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Tampa's Cherry Headed To Olympics

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By PATRICK O'NEILL

Tribune correspondent

Published: July 7, 2008

EUGENE, Ore. - EUGENE, Ore. - It came years later than she expected, but at age 30, Tampa's Damu Cherry fulfilled her dream Sunday at the U.S. Olympic track and field trials.

Running in the women's 100-meter hurdles final at Hayward Field, Cherry flew over the 10 barriers in a wind-aided time of 12.58 seconds to win the silver medal behind two-time world indoor champion Lolo Jones and, more importantly, earn a trip to next month's Beijing Games to compete on her sport's biggest stage.

"I feel great. I kept seeing myself crossing that finish line and getting on the Olympic team," said Cherry, a Leto High and University of South Florida graduate. "I saw myself with the American flag. I kept seeing it over and over again and I said, 'No matter what, I'm going to be on this team.'"

For Cherry, who missed the 2004 trials because she was serving a two-year drug suspension for use of a banned steroid, Sunday's final was redemption in the greatest sense of the word.

Cherry, who has always denied any intentional use of performance-enhancing drugs, was able to rise up out of the ashes. During her suspension, she could not race, yet she spent those two years in high-level training under her coach and fiance, former Olympic sprint medalist and University of Florida star Dennis Mitchell, at the National Training Center in Clermont.

In a sport in which athletes usually need a steady diet of national and international competition to remain focused, Cherry's comeback is virtually unheard of.

"All I can say is, 'God is good and never quit,'" Cherry said. "I've been through a lot of ups and downs but I never gave up. ... I just always kept fighting."

Cherry gave indication of her readiness when she won her semifinal heat earlier in the day in 12.48, just .01 off her clocking that this season led the world entering the trials. She was a tad slower two hours later in the final but in that race, finishing in the top three is all that matters.

"Today, it was a fight to the tape," she said. "She Jones was awesome. You can't take that away from her, but I know I can run just as fast."

Florida State's Walter Dix finished first in the men's 200 followed by defending Olympic gold medalist Shawn Crawford.

Wallace Spearmon, thought to be a shoo-in in the 200, needed a late burst to win the third and final spot.

Tyson Gay, who fell during 200 qualifying on Saturday, has a mild strain in a muscle in the back of his left leg but says he'll be 100 percent for his two races (100, 400 relay) in Beijing.

His absence means Dix and Muna Lee, on the women's side, are the only American sprinters who will get a chance to double in individual events.

Allyson Felix, one of the biggest names in American track, cruised to victory in the women's 200, finishing in 21.82 seconds to secure the trip she didn't wrap up last week in the 100.

Marshevet Hooker, who ran the fifth-fastest time ever in the 100 (it was wind aided) to start the meet last weekend, crashed across the line to win the final spot in the 200 by .01 seconds. She needed that because she didn't earn a spot in the 100 despite her fast times in qualifying.

Three-time 1,500 national champion Alan Webb finished fifth in one of the more competitive fields at trials. The qualifiers were Bernard Lagat (Kenya), Lopez Lomong (Sudan) and Leonel Manzano (Mexico) - three men born in different lands who made it to America and will now wear red, white and blue at the Olympics.

Jenn Stuczynski set the American record in the pole vault at 16 feet, 1 3/4 inches, but only after she missed on her first two jumps at the lowest height and needed an emotion-draining third and final attempt to keep her chances alive.

Information from staff writer Bill Ward and The Associated Press was used in this report.

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