Redshirt sophomore Jasmine Todd was poised to finish at least second at the NCAA championships in the women’s 100-meter after she posted the nation’s third fastest time at the Pac-12 championships. But following a devastatingly slow start on the blocks, Todd never advanced past the semifinal.
“Everyone has a bad race, and mine happened at a bad time,” Todd said. “It’s unfortunate, but you’ve got to move on.”
Two grueling weeks of training later, Todd got her groove back.
She learned from her mistakes at the NCAA championships and finished third at the USA Track and Field championships Friday at Hayward Field. By clinching the top three, Todd secured her spot on Team USA for the IAAF World Championship late-August.
“I knew I was capable of making it to the final. Did I think I would make the to three? No,” Todd said. “I’m so excited and happy at the same time. This is my first world team and this is a big one to make it on.”
“I was more happy for her than I was for myself,” former Duck English Gardner of Nike, who finished second, said of Todd. “It’s crazy when you have younger kids come in at school and you talk to them, mentor them, train every day with them and teach them the ropes. Then to see them use the things that you taught them and be able to excel on a higher, elite level, it’s amazing.”
Gardner, who won the event last year and set the world’s fastest time this year at 10.79 in the semifinals, finished second behind Tori Bowie, who was primarily a long jumper until spring 2014 but took first in 10.81 seconds
“Of course I wanted me, Jasmine and Jenna [Prandini] to make it in, but there are only three spots. Jenna has to work hard in the 200 and I know she will. Jenna is strong and overcomes every obstacle that comes against her, so there’s no doubt in my mind she’ll get it.”
Prandini got off to a slow start and never caught up. She finished sixth, thus didn’t qualify for worlds in the 100, but will likely get a bid in the relay pool for finishing in the top six.
“Everybody in that race is so deserving; it’s an honor to be on the line with everybody,” Prandini said. “I’m definitely not disappointed, I’m proud of Jasmine and English, and hopefully I can do even better in the 200.”
Prandini, a candidate for Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year, racked up 49 points at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field championship, the most by any woman in the competition, and propelled the women of Oregon to their first NCAA title since 1985 two weeks ago. She has two more chances this weekend to make Team USA in the 200-meter and long jump.
American men’s 100-meter record-holder Tyson Gay made his first world championship team since 2009, because of an injury in 2011 and a doping ban in 2013. Gay won the men’s 100-meter in 9.87 seconds.
“A lot of people don’t understand that for me to test positive for a supplement I could have got at Wal-Mart or the grocery store, I would have tested positive over $20. I take precaution now,” Gay said of his one-year ban. “For all my fans and all the athletes I compete with, stay on point. The smallest mistake, one freakin’ ingredient can cost you everything.”
Incoming Oregon freshman Matthew Maton won the junior men’s 5,000-meter despite suffering an Achilles injury earlier this season.
“It felt great,” Maton said. “I have never won a national meet. I’ve done a lot of things but never that so to get that under the belt at the end of the year was great.”
Freshman phenom Raevyn Rogers won her preliminary heat of the junior women’s 800-meter with a time of 2 minutes, 7.08 seconds. Rogers already won a Pac-12 title and NCAA championship in her first year as a Duck. She’ll compete in the 800-meter finals Saturday.
Sharika Nelvis of Adidas set the new fastest time in the world in the women’s 100-meter hurdles prelims at 12.34 seconds, and became the third fastest American of all time. Lolo Jones, the American 60-meter hurdles record holder who posed on the cover of The Body Issue by ESPN the Magazine, placed second in her heat. Jones and Nelvis will compete in the women’s 100-meter semifinals Saturday.
Jones competed in the 100-meter hurdles at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and 2012 London Olympics, and placed seventh and fourth respectively. She was also selected as the brakeman for U.S. bobsled team that finished eleventh at the 2014 Sochi Olympics.
Wake Forest’s John Maurins broke the American junior men’s shot put record twice, surpassing the old record of 67 feet on his first throw and extending it with a final throw of 71 feet, 10 ¼ inches.
“We had an idea of what I was going to throw and that ended up being about a meter farther than I thought,” Maurins said. “I usually have big success at big meets like this so I knew there was going to be some big throws after my throws in warm-ups.”
The USA Track and Field championships continue through Saturday and Sunday.
Follow Kenny Jacoby on Twitter @KennyJacoby