the first round at this meet, he ran 1:48.71 to grab the third automatic qualifying spot in his heat. He beat Duane Solomon by just 0.007 seconds--not a typo, seven one-thousandths of a second--to grab that last spot while Solomon was sent home early. Now Jock's season will continue on the biggest stage.
There was a major upset for third, though. Charles Jock was in second to last with 200 meters to go and closed maniacally to easily beat Ole Miss junior Craig Engels and veteran team-maker Erik Sowinski. Jock won the NCAA 800 in 2012, while Engels was a shocking fourth tonight after only advancing to the final on protest.
Because Engels was the ninth man in, the beginning of the race held the unusual and amateurish sight of an 800 starting with six men next to each other on a straight line and three more on an outside waterfall. Former 400 hurdler Brandon Johnson made sure the men's race mostly avoided the chaotic traffic with a hot first 200 meters.
Your #TeamUSA in the men's 800m #TrackTown16 pic.twitter.com/hWuMHGFcUe
— FloTrack (@FloTrack) July 5, 2016
Murphy seamlessly transitioned back into 800 meter running after focusing on the 15 for much of May and June but missing the 1500 Olympic standard by 0.03 seconds.
For Berian, his new Olympian status caps a week of stunning triumphs over Nike. First, the footwear giant dropped its lawsuit against him, letting him sign with whatever company he wanted. Tonight, in arguably the heart of Nike's track operation, he guaranteed that he'd be wearing a competitors shoes in Rio--and maybe more annoyingly for the swoosh, the soft-focus stories on Berian's defiance of Nike will now continue through August.
Jock's third place was shocking. He hadn't broken 1:47 in 2016. In the first round at this meet, he ran 1:48.71 to grab the third automatic qualifying spot in his heat. He beat Duane Solomon by just 0.007 seconds--not a typo, seven one-thousandths of a second--to grab that last spot while Solomon was sent home early. Now Jock's season will continue on the biggest stage.