Hyleas Fountain of the US confirmed her status as the world leader by the taking the first day lead after getting the top marks of the competition in the 100 hurdles (12.78), high jump (1.89m), and 200 (23.21).  The 100 hurdles (Trials mark was wind-aided),high jump and 200 were personal best performances.  The 13.36m throw in the shot put was a foot off her personal best.  Washington State grad was unfortunately injured early in the 100 hurdles and had to drop out.  Natalya Dobrinska of the Ukraine was second after the first day with a mark of 3996 as she won the shot put with a throw of 56-8 and Kelly Sotherton of Great Britain was third at 3938.  American Jacquelyn Johnson was off her best after a long collegiate year and was 22nd after the first day at 3592.  She had a terrible best of 11.82 meters in the shot put, more than three feet off her personal best.  Her other three marks were just short of her bests.  

American shot puters all qualified in the morning.  Nelson, Cantwell, and Hoffa were 2nd, 4th and 6th in qualifying.  Tomasz Majewski of Poland had a pr throw of 21.04 meters on his first throw of qualifying.  At last year's World Championships, won by Reese Hoffa, he had set his pr of 20.87m for fifth place.   

In the first two rounds of the men's 100 meter qualifying all three Americans made it through easily although Tyson Gay was not showing a very good or extended drive phase due to his injured hamstring.  The American women's 800 meter runners repeated their performance from the Trials and did not make it out of the heats.  Unfortunately OTC elite's Nicole Teter had been struck by a stomach virus and had not eaten in four days.  She pulled out of the race after 100 meters.  She was obviously distraught and your heart went out for her sacrifices the last four years.  All three Americans qualified out of the first round of the men's 1,500 meters.  The three American men's 400 hurdlers - Bershawn Jackson, Angelo Taylor, and Kerron Clement easily won their heats. 

America's Stephanie Brown-Trafton was the top qualifier in the Women's Discus with a best of 62.77 meters.  She is being supported by her friend and ex-Eugenian and five time Javelin Olympian Karin Smith.  Volunteer Washington throws assistant Aretha Thurmond also qualified in the Discus with the sixth best throw (61.90) as both threw over 200 feet in qualifying.  Things look good for the final after defending champion and two of the favorites Russian Natalya Sadova and Ukrainian Nataliya Semenova did not make the final. Also top ranked Franka Dietzsch is injured and Russian Dariya Pishchalnifova was one of the recent drug bust suspensions.  Trafton has the second best throw this year among competitors and the seventh best personal record.  This could be the first time since 1984 that an American will get the final three throws at the Olympics.  The last medal by the US was Leslie Deniz's Silver in 1984 and the last non-boycott Olympics was Lillian Copeland's gold in 1932.  The last to make the final eight other than the boycott-year of 1984 was 1956 Czech Olympic champion Olga Fitokova's 6th place finish in 1968 and before that the fifth place finish by Earlene Brown in 1960.  

In the women's steeplechase two Americans, Jenny Barringer and Anna Willard had to ru n their third fastest times ever (9:29.40 and 9:28.52) as they were in the two slowest heats to make the final 15.  Lyndsay Anderson was eighth in her heat in 9:36.81 with the four runners just ahead of her running prs.

Americans Shani Marks and an injured Erica McLain did not make it out of qualifying in the triple jump and the second best heptathlete of all-time, 25 year-old Carolina Kluft of Sweden, did not make it out of qualifying.

The men's Shot Put final was another huge disappointment for the Americans.  Reese Hoffa has been almost unbeatable since finishing 5th at the 2005 US championship.  The only competitors he has lost to have been his teammates, 2005 World Champion and 2x Olympic Silver Medallist Adam Nelson and the seventh best thrower of all-time, Christian Cantwell.  Cantwell threw decently but Nelson and Hoffa were swinging their blocking arms rather than blocking and all of their throws were going to the far left side for sector fouls or the momentum was pushing them to foot fouls.  They never seemed to change their technique and consequently Hoffa finished seventh although his sixth throw was a foot foul that would have won him the competition.  Nelson had three sector fouls and didn't get the final three throws. 

6-8 slider Majewski led at the beginning with a 20.80m throw  and world fourth ranked (22.00 in London on July 25th) Mikhnevich (Athens and Osaka bronze medallist) was second at 20.73m.  Andrei Mikhnevich of Belarus took the lead at 21.05 in the second round (superior to Majewski's pr).  Ex-Longhorn Dylan Armstrong of Canada threw a national record 21.04 to move into second and Cantwell moved into third at 20.98.  Hoffa threw 19.81 for his first throw to move into 10th.  In the third round Majewski threw a pr 21.21 to move into first and Hoffa threw 20.53 to move into seventh and qualified for three more throws.  In he fourth round Majewski threw 21.51, 70-7 and Pavel Lyzhyn moved into fifth with a pr throw of 20.98 to drop Cantwell to fifth. In the fifth round there were no improvements.  In the sixth round, with Nelson coaching both Hoffa and Cantwell, Cantwell improved to second at 21.09, 69-0 3/4, and was afraid that mark wouldn't last.  It did and Cantwell had his first outdoor international championship medal to go with his two indoor world championships.     

The women's 10,000 meters was run at a tough pace in 79 degree and high humidity weather.  The Dibaba sisters took out the pace in a pack of about 10 that included Kara Goucher and Shalane Flanagan.  Eventually defending world champion Tirunesh Dibaba land last year's Silver medallist Elvan Abeylegesse pushed out ahead of the rest.  With a lap to go Flanagan was 150 meters back and she passed junior Linet Masai of Kenya who wasn't able to keep up with the leaders.  Dibaba sprinted in for the second fastest time ever at 29:54.66 to the third fastest time ever by Elvan Abeylegesse at 29:56.34. Flanagan crossed the finish line not sure of where she finished, second or fourth and had to get the press to advise her she was third.  There had been a lot of change in position and she admits she was hurting enough to mentally zone out.  She broke the American record for the second time this year at 30:22.22 ahead of the world junior record of Masai at  30:26.50.  six of the first seven set personal records.  Kara Goucher admitted that her coach advised her that she may have to suffer and give everything she had but she had to do it to medal.  Goucher admitted that she got hot fast and did not push her to her limits and said it was a "big mistake".  She still ran hard and had a pr at  30:55.16.  She was one of the nine of the first 13 to get a pr.  Amy Begley ran 32:38.28 for 26th and will try to move to the Marathon soon.