July 13, 2004
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Former TCU track standout Khadevis Robinson earned his first-ever spot on the U.S. Olympic Team, while fellow Flyin' Frog alum Jerry Harris, who completed his Horned Frog career in June, advanced to the 400-meter finals at the U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials held Monday night in Sacramento, Calif.
Robinson, who narrowly missed qualifying for the 2000 Olympics, placed second in the finals of the 800-meter dash with a time of 1:44.91. The Fort Worth native's time was his fastest of the trials and was just .14 seconds behind Jonathan Johnson's stadium-record mark of 1:44.77. At TCU, Robinson was the national champion in the 800 at the 1998 NCAA Outdoor Championships.
Meanwhile, Harris pushed through to the finals of the 400-meter dash thanks to a time of 45.07 in the semis, a figure that placed him fourth in his heat. Harris, who would earn a spot on the U.S. team with a top-three finish in Thursday night's final, is also seeking his first-ever Olympic berth. In June, Harris placed third in the 400 at the NCAA Outdoor Championships with a time of 44.96. A seven-time All-American, he is the only 400-meter runner in TCU history to eclipse the 45 second barrier.
On Friday night, former TCU greats Darvis Patton and Jabari Fields will participate in the 200-meter dash qualifying. Patton, who finished his TCU career in 2001, was decorated as a 10-time All-American in his two seasons in Fort Worth and captured the gold medal at the 2003 U.S. Championships. Fields had a bronze finish in the 200 at the 2004 NCAA Championships with a time of 20.28 and was a four-time All-American. The quarterfinals and semifinals of the 200 will take place on Saturday, with the finals slated for Sunday afternoon. As it is with every event, the top three finishers in the final will represent the United States in Athens, Greece, later this summer.
For more information on the U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials, visit the official website of the event: www.usatf.org. A full listing of event schedules and television times appears on the site.
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