Allyson Felix qualifies for 400 in Rio with win in final at U.S. trials
— -- Allyson Felix is halfway toward her goal of competing in the Olympic double, after she won the women's 400-meter final on Sunday at the U.S. Olympic track and field trials.
Felix, who has been dealing with a right ankle injury, rallied from behind on the final straightaway to finish in 49.68. Phyllis Francis (49.94) and Natasha Hastings (50.17) will join Felix in Rio after finishing second and third.
"Two months ago, I couldn't even walk," Felix said. "To be here and have everything still come together, I don't know quite how it happened."
Felix now has a few days off until Friday, when the 200-meter preliminaries begin. She is trying to become the third woman in history to complete the 200-400 double.
Justin Gatlin qualified for his third Olympic Games by winning the men's 100-meter final later Sunday. Gatlin, who was the only American man to medal in the sprint races four years ago at the London Games, with a bronze in the 100, finished in 9.80. Trayvon Bromell (9.84) and Marvin Bracy (9.98) finished second and third and will join Gatlin in Rio.
Tyson Gay, who was trying to qualify for his third Olympics, missed the cut after finishing fifth overall (10.01).
In the women's final, English Gardner, Tianna Bartoletta and Tori Bowie finished 1-2-3, all separated by 0.04 seconds.
Earlier Sunday at trials, the women's Olympic high jump team was sealed, with Vashti Cunningham, Chaunte Lowe and Inika McPherson making the cut. At age 18, Cunningham, the daughter of former NFL quarterback Randall Cunningham, will be the youngest U.S. track and field Olympian in 36 years.
"I'm very appreciative for my placing. Just to be able to go to the Olympics, I'm more thankful than disappointed," Cunningham said. "It was a relief to qualify and know I was within the top three. But I still wanted to win. I always want to win."
Cunningham said she lost some steam heading into her last set of jumps.
"My legs felt like they lost a little energy and strength," she said. "I'll keep working toward Rio so that doesn't happen -- strengthen myself where I need more strength and strengthen my mentality.''
Lowe, who made her fourth Olympic team with a jump of 6 feet, 7 inches, and Cunningham staged quite a show for the fans.
"God blessed that girl, that little, tall girl," said Randall Cunningham, who coaches Vashti. "She stayed so calm out there. She listens, and she wants it just as much as Allyson Felix."
LaShawn Merritt, who is going for the double on the men's side, won the men's 400 final in 43.97, the first sub-44 time in 2016. Joining him in Rio will be Gil Roberts (44.73) and David Verburg (44.82).
"People always say they look at my film to tell their athletes, 'This is how you're supposed to run the last part of the race,'" Merritt said. "They haven't been looking at it lately. I had to give them something to look at."
Yet another world-best mark came from Lowe in the high jump. Her jump of 6 feet, 7 inches beat Cunningham's by 1 1/2 inches. Lowe is on the way to her fourth Olympics, seeking the medal that has always eluded her. Stoked by her performance and the others she saw on this breezy, sunshine-filled day in Eugene, she was thinking bigger, which was not hard to do on a day such as this.
"It felt so easy," she said. "I think I'll be ready. Just keep training, fine-tuning. I think we could see a sweep of the podium."
Other happenings on Day 3 at track trials:
GARDNER IS A GO: Gardner ran a personal best 10.74 seconds in the 100 to put herself on a list of Olympic track-and-field newcomers that now numbers 25. She edged out Bartoletta, who will be going for a sprint-long jump double, and Bowie, another first-timer and the bronze medalist at last year's world championships. Bartoletta and Bowie both finished in 10.78 and, according to a stat keeper for the IAAF, this was the first wind-legal women's 100 with three times of under 10.8.
BACK TO CAMP: Marquise Goodwin's dream of skipping training camp with the Buffalo Bills is over. The receiver/long jumper finished seventh and didn't qualify for the Olympics. He said he strained his hamstring during qualifications Saturday and couldn't recover in time for the final. Now, he will take a few days off and get ready for camp. "Just a switch. Got to hit it," he said of the quick changeover.
THIRD TIME IS A CHARM?: Gay's chances of making a third Olympics now rest in either the 200 meters or a slot in the relay pool. Both Gay and Mike Rodgers were beaten for the third spot in the 100 by Bracy, a three-time national indoor champ at 60 meters who used to be a wide receiver at Florida State. Bracy is an Olympic newcomer, as is Bromell, the second-place runner who finished behind Gatlin in 9.84.
PUNCHING TICKETS: Qualifying for long jump were 2014 national champion Jeff Henderson and Jarrion Lawson. Will Claye, the bronze medalist at the London Games, finished third but did not have a non-wind-aided Olympic qualifying standard. The other two will make their Olympic debuts. Finishing in the two spots behind Eaton were Jeremy Taiwo and Zack Ziemek.
QUOTABLE: "The one thing I love about the athletes I coach, they love running for the United States. She wants to make this Olympic team. That was something that, like you saw, she was willing to pull every muscle in her body." -- Allyson Felix's coach, Bob Kersee
Information from ESPN's Jim Caple and The Associated Press was used in this report.
