David Oliver Does Miami!

Beijing an Olympic medalist has it's privileges.

David Oliver, Joel Brown and company set out to bring the heat to Miami. The weekend included fine dining, VIP treatment by the Miami Dolphins, court side seats at the Miami Heat, and world class entertainment on South Beach.

Jay Hicks for Prerace Jitters.

Howard University Celebrates David Oliver

It is good to go back home.

Howard University, a historically black college, recently honored Olympian David Oliver, Class of 2004, for his bronze medal in Beijing.

The 110-meter hurdler joins the likes of Thurgood Marshall, Roberta Flack, and Debbie Allen as a distinguished alumni of the historically black university located in Washington, D.C.

Click here to watch the video.

Jay Hicks for Prerace Jitters.

Instant Analysis - Oliver Knocks Off Robles, Powell Gets Faster In Lausanne

Powell Produces Fastest Times Out of Major Competition.

With nothing on the line, you can bet that Asafa Powell improved his 100-meter time to 9.72. Good enough to be the second fastest time in history-behind Usain Bolt of course. The consistent Walter Dix was close to his personal best time in 9.92.

Powell said, "Who knows? Maybe I'm not the guy for those big championships but just the guy to compete in the Grand Prix and Golden League meetings. It's just unfortunate."

It was only a matter of time before David Oliver bested Olympic champ Dayron Robles again over the 110-meter hurdles. A fast closing Oliver (13.02) got the best of Robles (13.17), marking the second that this season that Oliver has beaten the Olympic champion and world record holder from Cuba.

The 200-meter record is in jeopardy to fall anytime Usain Bolt laces up his Pumas. Tonight Bolted equaled the stadium record in Lausanne ,as the Jamaican lite up the track in 19.63.

Without Jeremy Wariner on the track, LaShawn Merritt dipped under 44 seconds producing 43.98. What will be interesting is to see which runner holds the fastest time at seasons end.

By Jay Hicks.

When Athletes Blog - David Oliver

There's a reason that David Oliver is one of the world's top three hurdlers. He recently placed second by a hair to world record holder and Olympic champion Dayron Robles of Cuba by .01 seconds in Zurich. The results were 12.97 to 12.98.

Oliver is arguably his harshest critic and is constantly striving to improve his hurdling technique. The U.S. Olympic Trials champion will get another crack at Robles in Lausanne, Switzerland where the two go head-to-head again.

Immediately after the race Oliver took to his blog to share with fans exactly what is on his mind. Here is what David Oliver had to say:

110 Hurdles (+0.3)
1) Robles 12.97
2) D.O. 12.98
3) Noga 13.37
4) Merritt 13.41
5) Svoboda 13.48
6) Yo-El 13.55
7) Phillips 13.60
8) Van der Westen 13.68
9) Moore DNF

"I really thought that I had a chance to pull of the win, but I floated the first hurdle and was playing catch up the entire race, which I did a good job of. I haven't seen the race yet, but I will watch it on the Slingbox tomorrow. I am happy with my performance this evening, but not satisfied."

Click here to read David Oliver's full blog.

By Jay Hicks.

U.S. Win Silver & Bronze In 110-Hurdles

Payne & Oliver Shine in Hurdles.

-Beijing-David Payne and David Oliver accomplished what they came to do.

The U.S. hurdlers had dreams of getting on the medal stand. And it wasn't an easy task while watching hurdling standouts Liu Xiang and Terrence Trammell, see their dreams end in the qualifying heats.

They stayed focused and kept their eyes on the prize. David Payne (13.17) earned silver, while Howard University alum David Oliver (13.18) captured the bronze. Cuba's Dayron Robles (12.93) won the gold.

It certainly was not easy, but the U.S. hurdlers achieved this on a day when both the men's and women's 400m relays dropped the baton in the wet conditions but then again that's what champions do.

By Jay Hicks.

When Athletes Blog - David Oliver Blogs From Beijing

Lenovo sponsored Olympic blogger hits the keyboard.

Some people can run at the highest level and others can blog. David Oliver managed to win his heat of the 110-hurdles and then sprinted to his blog to write about his experience.

Here is what the U.S. Olympic Trials champion had to say about his race, the unfortunate circumstances of Liu Xiang and Terrence Trammell's.

"Before I get to my performance, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the loss of two of the best 110 hurdlers in the history of the event, forced out by injury in the first round.

Once again, it is unfortunate how freak injuries turn what seem like invincible athletes, in to mere mortals. Terrence and Liu were both dealt that bad hand and never got a chance to fulfill their Olympic dream. It is a very hard pill to swallow for me because I believe that in order to be the best, you have to beat the best, heads up, and we will not get to see a such match up here.

The stadium was jam packed! It was very hot on the track as well, it felt like a 20 degree increase in temperature from the warm up track to the stadium. I went out and ran a clean race and won my heat in a time of 13.30, which was good enough for the top performance of the day."

Tomorrow evening David Oliver will run the quarterfinal heat tomorrow evening.

Click here to read David Oliver's full blog from the Olympic Games in Beijing.

By Jay Hicks.

When Athletes Blog - David Oliver From Beijing

The Team USA members are in Beijing and getting ready to run. Track and field doesn't start until Friday, August 14. But what do you do to kill the time without worrying to death?

One of America's great hopes to win the 110-meter hurdles, David Oliver is keeping it pushing with some fun and excitement. Definately a good call.

David took to his blog to share with fans his experiences at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

"Yesterday, I didn't hit the track at all for any purposes. I had the whole entire day to enjoy to myself. Here's the run down of my day:

I hit the arcade up with Dayron Robles, we played the arcade basketball game for a minute. I hit the bank up and watched one of the swimming relays with Phelps in it. It was pretty exciting, the anchor leg was a beast and they won Gold. It came down to the wire and when he touched the wall in first, I yelled out "Yes" and everybody turned around looking at me, like look at this big, loud American, typical. I couldn't help it though.

I hit NIKE up with Pate and Abdi, got some exclusive Maxcats (shown left) in red, white and blue spikes, they are the ones I wear at all the meets, just in different colors. Picked up some more gear, ate some great food and cabbed it back to the village.

I hit the USA v China women's basketball game, it was a good time too. China was down about 30, but everytime they scored, the crowd erupted! I never have heard that much home team love ever. The "Redeem Team" were posted up a couple rows away, the Chinese fans LOVE Kobe Bryant.

I'm back at practice today for a little maintenance work later on, I will get back."

Click here to read David Oliver's full blog from Beijing.

By Jay Hicks.

When Athletes Blog - Soon to Be Olympian David Oliver

Running on the European track circuit is not easy, as a matter of fact it should qualify for the cable television show "Dirty Jobs" with Mike Rowe.

David Oliver took to his blog to share with fans the gritty and glamorous side of doing his thing while winning races. As we called it yesterday, he managed to come out on top at the Monaco Super Grand Prix, while feeling less than his best.

"You Are Only As Good As You Are On Your Off Days" "Is a quote that I take from Brooks to heart, everybody can do it when it's easy, but when the chips are down, what will you do? For those of you that were able to catch the race on wcsn, you know exactly what I am talking about.

I had a pretty decent warm-up, it wasn't great, but I knew I had more than enough to get the job done. Of course we had the customary false start from someone in the field. I came out the blocks on the re-start and on my fourth step out, I don't know what happened but it felt like I hit a dip and my hips dropped. That threw my first hurdle off, which threw the entire rest of my race off. I ended up hitting 7 of the 10 hurdles, but I was able to clean up my last two hurdles, finish in my customary strong fashion by dominating the critical zone once again and pull out a tough win.

My left quad has been tight since the race in London and that happens to be my trail leg, so today, I couldn't get the action from it I was looking for and it was causing my trail leg to be severely late, causing me to fall to the right, reverting to what I was looking like late in the indoor season. I ran 13.11 (-0.8w), Anwar was second in 13.19 and Jason Richardson ran a strong 13.23 for third. Like I said, if my off day is 13.11, a Super Grand Prix win and a 14 stack deposit into my Bank Of America account, then I am doing certain things correctly. I hope I got my bad one out of the way for the season, I can't afford a race like that at the Games! I'm off to Beijing tomorrow afternoon, I think I'm going to catch a helicopter to Nice from Monaco instead of the bus to the airport, I'm going to high-side on 'em! LOL."

Click here to read David Oliver's blog.

By Jay Hicks.

Instant Analysis – Monaco Super Grand Prix!

Isinbayeva Raises the Pole Vault World Record.

-Monaco-Can anyone touch Yelena Isinbayeva? She cleared 16 feet, 6 1/2 inches setting a new record for the second time this season. The stakes have been raised another notch and Yelena goes into Beijing as the clear favorite to win gold.

It’s about staying calm under the pressure. I think David Oliver (13.11) hit nearly every hurdle in the race and still managed to run down Anwar Moore for the win. That’s when you know your race is on.

It was just another day in the office for Asafa Powell. Today the Jamaican commonly referred to as the world’s second fastest man clocked 9.82 in the 100-meters. Darvis “The Veteran” Patton (9.98) of the U.S. was runner up with a solid performance.

More than almost anyone else Jamaica's Kerron Stewart is establishing herself as the runner to beat. Today she posted 10.94 over Sherone Simpson (10.95) of Jamaica, and Torri Edwards (11.02) of the U.S. in a hotly contested 100-meter race.

The 800 left me thinking that the U.S. athletes can not expect to be competitive if they sit in the back for most of the race and then try to pour on a huge kick down the home stretch. It isn't going to happen. Yuriy Borzakovskiy and Yusuf Saad Kamel put down a ridiculous 1:42.79. They ran every step of the race today.

By Jay Hicks.

Monaco IAAF Super Grand Prix--Preview

Catch all of the action live on WCSN.com and Universal Sports TV.

-Monte Carlo - Don't miss the last major action before the Olympic Games at the historic Monaco Super GP. How fast can David Oliver fly over the hurdles? The U.S. Olympic Trials champion headlines the 110-meter hurdles along with Americans Anwar Moore and Antwon Hicks.

Asafa Powell will take his last run prior to Beijing Olympic Games. Can anyone touch Yelena Isinbayeva? The Russian pole vaulter will take a stab at the world record.

The women will continue to duke it out on the 100-meter international scene. Torri Edwards (10.79) will take on Jamaica's Kerron Stewart (10.80) along with compatriots Shelly Ann Fraser (10.85), Sherone Simpson (10.87), and USA’s Marshevet Hooker (10.93) in what is a class field. Kim Gevaert of Belgium, the European champion, makes another outing in her recovery from recent injury niggles.

IAAF Herculis Super Grand Prix on WCSN.com and Universal Sports TV.

Tuesday, July 29^th

Monaco, Monte Carlo

2:00-5:00p EDT- LIVE

By Jay Hicks.

Instant Analysis: Day 1, Aviva London 2008 IAAF Super Grand Prix

Catch all of the London Action at WCSN.com and Universal Sports TV.

The races at the Crystal Palace got off to a good start. According to my sources, many of the athletes are under going heavy training in preparation for the Olympics and running through this meet.

Being really good also takes good luck. With that, a false start by the field saved David Oliver from a horrid start. Out of Lane 6, Oliver (13.2) got a decent start on the second time around and won the race by digging himself out of hole halfway through the race. The time certainly isn’t what Oliver was expecting, but this sort of gritty win you want to see from an Olympic gold medal contender.

200-meter winner Sherone Simpson of Jamaica flew by Allyson Felix coming off the curb. The fourth place finish by Allyson Felix (23.00) was surprisingly slow today.

Don't question his conditioning. Asafa Powell (9.94) ran on cruise control to 100 victory. Afterwards Powell said, "Tyson not running makes no difference to me. What is important to all of us is what happens in Beijing next month."

Trinidad’s Richard Thompson won a tight second heat in 10.11, with American Shawn Crawford finishing fourth.

Positioning is everything in track and field. Bernard Lagat was boxed into fifth place with 200 to go in the mile. He simply ran out of track after he finally untangled himself down the homestretch. Lagat managed a third place finish in the mile.

After the women’s 100-meter hurdles, Kelly Sotherton of Great Britain was livid. The third set of hurdles were set in the wrong position. Four of the athletes in the race stopped running entirely. One of the athletes could have fallen and ruined their Olympic dreams. Meet officials decided to re-run the race at the end of today’s program.

By Jay Hicks.

Aviva London Super Grand Prix, IAAF World Athletics Tour—Preview

Catch the Aviva London Super Grand Prix broadcast on WCSN.com and WCSN TV.

The big draw of Asafa Powell and Tyson Gay at 100-meters, will have to wait until Beijing. As a precaution, Gay has cancelled his appearance in the 100-meters, just to make sure he does not re-injury himself before the Olympic Games.

According to meeting director Ian Stewart: “Tyson gave himself absolutely every chance to be fit for the Aviva London Grand Prix – and I know he was absolutely desperate to run here. But at the end of the day the meeting has come just a fraction too soon for him and I understand the reasons why he has had to pull out.”

But don’t discount the London Aviva Super Grand Prix because the meet, which has been expanded to a two day format boasts an impressive line up.

First starters, Usain Bolt has promised something ‘special’ for his appearance in the 200-meters, after dropping 19.67 last Friday in Rome. Might that something 'special' be a run at Michael Johnson’s World Record of 19.32?

If it is somehow possible, the women’s 100-meters continues to add drama. U.S. Olympian Lauryn Williams will face Jamaica’s Veronica Campbell-Brown and Allyson Felix of the U.S.

Williams, who qualified at the U.S. Olympic Trials in the 100-meters with a third place finish, will definitely bring the heat on Friday against two formidable opponents just three weeks before the Olympic Games.

Timing is everything, especially in the hurdles. If David Oliver beats Cuba’s Dayron Robles, then track and field may have yet another new rivalry. Robles the reigning World Record holder in the 110-meter hurdles is a beast right now.

Can Lolo Jones continue her winning ways? Former Olympian Joanna Hayes and Jamaica’s Brigitte Foster-Hylton make for an exciting precursor to Beijing.

Going into Beijing, the question mark on Kerron Clement in the 400-meter hurdles, is whether the 2007 World Champion can establish consistency in the grueling one lap race. Fridays race may provide some indication of how consistent Clement is running since his lost to Bershawn Jackson at the U.S. Olympic Trials.

By Jay Hicks.

DN Galan in Stockholm, Sweden--Preview

served by picapp.com

How many world records will drop?

The DN Galan, a Super Grand Prix status meet on the 2008 IAAF World Athletics Tour, takes place on Tuesday.

Breaking the world record is a culmination of timing and destiny. The DN Galan takes places in venerable old Stockholm Stadium, which was built in connection with the 1912 Olympics. Through the years, no fewer than 83 world records have taken place at this venue, more than at any other stadium in the world.

There will not be a Jeremy Wariner match up against LaShawn Merritt, but Wariner will face David Neville, who finished third at the U.S. Olympic Trials.

Will the 100-meters world record get lowered on Tuesday for the second time this season?

The world will be watching the 100-meter match up between Usain Bolt and Asafa Powell. The race is almost guaranteed to produce some sparks. Powell is running in his first race since experiencing a groin injury earlier this month in Rome.

Earlier in the season, it was Bolt who brought the world's attention to the 100-meters as he set the new World Record at 9.72 seconds, breaking Powell's world record. The favorite going into the meet is Usain Bolt, and since he has a flair for the dramatic, don't be surprised to see a new world record at the end of the race.

Get Russian pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva angry, and anything can happen. After watching Jennifer Stuczynski lower her own American record at the U.S. Olympic Trials, Isinbayeva was so angry that she broke her World Record in her first competition of the outdoor season. Look for sparks to fly tomorrow when the two meet head-to-head. Right now, Isinbayeva is riding the hot hand and is the favorite going into the meet, although this competition will be fierce.

Just call it the calm before the storm. There is a looming clash in the 110-meter hurdles between World Record holder Dayron Robles of Cuba and David Oliver, the U.S. Olympic Trials champion. Dayron's precision is nearly flawless, and Oliver is precise and physical at this point in the season. This race is simply too close to call, but we can expect the winning time to hover around 12.88 or so, which is .01 off the current world record.

By Jay Hicks.

When Athletes Blog - David Oliver

Image details: S

In his first race since winning the U.S. Olympic Trials, David Oliver laces up his spikes in Stockholm to hit the competition up again. Here is what the dominant 110-hurdler had to say to fans:

"I've been out in Stockholm, finally getting a chance to race again. This is the first stop on my three race tour before the Olympics. I will be racing here, London and in Monaco. Brooks [Coach Brooks Johnson] is here as well with the relay team and he will be at all of my competitions.

The last time I raced here was in 2005, my first year as a professional. I had a good result for me at the time, I came second and ran 13.23 in the process. I found a picture of the race HERE and I was leading touching down at 10 and got dominated in the critical zone by Anwar. I am glad I have corrected that flaw in my race.

The atmosphere at this meet is electric! The crowd sits right on top of you and the stadium is always rocking. There will be plenty of great results here."

Click here to read David Oliver's full blog.

By Jay Hicks.

Who Will Win Wariner vs. Merritt IV?

When Jeremy Wariner sat down before the season with his agent Michael Johnson and his coach Michael Ford, it was recognized that LaShawn Merritt would be a foe to be dealt with in the ’08 season.

Not that Wariner could have ever forgotten the man he had to run down in final 30-meters in Osaka to win the 400-meters at the 2007 World Championship.

What could not have been anticipated before the season is the hamstring injury suffered by Wariner on May 9 in Doha, Qatar, that slightly set back his conditioning and training. The tightness in the right hamstring is a recurring injury dating back to his Baylor days and is a recurring issue from time to time.

Another unforeseen development is LaShawn Merritt currently leads the matchup 2 to 1 over Jeremy Wariner this season. In the first show down Merritt won over Wariner in Berlin, Germany on 1 June, at the opening leg fixture of the ÅF Golden League 2008. Their tussle could not have been much tighter - 44.03 to 44.07. In a big upset Merritt (44.00) edged Wariner (44.20) at the the U.S. Olympic Trials.

There is a certain feeling in being a marked man. The freshly minted World Record holder Dayron Robles (12.87) is running with a bulls eye on the back of his uniform in the 110-meter hurdles. Rising U.S. star David Oliver ran close to the world record at 12.87 with a +3.2 wind at the Olympic Trials, making the head-to-head match interesting. Oliver is running with tremendous confidence making this one of the highlight events of the meet.

The women’s 100-meter hurdles promises to be thrilling on Friday. Fresh off a U.S. Olympic Trials championship Lolo Jones (12.29 with +3.8 wind) is poised to take on the red hot Brigitte Foster-Hylton (12.50). The heat will also come from Josehine Onyia (12.50) Delloreen Ennis-London (12.54) in the race.

The women’s 200 is another loaded event. The dominant Kerron Stewart of Jamaica comes into the meet with the second fastest time in the world in 21.99. The third fastest time of 22.11 in the world is owned by Jamaica's Sherone Simpson, who will also be in the race. Sanya Richard is dropping down from 400-meters again to work on speed but she may very well have met her match in these two runners. The U.S. Olympic Trials champion at 400-meters ran her seasons best time of 22.49 last week in Rome.

By Jay Hicks.

Is It David Oliver’s Time to Shine?

-From Eugene, OR

Sure Allen Johnson isn’t in the finals of the 110 hurdles, but rising star David Oliver is running at an instinctual level that is unaffected by the loss of the 37-year-old American hurdling legend. Look for the heat to come from Anwar Moore, Antown Hicks, and veteran Terrence Trammell.

Oliver has been on the grind and is hoping that the hurdles are his best friend, and not his worst enemy, tomorrow in the finals.

“That's what's important. Whether you're first or 16th, we're all going to the semifinals, and we all have a chance to make the team still," said Oliver.

Women’s 200m Final Looks Very Familiar to 100m

The main difference going into the 200-meter final is that Allyson Felix has the fastest time (22.22) run by an American this year. The 100-meter U.S. Olympic trials champion Muna Lee has the second fastest qualifying time (22.33), Shalonda Solomon put down 22.48, and Bianca Knight won the first heat in 22.53.

Felix, Lee, Lauryn Williams, Torri Edwards, and Marshevet Hooker all appeared in the 100-meter final, and they are all now in the 200-meter final.

This race is simply too close to call. Felix is the favorite going into tomorrow. Hooker is motivated by not getting left home. Solomon is a beast, and Knight is the picture of consistency at the half lap distance. Not to mention that Torri Edwards has veteran experience that can not be underestimated.

Get your popcorn ready, because this is going to be entertaining.

All content and photos by Jay Hicks.

When Athletes Blog—David Oliver!

David Oliver is in the driver’s seat heading into the U.S. Olympic Trials. But that doesn’t mean the standout hurdler doesn’t have a lot on his mind.

David took to his blog to share his gracious thoughts with fans. Here is what the America’s top ranked hurdler had to say about Cuba’s Dyron Robles new World Record in the 110-hurdles.

“Today in Ostrava, the guy who I have proclaimed as the best 110 hurdler since 2006, came through with the best performance in the history of the event. A World Record run of 12.87 seconds. Bettering Liu Xiang's performance of 12.88 seconds set in Lausanne in 2006. It was the most amazing race I have ever seen. Congratulations to Robles and his camp for running the record and once again showing the world again how the 110 hurdles is the best event in track and field to watch.

This race has caused me to undertake some changes to my site, as I had Mission: 12.87, now I have had to lower it down to 12.85. I think I should put it at 12.75 because then I might be able to hold on to that title without changing it for a while. I'm sure 12.85 will be surpassed by someone here in the next coming months.”

Click here to read David Oliver’s full blog.

By Jay Hicks.

Allyson Felix Dominates Qatar!

The women’s 100-meter was completely lit up by Allyson Felix. She won the race in 10.93, setting a new personal best. A half and an hour and a half later she ran a world leading time of 49.83 in the 400. All in a days work for one of track’s brightest stars.

American David Oliver set a new personal best time in winning the 110-meter hurdles in 12.95. He was 0.07 off the world record held by China's Liu Xiang. Oliver's previous personal best was 13.08.

Norway's Jaysuma Saidy Ndure won the men's 100 in 10.01, edging Darrell Brown of Trinidad and Tobago by 0.01. Jamaica's Michael Frater was third with 10.08.

The most concerning news of the day is about reigning 400 champ Jeremy Wariner. He pulled out of the 200 because he felt a cramp in his right thigh during warmups. Wariner had entered the 200 to sharpen his finishing speed in preparation for the upcoming Beijing Games.

"It was bad enough not to run and this being the Olympic year and all that," said manager Deon Minor. Wariner, watching the race in the stands, declined to comment.

By Jay Hicks, a.k.a. Track Evangelist.

Hurdlers Come Through Quickly At Penn Relays!

In perfect weather conditions Friday at the Penn Relays, a Team USA quartet of hurdlers stamped their mark on the track record books in the men's 4x120 yard shuttle hurdle relay.

Competing in the Olympic Development division and wearing Team USA jerseys, 2008 American indoor champion David Oliver, 2005 USA indoor champion Joel Brown, 2001 NCAA indoor champion Aubrey Herring, and 2006 NCAA champion Aries Merritt teamed up to run 53.31. The time was announced as a world best - the fastest time ever recorded by a national team in the event. Team USA Blue was second in 55.55, with DC Capitol third in 59.67.

The race was part of the National Relay program that will be featured in Saturday's USA vs. The World events at Penn.

"Since we're having such great luck with the sprinters and 400m people in our national relay program, the idea was to broaden it with the hurdles," said USATF high performance chair Brooks Johnson. "Our women's hurdlers had to run a 4x100 relay, but hopefully in the future we will be able to duplicate for our hurdlers what we do for our sprinters."

By Jay Hicks, a.k.a. Track Evangelist.

Courtesy USA Track & Field.

The Final Lap: Fast Times Galore!

• Fast times at the Michael Johnson Classic. Jeremy Wariner and Sanya Richards put up world leading times on their “home” track in Waco. Wariner ran 44.56 and Richards ran 50.47. Read Star-Telegram
  

• 400-meter runner LaShawn Merritt drops down to the 200 with eye-popping results. Merritt just proved again that he has crazy speed in running 19.80 with 3.20 wind at North Carolina A&T. That’s quite impressive in April even considering the wind.

• Also running at the North Carolina A&T meet, David Oliver came up big in the 110-meter hurdles, running 13.08.

• Lolo Jones is peaking at the right time heading into Drake Relays. The Des Moines native had her best season opener ever at LSU alumni gold meet in 12.72.

• Bershawn Jackson came into the season to prove he’s a legit contender at 400-meter hurdles after failing to make the finals in Osaka last year. He is making believers after running 48.32 at the Kansas Relays on Saturday. Is this the year Jackson dips under 48 seconds again? Read Star-Telegram

By Jay Hicks, a.k.a. Track Evangelist.

Photo courtesy runlolorun.com.