EUGENE – With the rain falling on the Hayward Field track, the men’s 110-meter hurdles at the U.S. Olympic trials was a test of wills, a battle of character and a race of desire.
Aries Merritt, who took first in 12:93 seconds, had the easiest go of it. He got out of the blocks fast, took a lead and held it over each hurdle until he crossed the finish line.
“The race was good, conditions aside,” Merritt said. “I had a decent start and kept building from there. I’m a build hurdler, so I keep getting faster in between. Once I got out, I just kept going because it’s a dream and we want to fulfill it. I did that today.”
The battle for the final two spots in the London Olympics held much more drama.
Both Jason Richardson and Jeffrey Porter, who finished second and third, respectively, had trouble throughout the race.
When Richardson lined up in the starting blocks, he was still worn out from his 12.98 semifinal time, the best in the field heading into the finals.
“I felt the effort I put into semis,” Richardson said. “I won’t say I’m bionic and that I felt 100 percent.”
After a fair start, Richardson struggled over the middle hurdles, falling into the thick of the pack.
“In the middle of a race, I had a little bit of a problem,” he said. “I don’t know if I hit a hurdle, I don’t know if I came off one wrong, but I fell back. And it was in that moment where the measure of a man was made.”
