Die Macht » Romanian broke serve in the eighth game, and won

EUGENE, Ore. -- The defending Olympic pole vault champion warmed up, then cooled down, then ran through the whole process again, as the driving rain pelted the field Friday at the U.S. Olympic track and field trials.The more time you have to think, the more youre like, Wow. This is how bad things happen, Jenn Suhr said.Suhr escaped the badness. Several other big-name athletes werent as lucky on a rain-drenched afternoon at Hayward Field.On a day that saw LaShawn Merritt lower his world-best mark at 200 meters to 19.74 seconds -- in a semifinal heat, no less -- and two high-school kids, Michael Norman and Noah Lyles, earn spots in the final, there was just as much buzz about those whose chances got washed away in the rain.First among them was hurdler Dawn Harper-Nelson, whose run at a third Olympic medal came to a stunning halt in the 100-meter semifinals, when she finished third -- not good enough to make the eight-woman final.Tears are going to come, she said. Right now, Im just in shock.Later, after the rain had stopped but the track was still slick, American-record holder Keni Harrison stumbled to a sixth-place finish and a spot on the couch next month. Brianna Rollins, the 2013 worlds gold medalist, won in 12.34 seconds, a comfortable .16 seconds ahead of Kristi Castlin, who was considered a bigger threat four years ago at the trials.Harrison was supposed to be the woman to beat this year.It happened so fast, she said, clearly holding back tears. Ill have to watch film. Its unfortunate, because my season was going so well. But this stuff happens.It also happened to Shamier Little. The worlds silver medalist in the 400-meter hurdles didnt make it out of her semifinal heat.Allyson Felix took to the track well before the rain hit and coasted through her 200-meter qualifying heat in 22.93 seconds. It was her first race in nearly a year at her favorite distance. She said nothings really changed with her aching right ankle, despite four days of rest.Just trying to see how it does on the curve, and all that, she said, as she moved ahead in her quest for the 200-400 double at the Rio Games.Shortly after Felixs race, the sky opened, and everybodys outlook changed. The discus and pole vault competitions were delayed. The 100-meter hurdle semifinals turned into even more of an adventure than usual.I couldnt see through my race, said Nia Ali, who got safely through the semifinal, then finished third in the final, too, to make the Olympics.Suhr, whose gold medal in London came in a windy rainstorm, only needed one jump to qualify for the final.Im thankful to make it, because you never take it for granted, she said.Also waiting out the rain was Tavis Bailey, who finished second in the discus -- one of the most competitive contests on the card.When raindrops are hitting the discus in your hand, that will get to you, said Bailey, who finished behind Mason Finley.Not so fortunate was defending national champion Jared Schuurmans, who finished fifth.Others with decent chances who didnt make the team included high jumpers Jesse Williams, the 2011 world champion, and Randall Cunningham, who was hoping to join his sister, Vashti, on the trip to Brazil.When you landed on the mat, you landed in puddles, said Cunningham, who does the bulk of his training in bone-dry Las Vegas. Your whole body was soaked.Such is life in track and field -- and everything is amplified in the no-excuses world of U.S. Olympic qualifying, where the top three finishers make it and no exceptions are made for injuries, past performances -- or weather.Nobody felt worse than Harper-Nelson, who burst onto the scene eight years ago at the Birds Nest in Beijing, crossing the line first after her more-ballyhooed teammate, Lolo Jones, tripped on the second-to-last barrier. That day, Harper-Nelson crossed the line and could be seen mouthing the words What? What?She was every bit as dumbfounded by this finish.Complete disbelief, she called it. Ive never been in a position where someone is pulling away and I wasnt able to react.Other happenings on Day 7 of track trials:? Rollins stepped ever so slightly into an adjacent lane late in the 100-meter hurdles race but didnt impede fourth-place finisher Queen Harrison, so there was no protest, and no change in the results.? Lost in the buzz over the high-schoolers making the 200-meter final was the fact that three longtime mainstays of the U.S. sprint team -- Mike Rodgers, Wallace Spearmon and Walter Dix -- all failed to advance. On the womens side, Jenna Prandini had the best 200 time, at 22.72 seconds.? Evan Jager won the mens steeplechase in 8:22.48. Hell be joined in Rio by Hillary Bor and Donn Cabral.? Defending Olympic champion Aries Merritt, less than a year removed from a kidney transplant, made it through his qualifying heat in 110-meter hurdles. Also making it were 2008 bronze medalist David Oliver and 2012 silver medalist Jason Richardson.Fake Vans Outlet . That left plenty of energy for pitching books and swatting away free agency questions. Anthony had 24 points and nine rebounds, and the Knicks avenged an embarrassing home loss with a rout of their own, beating the Boston Celtics 114-88 on Wednesday night for their third straight victory. Fake Vans Slip-on . -- Playing time has been limited for Maxim Tissot this season, so the Montreal Impact defender made the most of his first scoring opportunity on Saturday. http://www.fakevans.com/fake-vans-toy-story/ . Oyama had six birdies and two bogeys at Kintetsu Kashikojima in the event also sanctioned by the Japan LPGA Tour. "I have been having this neck ache thats been affecting my golf recently," Oyama said. Wholesale Fake Vans .com) - The Montreal Canadiens embark on their first road trip of the season as they head out west to battle the Calgary Flames on Wednesday night. Fake Vans SK8 .Y. -- Knicks coach Mike Woodson said Wednesday that J. NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- Caroline Wozniacki beat American Sloane Stephens 7-6 (6), 6-2 on Thursday to reach the semifinals in New Haven for the sixth consecutive year. The four-time champion is 23-1 at the Connecticut Tennis Center, with her lone loss coming a year ago when she had to retire from the semifinals because of a knee injury. "Thank you for making me feel old, Im really not," the 23-year-old said. "Im pretty proud of my achievement actually. I think its pretty impressive." The former top ranked player will play Simona Halep on Friday. The Romanian beat Russias Ekaterina Makarova 6-1, 7-6 (6). The other semifinal will feature two players from the Czech Republic. Defending champion Petra Kvitova beat Russias Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 2-6, 6-2, 7-5. She will face Klara Zakopolova, who came from a set down to beat Russian Elena Vesnina 4-6, 6-0, 6-4. Stephens, a 20-year-old rising U.S. star, stayed with Wozniacki early and was serving for the set after breaking the Danish star in the ninth game. But Wozniacki broke back to tie the set at 5-5 and never trailed in the tiebreaker, winning 8-6. Wozniacki broke Stephens in the third game of the second set, and put the match away with another break to go up 5-2. "We both were playing well," said Stephens, who is still looking for her first WTA tournament title. "Its just unfortunate that I lost the tiebreaker. But I thought we both played really well." Kvitova needed three sets and a full day to make her return to the semifinals. Rain delayed the start of play in the early matches by more than an hour and a half, and she was forced to sit through a second, hour-long rain delay, during play. It was the third three-set match of the tournament for the defending New Haven champion, who leads the WTA Tours top 100 players with 29 this season. She improved to 18-11 in those contests. "I know Im playing a lot of three-set matches, thats why I probably know if I lose the first set, still I can go tto the third," Kvitova said.dddddddddddd. "I dont feel like without energy in the third set, so thats good sign, too." Zakopalova also came from behind to win her quarterfinal, finding her confidence in the second set, which she won in 28 minutes. She was serving for the match at 5-2 before Vesnina rallied, coming within a point of tying the set. "I was just fighting for every point," Zakopalova said. "In the end I was a little bit more lucky, I think." Their match and the earlier quarterfinal between Halep and Makarova were forced to the grandstand court by the rain. Fewer than 20 fans watched as Halep jumped out early, taking the first 6-1 while breaking Makarovas serve four times. The second rain delay came with the players tied at 1-1 in the second, and when play resumed Makarova made a run, winning the next two games. "I was a little bit nervous after (the rain)," Halep said. "I played really slow after. But I came back from 4-2 again and I did well." The Romanian broke serve in the eighth game, and won the tiebreaker 8-6. She is looking for her fourth tournament title this summer and said she likes where her game is heading into next weeks U.S. Open. "Im a bit tired right now," she said. "But I want to play tomorrow, to try my best. After that I will see what will happen." This is the first quarterfinal in the tournaments history that didnt include either of the top two seeds. Sara Errani and Angelique Kerber both lost earlier in the week in the second round. Kvitova, Wozniacki and Stephens were the only seeded players to make it past round two. The players got a little excitement before play began Thursday. A fire alarm, caused by smoke from someone cooking in the players lounge, forced the evacuation of the Connecticut Tennis Center for about 15 minutes. "It was OK, when we were waiting for the match, some fun," Kvitova said. "I wasnt cooking, so thats good." ' ' '