Borman Wins Javelin
NORMAN, Okla. -- University of Oklahoma senior Brittany Borman became the second Sooner to join Team USA track and field for the 2012 London Olympic Games in dramatic fashion Sunday.
Borman threw 201 feet, 9 inches (61.51 meters) to win the javelin throw and surpass the Olympic A standard for the first time in her career on her sixth and final attempt at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore.
"I have always dreamed of being here," Borman said, "and coming here has been such a blessing. My coaching and training has been great and because of it I was more than prepared for today. I am looking forward to going to London."
The back-to-back NCAA champion held third place headed into the final round and bested her personal record by nearly seven feet with the gold-medal winning toss.
"I didn't really know what happened differently. I prayed before it and I am still in shock about how far I threw."
Borman will join Kara Patterson and Rachel Yurkovich, who finished fourth but was the third best with an A standard, as well as OU junior Tia Brooks, who qualified for the U.S. in the shot put Friday.
Former Sooner Amy Backel finished 10th in the javelin with a best throw of 170-2 (51.88).
Former Sooner Latoya Greaves, who graduated from OU in 2011, also qualified for the Olympics for her native Jamaica.
Greaves placed second in the women's 100-meter hurdles in a personal best 12.77 seconds. Brigitte Foster-Hylton, the 2009 World Champion, won in 12.68.
Earlier Sunday, Greaves ran 12.86, passing the Olympic A standard for the first time in her career, in her preliminary heat to finish second to Foster-Hylton's 12.85 and advance to the final.
Brooks Punches Ticket to London OU junior takes third in U.S. Olympic Trials women's shot put
NORMAN, Okla. -- University of Oklahoma junior Tia Brooks punched a ticket to London on a banner day for Sooner women in throwing events in Friday at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Eugene, Ore.
Brooks' shot put of 60 feet, 2 inches (18.34 meters) on her second attempt was enough to withstand the nation's best and finish third to earn a spot on Team USA in front of 21,097 fans at Hayward Field.
"Coming off yesterday's performance, I was a bit nervous," Brooks said. "I'm younger and this is my first Olympic Trials. Seeing all the glitz and glamour has made me nervous."
"The whole season kind of changed because, in college, I had to peak at (the NCAA) Indoor and Outdoor (Championships)."
Brooks managed just 57-10 ½ (17.64) in Thursday's shot put qualifier, good for fourth overall but nearly three feet short of her outdoor best. She left no doubt Friday, taking the lead briefly in the second and third rounds with the first throw of 60-plus feet.
Jill Camarena-Williams and Michelle Carter, both Olympians in 2008, were first and second, respectively. Camarena-Williams' led at 62-10 ½ (19.16) and Carter threw 60-11 ¼ (18.57).
Carter offered this advice for the 21-year-old Brooks: "Stay focused, stick to what you know and what works for you. Trust yourself and you'll do well."
The Grand Rapids, Mich., native continued her stellar year in track and field after sweeping the Big 12 and NCAA titles in the shot put in both the indoor and outdoor seasons.
Brooks is just the second Sooner woman to make an Olympic track and field team. She follows in the footsteps of Laverne Jones-Ferrette, a two-time Olympic sprinter for the U.S. Virgin Islands who graduated from Oklahoma in 2003.
