One Meet. Two Athletes.
UPDATE: Sports Illustrated's Tim Layden is reporting that Jeneba Tarmoh has pulled out of the run-off. It is now confirmed by the USATF.
Bobby Kersee — the coach for Allyson Felix and Jeneba Tarmoh — said emphatically that his athletes wouldn't compete in a runoff on Sunday.
USATF — which crafted a tiebreaker formula after the two were in a dead heat for third in the 100m final — was adamant that Team USA would be finalized by the end of the Trials.
In the morning we speculated on a coin flip. And after continued delays, USATF finally blinked and released word on Sunday afternoon — Felix and Tarmoh would run head-to-head for the last spot on Team USA.
NBC jumped into the game, offering to showcase the event on its Olympic Trials' coverage on Monday evening — 8 pm Eastern.
The last time we remember a two-person track meet was on May 31, 1997, when Olympic champions Michael Johnson of the U.S. and Donovan Bailey of Canada were set to run 150 meters at Toronto's SkyDome for the title "World's Fastest Man."
Johnson pulled up with a quadricep strain and Bailey dashed to the cash ($500,000).
One could say that the stakes are just as high Monday night as Tarmoh looks for an individual spot in the Olympic field and Felix looks for a double victory in London.
Let's hope no one false starts.



