U.S. Track and Field Trials: Runoff set for Monday; Spearmon wins 200

EUGENE, Ore. — With a Monday runoff in the women's 100 meters still looming over the U.S. track trials, Wallace Spearmon kept the men's 200 controversy-free with an easy victory.

Also earning a trip to London was Seattle-born Kara Patterson, who finished second in the women's javelin throw.

Spearmon got off to a slow start, but recovered in time to win in 19.82 seconds Sunday at Hayward Field, finishing well in front of runner-up Maurice Mitchell and Isiah Young.

Spearmon's victory — and his chance for redemption at the Olympics after losing the bronze medal to disqualification in Beijing — was an expected finish to what should have been the conclusion to the trials.

Instead, Allyson Felix and Jeneba Tarmoh will run Monday afternoon to settle a third-place tie in the 100 for the final spot on the U.S. Olympic team.

Felix and Tarmoh finished in a dead heat for third in the 100 more than a week ago behind winner Carmelita Jeter and Tianna Madison, putting the team for the event in limbo. Track officials had no policy in place to resolve it but the next day devised a tiebreaker that included the options of a runoff or a coin flip.

The decision was put off eight days to allow Felix and Tarmoh to focus on the 200.

On Sunday morning the athletes got together with track officials and decided on the Monday runoff.

Patterson finished behind Brittany Borman in the women's javelin with a toss of 196 feet, 2 inches. Borman threw 201-9 to win the event. Third-place finisher Kimberly Hamilton did not have the Olympic "A" standard need to qualify for the games and the third spot on the U.S. team went to fourth-place finisher Rachel Yurkovich.