Rio trip! Felix, Gatlin, Merritt book trips to Olympics

He won the men’s 100 on Sunday in 10.80 seconds, the fastest time in the world this year.

In Bolt’s absence, Yohan Blake won the 200m at the Jamaican Championships in 20.29sec last night, having won the 100m on Friday in 9.95sec.

Nobody needs wonder about where Gatlin stands.

Ashton Eaton will be a favorite.

The women’s high jump may hold the single most diverse collection of personalities in one event on our Olympic team.

“Of course you want the best of the best to step up to the line”, said Bromell, who, along with Bolt, is managed by Pace Sports Management.

Felix ran 49.68 seconds, holding off Phyllis Francis and Natasha Hastings to earn her fourth-straight Olympic berth.

But there were shocks in the men’s long jump, where London 2012 finalist Marquise Goodwin, who heads this year’s world lists with 8.45 metres, Mike Hartfield, who is third in the 2016 lists with 8.34m, and world indoor champion Marquis Dendy all failed to qualify in a thrilling competition won with a leap of 8.59m by Jeffery Henderson that was aided by a twist of luck – a following wind of 2.9 metres per second, 0.9 above the limit for record purposes.

Two-time Olympic medalist LaShawn Merritt ran a world-best 43.97 in the men’s 400, propelling him into the field after a disappointing London Games; Merritt hurt his hamstring two weeks before the Games, leading to an early exit in the 400.

Eaton finished with 8,750 points, well clear of Jeremy Taiwo with 8,425 and Zach Ziemek in third. Claye, however, does not have the Olympic standard.

“It felt so easy”, Lowe said.

Bromell also will try to make the Olympic team in the 200. The excellently named English Gardner won in 10.71 seconds, ahead of Tianna Bartoletta and Tori Bowie, who both ran 10.78 in third.

In the women’s high jump, teenage pretender Vashti Cunningham – the daughter of legendary Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Randall Cunningham – confirmed her Olympic ticket with a second place finish behind Chaunte Lowe.

QUOTABLE: “The one thing I love about the athletes I coach, they love running for the United States”.

The 30-year-old from Los Angeles is aiming to become only the third woman after Valerie Brisco-Hooks of the U.S. in 1984 and Marie-Jose Perec of France in 1996 to have won the 200m and 400m in the same Games.

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