After Disappointing Showing in Athens, Webb Starts Beijing Bid on Right Foot

EUGENE, Ore., July 3 -- Alan Webb's road to Olympic redemption is off to a promising start.

The Reston native, who dropped out of the 800 meters to focus on his signature race, ran the fastest qualifying time in the quarterfinals of the 1,500 meters at the U.S. Olympic trials on Thursday night at Hayward Field. Webb's time of 3 minutes 41.27 seconds was more than a half-second faster than any of the 29 others in the three heats.

Webb will run in the semifinals Friday at 11:05 p.m. Eastern time, needing to finish in the top 12 to earn a spot in Sunday's final.

Webb finished first at the 2004 trials, but flamed out in the opening round at the Olympics in Athens, placing ninth. At last year's world championships in Osaka, Japan, Webb led for much of the race, before fading late and finishing eighth.

Since then, Webb said he has maintained a sharp focus to prove his place among the world's elite on its biggest stage.

"I've been waiting for four years to come back to this," he said. "One step down, two more to go."

Webb started his race strong, staying a pace or two behind Garrett Heath until the final turn of the third lap, where he sped past Heath and kept the rest of the pack at least 10 meters behind for the rest of the race.

Stuczynski Makes It Count

It was a quick night of work for the new torchbearer of American women's pole vaulting. Jenn Stuczynski, winner of the past three U.S. indoor titles and two straight outdoor, qualified for Sunday's finals on her first attempt. She didn't bother taking any other attempts.

"Thankfully, it only took one jump," she said after clearing 4.3 meters. "It was just a get-over-the-bar kind of day. It didn't have to be pretty."

The sport's erstwhile champion, though, is still in the mix. Stacy Dragila also cleared the 4.3-meter mark on her first attempt to earn one of the 14 spots in the finals. Dragila, the 2000 Olympic gold medalist and a nine-time U.S. outdoor champion, last won a title in 2005 before Stuczynski began her run.

Reston's Green Falters

Reston's Nikeya Green tripped about five meters before the finish line of the final heat of the women's 1,500-meter semifinals, and failed to qualify for Sunday's final.

Green said her legs got tangled with Dacia Barr's as they neared the finish. Green fell and suffered a nasty bruise on her upper right thigh. She got up and finished, but her time was three seconds slower than that of Barr, who finished in seventh place.

The top six in each heat, plus the next six best times earn spots in the final. Green's time of 4:22.95 was 25th. She finished 12th in the 800-meter final on Monday.

"I was trying to make a move and put myself in the hunt," Green said. "I wasn't trying to dive. I just tripped. I was losing my balance, and I was like, 'Oh, no.' "

Green's time was 2.61 seconds behind the last qualifier, Anne Shadle, who trains with George Mason assistant coach Juli Henner. . . .

Adam Goucher, a two-time U.S. outdoor champion in the 5,000, won his appeal to gain entry into Friday's 10,000 final, even though he does not have a qualifying time this year.

"It is not unusual for past national champions who lack qualifying standards to be granted entry into national championship events," USA Track and Field spokeswoman Jill Geer said in a statement, "and Mr. Goucher's case is no exception." . . .

Brittney Reese, the runner-up at last year's U.S. championships, won the long jump with a leap of 6.95 meters. Grace Upshaw, a three-time champion, including 2007, finished second at 6.88.