Arkansas Opens Strong At Olympic Trials
MTR Olympic Profiles | WTR Olympic Profiles | Jamaican Trials Day 2 Results | US Trials Day 1 Results
EUGENE, Oregon | KINGSTON, Jamaica – Several former and current Razorbacks posted successful performances at the Jamaican and United States Track and Field Olympic Team Trials on Friday.
Kemoy Campbell became the second Razorback to qualify for competition at the 2016 Olympic Games with a victory in the 5,000-meter at the Jamaican National Senior Championship.
Jamaican Trials | June 30-July 3 | National Stadium
The second day of the Jamaican national meet brought exceptional races from notable Arkansas track and field alumni Kemoy Campbell and Veronica Campbell-Brown.
Seven-time Olympic medalist Campbell-Brown improved her time through each round of the 100-meter dash competition but came up one spot short of making the national team in the event. She placed fourth overall in 11.10 seconds, making her a strong candidate to earn a trip to Rio de Janerio, Brazil, as a member of Team Jamaica’s 4-x-100 relay.
The national record holder in the 5,000, Campbell successfully defended his crown in the 12 1/2 lap race at Independence Park. Campbell dominated the competition, crossing the finish line in 13 minutes, 43.21 seconds – almost two full minutes faster than runner-up Dwayne Graham. As the top performer in the event, Campbell becomes the second Razorback to earn a spot on the Jamaican national team (Clive Pullen, triple jump). Campbell posted the Olympic Standard at the 2015 Payton Jordan Invitational where he ran the second-best time in program history of 13:20.39.
U.S. Trials | July 1-July 10 | Hayward Field
Day one of the U.S. Trials proved extremely successful for Arkansas women’s track and field as both Taylor Ellis-Watson (400) and Chrishuna Williams (800) were able to race to automatic qualifiers in their respective events.
Up first in the challenging middle-distance competition, Williams wasted no time asserting her dominance over the field. Taking the pack through the first 400 in a comfortable 1:01.27, Williams never relinquished her lead and completed the race as the heat winner in 2:03.18.
Fresh off leading the Razorbacks to their first NCAA outdoor national title, Ellis-Watson returned to Hayward Field still in prime condition. One of the most dominant quarter-mile runners in the NCAA this past season, the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, native cruised through the 400 first round, finishing second in her heat in 51.54 to move on to tomorrow’s semifinals.
Friday, July 1 Olympic Trials Results
100 meter finals^
Veronica Campbell-Brown (4) – 11.10
400 meter prelims
Taylor Ellis-Watson (6) – 51.54Q
800 meter prelims
Chrishuna Williams (16) – 2:03.18Q
5,000 meter finals^
Kemoy Campbell (1) – 13:43.21
Saturday, July 2 Olympic Trials Schedule
1:43 p.m. – 800 (Semifinals)* | Chrishuna Williams
3:01 p.m. – 100 (1st Round) | Kenzo Cotton, Tyson Gay, Jarrion Lawson
3:30 p.m. – 400 (Semifinals)* | Taylor Ellis-Watson
3:45 p.m. – Long Jump (Qualifying) | Jarrion Lawson
6:30 p.m. – 110H (Semifinals) | Omar McLeod^
7:45 p.m. – 200 (Semifinals) | Veronica Campbell-Brown^
8:15 p.m. – 110H (Finals)* | Omar McLeod^
^ – denotes Jamaican Trials
* – requires qualification
For more information on Arkansas track and field including in-meet updates, follow @RazorbackTF on Twitter.
