Day 4 (June 30): Highlighting Monday’s action at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials in Eugene, Ore. Kenyan native and naturalized U.S. citizen Bernard Lagat looked extremely pleased to wave the U.S. flag after winning the 5000-meter final in 13:27.47. No doubt he’ll look even happier if he can do so in Beijing. He’ll have his chance in the Olympic 5000, and possibly the 1500 as well. Lagat’s strong finishing kick Monday propelled him past second-place Matt Tegenkamp (13:29.68). Ian Dobson also qualified, placing third (13:29.76). Lagat will run in the 1500 Trials, which conclude this Sunday. He’ll attempt to duplicate his 2007 World Championship feat when he earned gold medals in both the 1500 and 5000.

Kara Patterson won the javelin competition with a third-round toss measuring 58.44 meters (191 feet, nine inches) Monday. She’ll be joined in Beijing by Kim Kreiner, who overcame recent Tommy John surgery and placed fourth with her only legal throw (55.9). The second- and third-place finishers, Dana Pounds (57.83) and Rachel Yurkovich (56.41), respectively, have not reached the Olympic “A” qualifying standard of 198 feet, 6 inches, while Patterson and Kreiner have.

Another fourth-place finisher, Nicole Teter, qualified for Beijing in the women’s 800 meters Monday. Hazel Clark-Riley won the race in 1:59.82 while Alice Schmidt took second (2:00.46). Third-place finisher Kameisha Bennett (2:01.20) hasn’t met the “A” standard of 2 minutes, permitting Teter, who finished in 2:01.30 Sunday, to make the team courtesy of a qualifying time in an earlier event. Teter and Bennett had been slowed by a collision in Saturday’s semifinal, but race officials advanced them to Monday’s 12-runner final.

The home fans had plenty to cheer about during the men’s 800-meter final, as Nick Symmonds, from Eugene’s Willamette University, won the race with a strong kick to finish in 1:44.10. Andrew Wheating, from the University of Oregon, was second (1:45.03) while Christian Smith of the Oregon Track Club also qualified for Beijing with a third place finish (1:45.47).

As the decathlon competition closed with the 1500-meter run Monday, the only drama was whether or not 2004 Olympic silver medalist Bryan Clay would break Dan O’Brien’s U.S. record of 8891 points. He didn’t, but Clay scored a personal best 8832 to win the event. Runner-up Trey Hardee also scored a personal best (8533) to edge Tom Pappas (8511) for second. The three athletes took turns atop the standings during Sunday’s five events, then pulled away from the pack on Monday.

Day 3 (June 29): It’s not surprising that Tyson Gay was the big story of the men’s 100-meter event during Sunday’s U.S. Track and Field Trials in Eugene, Ore. The surprise was the reason Gay was the big story. The defending World Champion in both the 100 and 200 had an adventure in almost every race on his way to a berth on the 2008 U.S. Olympic team. During Saturday’s preliminary heat Gay pulled up too early, trying to conserve energy, and had to shift back into high gear to grab the fourth and final automatic qualifying spot for the quarterfinal. Gay then took no chances in the quarterfinal later that day, blazing to a U.S. record 9.77 clocking, breaking Maurice Green’s former mark of 9.79. On Sunday, Gay finished in 9.85 in his semifinal before running the fastest 100 meters in world history to win the final in 9.68 seconds. The time won’t be a recognized world record because he was aided by a 4.1-meters per second wind (a bit more than nine miles per hour). First-time Olympians Walter Dix and Darvis Patton also qualified for Beijing in the 100.

Only two women will represent the U.S. in the triple jump. Favorite Shani Marks won her third consecutive U.S. title with a personal best leap of 14.38 meters (47 feet, 2.25 inches) on her second legal jump of the final, in the third round. Shakeema Welsch was second (a wind-aided 14.27) but she hasn’t matched the Olympic “A” qualifying standard of 14.20 without the aid of wind. The wind during her best jump Sunday measured 3.5 meters per second. Erica McClain, who’d previously beaten the Olympic “A” standard, was third (13.96) and also made the team.

Seniority ruled in the men’s pole vault where favorite Brad Walker made the team with a third place finish (5.65 meters) but saw 35-year-old Derek Miles win (5.91) and 40-year-old Jeff Hartwig place second (5.7). After clearing 5.65, Walker, who recently broke Hartwig’s U.S. record, missed once at 5.7, passed for five consecutive rounds, then missed twice at 5.8. Hartwig cleared 5.7 on his third attempt. Miles missed his first attempt of the final, at 5.5, then reached 5.8 with only one additional miss. Hartwig, who’ll compete in his second Olympics, is the oldest pole vaulter to make a U.S. Olympic squad.

Aretha Thurmond and Suzy Powel-Roos both earned their third Olympic bids in the women’s discus. Thurmond’s second-round toss measured 65.2 meters (213 feet, 11 inches) to give Thurmond her fourth U.S. title. Powell-Ross was second (62.92) courtesy of her final throw, which moved her past Stephanie Brown Trafton (62.65). Brown Trafton will compete in her third Olympics.

Trevell Quinley was a surprise winner in the long jump while Dwight Phillips was a surprise fourth-place finisher. Quinley’s final jump of 8.36 meters (27 feet, 5.25 inches) moved him from third to first, ahead of Brian Johnson (8.30). Miguel Pate took third (8.22) while 2004 Olympic gold medalist Phillips was fourth (8.20). Quinley overcame recent injuries, including a hernia and a groin pull, to win his first American outdoor championship. He won U.S. indoors this year.

Tiffany Ross-Williams had the fastest 400 hurdles time in the world in 2007 (53.28 seconds). Lashinda Demus had the world’s fastest time in the first half of 2008 (53.99). but only Ross-Williams earned an Olympic berth Sunday. She won the 400 in 54.03, beating Queen Harrison (54.60), Sheena Tosta (54.62) and Demus (54.76), who faded down the stretch. Williams won all her heats to take her second consecutive U.S. title.

Bershawn Jackson beat two champions to win the 400-meter hurdles event, in 48.17 seconds. Defending World Champ Kerron Clement was second (48.36) while 2000 Olympic gold medalist Angelo Taylor took the third and final Olympic qualifying berth (48.42). Jackson has also been a champion. He ran second in the U.S. Outdoors in 2003 but was declared the winner when Eric Thomas failed a drug test. But Jackson, who placed second in both the 2005-06 U.S. Championships, said after Sunday’s race that he considered this his first time “winning” the title. He trailed Clement and Taylor early but gained the lead at the ninth of the ten hurdles.