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Rule change keeps Meadowdale grad off Olympic team
Kameisha Martin was third in the 800, but fourth-place finisher will run in Beijing.
Wednesday, July 02, 2008
Alice Schmidt, Hazel Clark and Kameisha Martin pose after the 800-meter final at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials in Eugene, Ore., on Monday, June 30. Clark was first with Schmidt second and Bennett third. Clark, Schmidt and fourth-place finisher Nicole Teter will represent the United States at the Summer Olympics in Beijing.Nearing the finish line, Kameisha (Bennett) Martin was running out of gas.
"It was basically me thinking, 'Am I going to walk at this point?' " Martin said. "That's how much it took from my body."
Martin didn't walk. Instead, she pushed to a third-place finish in the women's 800-meter final at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials in Eugene, Ore., late Monday, June 30. Usually, the top three placers make the Olympic team, which will travel to Beijing next month.
"I put my arms up," Martin said. "Then I looked at the time and said, 'Oh crap.' "
Her time, 2 minutes, 1.2 seconds, didn't meet the Olympic "A" standard of 2 minutes flat, so Martin, a 1999 Meadowdale High School graduate, was not included on the U.S. roster for Beijing. That blow ended a weekend of falls, sore knees and fast starts that is one of the most unusual so far at the trials.
Martin's problems began on Saturday in her 800 semifinal. Another runner, Becky Horn, was boxed in and tried to make a move. Instead, she stumbled and fell to the track, eventually taking three others, including Martin, with her. The spill gave Martin two scraped knees and a fear of missing Monday's final.
Instead, officials ruled that the four fallen runners could participate in the final, pushing the field from its usual eight to 12 competitors. Martin went out fast with her training partner, Hazel Clark, also the sister of U.S. female middle-distance coach and University of Tennessee track coach J.J. Clark. Martin, a former Volunteers star, kept up with Clark, covering the first 400 meters in just more than 56 seconds.
The pace, however, caught up with Martin's fatigued body down the stretch. Not only had she fallen in the semifinal, but she was returning from the birth of her second son, Devyn, 16 months ago. Martin's husband, Miami Dolphins tight end and former Volunteer David Martin, had encouraged her to use adrenaline at the end of the race.
She did, finishing third. She raised her arms, both for her placement and ability to run the final 50 meters.
Martin immediately saw, however, that her time didn't meet the 2-minute standard. Not long ago, she said, USA Track and Field would allow top 3 placers another few weeks to meet the standard, but no longer. Plus, she didn't have the same time competitors did to meet that standard, because she was returning from her son's birth. Runners, she said, are given the previous two outdoor seasons to meet the standard, so last spring and summer's times would count.
Instead, the third spot went to fourth-place finisher Nicole Teter (2:01.30), who ran a tenth of a second behind Martin but had previously met 2 minutes. Clark won in 1:59.82, while Alice Schmidt was second in 2:00.46.
It was the second time Martin was one spot off the Olympic team. In 2004, just 15 months after her first son's birth, she was fourth at the trials. That made Monday a harsh reminder of how close Martin has come to representing her country in the 800 meters.
"I made the Olympic team, and now I can't go," Martin said. "Rules are rules, but it's hard to swallow right now."
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-7389 or knagel@DaytonDailyNews.com.
Kameisha (Bennett) Martin
High School: Meadowdale (1999)
College: Tennessee (2004)
Event: 800 meters
Highlights: Third at 2008 U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials (although failed to make Olympic team), fourth at 2004 U.S. Olympic trials, third at 2005 USA Indoors, All-American in 800 meters at Tennessee.
