Bubba Thornton and Jeanette Bolden, head coaches of the men’s and women’s track and field teams that will compete at Beijing, voiced support for the U.S. system of picking team members.
The question comes up every time a favorite is upset or, as happened to Lexington’s Tyson Gay a day earlier, knocked out by injury. As it is, Gay is out of the 200. Unlike some sports – Paul Hamm in gymnastics, for instance — there are no “discretionary picks” to the U.S. track and field team.
“I believe in the system,” Thornton said.
Later, he added: “At the end of the day there will not be a person in this gathering that is going to say, ‘oh, they politicked on (to the team).’ They did not politick on. They made the team. And I think that’s the beauty of what happens when this special time comes around every four years. It’s not someone’s opinion. It’s not what they did at an earlier age in life or something. It’s what they’ve done right now.”
Bolden, a 1984 Olympian, agreed.
“Like Bubba said, it is what it is,” she said. “This is the best system that we have in place right now.”
As for Gay, USA Track & Field confirmed what The Herald-Leader reported Saturday: An MRI taken Sunday at Slocum Center for Orthopedics and Sports Medicine in Eugene showed a “mild strain” in the semitendinous muscle (left hamstring). USATF quoted Gay’s manager.
“He is expected to engage in ‘active rest’ for up to 12-14 days, with light physical activity increasing through that period, and then resume training. Tyson’s only confirmed pre-Olympic competition is sthe 100 meters at the Aviva London Grand Prix on July 25, and that is still on the schedule.”
Gay, who pulled up about 40 meters into his quarterfinals heat of the 200, already had qualified for Team USA by winning the 100 meters. Last year, he won both the 100 and 200 at the World Championships.
Thornton said he was encouraged after seeing Gay on Sunday morning.
“He’s making preparations for that call in Beijing,” Thornton said. “Very bright people are assisting him. I’m excited with the information I get.”
Thornton said he would leave it to Gay’s entourage to reveal further details.
However, he did say that Gay “was smiling, getting on the elevator to get started to get to that next starting line. And he was walking. … He has an injury and I am very confident that he is going to be in place (at Beijing) when they say ‘on your mark.”
The U.S. roster will be submitted to Olympic officials Tuesday. Public announcement will be delayed until Monday, July 14. Relay combinations will not be announced until 24 hours prior to competition.
So it’s wait-and-see regarding Gay’s status on the 4-by-100 relay, which he helped to first place at last year’s Worlds.
“These things are going to take care of (themselves),” Thornton said. “Timing is on his side. As I said earlier in the week, he understands what he needs to do. He has the respect of everyone and he has raised the bar. … Let’s take it one step at a time.”
Both coaches refused to speculate on how many medals their teams will win at Beijing, or where the toughest competition will come from.
“I’ve never talked about numbers. It’s one of those pressures that we don’t need,” Thornton said. “I will say this: at the end of each day, and we go through those (medal) ceremonies, I hope they’ve hear our national anthem enough that the people are humming it when they walk out.”
Odysseus had Sirens to tempt him.
For me, the Olympics always call. Beijing 2008 marks my 10th Olympics as a writer and, no, I can’t get enough. 
