A funny thing happened on the way to the Olympics. The US, bound up in its notions of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, mislaid half-a-dozen of its medal prospects. Fidelity to principle and spectacle has never come at so high a price.
The highlight, of course, was strictly speaking an anti-climax; but after the long drum roll and the a week of name-calling, the sight of Michael Johnson and Maurice Greene both pulling up wounded on the Sacramento tartan provided a finishing scene and a moral straight out of Greek tragedy. The punishment for a warrior's hubris was a greater spectacle than any world record might have been. The attrition rate in the 200 metres - with Jon Drummond and Mike Marsh failing to make the final, with Brian Lewis dropping out of the final before it began and with Johnson and Greene being blighted half way through - means the event will be bereft of both the Olympic champion and the world champion when it gets under way in Sydney. When Johnson, who had the entire Olympic calendar shifted to facilitate his whim in Atlanta, spoke early in the week about his preference for a scheme whereby champions like him were automatically invited to compete in the event next time out, he may have been experiencing a chilly premonition. Johnson and Greene both had plenty to say when they had been patched up and iced up on Sunday. "We should all learn from this," said Johnson. "We built this up, the media, me and Maurice, and it ended up pissing those other guys off and they ran really fast."
Johnson said he'd felt both hips starting to cramp by the time he hit the starting blocks for the final. Greene, who pulled up with a torn left hamstring, felt nothing out of the ordinary. "I felt great," he said, speaking about the start of the race. "I've been putting a lot of pressure on everybody else because I'd been running the curve very hard. I changed in the final, I was going to run the curve easier and bring it home. When I went to try to go get it and bring it home, I didn't have it."
When Greene pulled up he was still unaware that Johnson had dropped out some 50 metres before.
So an unlikely trio set off for Sydney. John Capel, a 21-year-old student at the University of Florida, ran an astonishing 19.85 seconds to earn his spot regardless of the carnage behind. His time was the second fastest in the world this year, bested only by a run at altitude by Johnson. Also travelling: Floyd Heard (34), an old training partner of Carl Lewis' who ran 19.88, beating his 13-year-old personal best of 19.95. Coby Miller, another student, was third in 19.96.
"I have no regrets," Greene said. "I don't regret a thing I said this week. Things happen. We had a heated competition. The world wanted to see a great show, unfortunately me and Michael weren't able to give them the show that they wanted."
Johnson, aloof to the end, shrugged. An innocent man. Why he done been wronged?
"There's nothing more for me to achieve in the 200," he opined. "Maurice had a lot to gain. If he beats me, he'd be the new king. You guys had a lot to gain because y'all were having lots of big coverage. And track and field had a lot to gain because we normally don't get front page coverage. "I personally had not a lot to gain from this, but I went out there and I couldn't stop. That's the position I was in."
Sympathy for either Greene of Johnson was in short supply. Both will go to Sydney anyway. No such luck for Jeff Hartwig (pole vault), Bob Kennedy (5,000 metres), Derick Adkins (400 hurdles) or Kenny Harrisson (triple jump), all of whom for reasons of form or injury missed out on selection in Sacramento.
The trials threw up plenty of stories too. Marla Runyan, the middle distance runner who has a deteriorating eye-condition which makes her legally blind. The two Clarke sisters and their sister-in-law, Jearl MilesClarke, each coached by brother/husband JJ Clarke, all qualified in the 800 metres.
Gail Devers, two-time 100 metre champion, falling back on what has been her strongest event, the 100 hurdles. And Stacy Dagila the adventure freak who tried everything until she discovered she could be the best women's pole vaulter in the world. From an Irish perspective, possibly the most interesting aspect of the trials was the women's middle distance races. The 5,000 was won in memorable fashion by Regina Jacobs, with whom Sonia O'Sullivan has a little personal history stretching back to Athens in 1997.
Jacobs, however, looks to be strongly leaning towards competing in the 1,500 metres in Sydney, while second-placed finisher Deanna Dressin has declared that she will go in the 10,000 metres, which means that neither of America's top triallists will go to the line in the 5,000 in Australia.
In Kenya, meanwhile, trials were also unfolding. Lydia Cheromei won the 5,000 metres in 13:45.7, with schoolgirl Vivian Cheruiyot, a world junior cross country champion beating Rose Cheruiyot (no relation) to runner-up position. All three go to Sydney. Tegla Loroupe, Alice Timbilil and Sally Barsosio all qualified for the 10,000 metres. Loroupe may opt for the marathon.
In Sacramento, the success of the week was Marion Jones, who laid a lot on the line with her stated intention to win five gold medals in Sydney and proved that at least she has an appetite for the big occasion by cruising majestically through the trials. She and Cathy Freeman of Australia promise to be the headline acts of the Games.
Jones got a glimpse of what her schedule will be like in September. Adding in heats and finals in her two relay events, she knows she will be under the severest pressure she has ever experienced.
"They moved my heat for the 200 final," she said, "which left me a short amount of time before the final. I met Michael Johnson and I said to him, `They're trying to kill us'. He just said, `Get used to it girl, that's the Olympics'."
Never a truer word.
