By Miranda Mitchell, World-Track
EUGENE — Alan Webb’s quest to make the American team to the World Championships in Berlin has ended after his agent confirms the runner will take no further part at the meeting.
According to Ray Flynn, Webb picked up a hamstring strain in his left leg and is out of today’s Ray Flynn 1500m final.
Flynn said Webb sustained the injury when finished seventh during the preliminary rounds of the event on Thursday and after consulting with therapy with Dr. Justin Whittaker he was advised to pull out.
"Alan hurt his left hamstring during Thursday’s 1500m warm up," Flynn in a released statement. "He further strained it during the race."
Also out of the meeting are sprint hurdler Lolo Jones and multi-athlete Hyleas Fountain.
Fountain, who was on the path to book a ticket to Berlin, after leading in the women’s hepthalon after day one with a score of 4,038 points, suffered a neck injury during the high jump event on Saturday, which was reagravated while competing in the long jump Sunday – ending her chances of competing at the rest of the meeting.
Meanwhile, Jones, who was hoping to make up for her disastrous misfortunes in Beijing, where she failed to medal after going in as the Olympic favourite, again suffered another mishap, this time in the semifinals here in Eugene and failed to advance to finals at the trials.
"I tried my best to come back in time," Jones said. "I put everything out there. Yesterday I didn’t feel like I was even in the same ballpark. I can only pick myself up and go over to Europe and try to salvage my season.
“The problem was me and Michelle Perry locked arms over the fourth hurdle. That’s happened before because I go to the right and she goes to the left.
"So I tried to prepare for that fact by moving my blocks over some but I guess I just veered and we locked arms and that threw me off balance.”
Elsewhere, Shawn Crawford (20.19) and Allyson Felix (22.31, 2.7m/s) are the top qualifiers for the men’s women’s 200m finals later on today.
