Hammer Time a Success After Stunning Performances
The US Olympic Track and Field Trials got into action yesterday with a special event for the hammer throw taking place at the Nike World Headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon. An estimated crowd of 3,000 spectators swarmed the campus and they were welcomed by a rare sight for Oregonians this June: the sun. It seemed like everything lined up to produce a great event. In my season and meet previews I highlighted this as an event that was crucial for hammer throwers. With extra media and fans in attendance, throwers could either step up their game and give the media something special to write about, or they could make it just another event. The throwers definitely seized the opportunity and left all in attendance with a memorable experience and the outflow from the event is still coming in as media outlets have been writing about and praising the event non-stop for the past 24 hours.
At the end of the day, the US now has its first track and field Olympians: Kibwe Johnson, A.G. Kruger, Amber Campbell, Amanda Bingson, and Jessica Cosby. Three of the five will be making their first Olympic appearance. Congratulations! The final results are available here online for men and women. While I was unable to attend, both my family and many friends were there. After talking with them, reading all the media reports, these are a few things that stood out to me.
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