Current:Home > ContactWhy Team USA hurdler Freddie Crittenden jogged through a preliminary heat at the Olympics -TradeGrid
Why Team USA hurdler Freddie Crittenden jogged through a preliminary heat at the Olympics
View
Date:2025-04-16 09:55:16
SAINT DENIS, France — Team USA's Freddie Crittenden jogged through a preliminary men's 110-meter hurdles round Sunday to finish with a time of 18.27 at the Paris Olympics, nearly five full seconds behind heat winner Louis Francois Mendy of Senegal.
Why?
Strategy. And misfortune.
Crittenden came up with a minor physical issue Saturday – so minor, in fact, he wouldn't even describe it as an injury – but it was enough to give him concern that it might cause an injury. So in order to save his body and give himself the best chance of recovery, he willfully finished last with a plan of taking the next two days to rest, then hopefully rebound to medal contention in Tuesday's repechage round.
➤ Get Olympics updates in your texts! Join USA TODAY Sports' WhatsApp Channel
2024 Olympic medals: Who is leading the medal count? Follow along as we track the medals for every sport.
"I had a little aggravation in my abductor yesterday for my pre-meet. I went to Team USA medical staff, medical doctors, and they said it's not an injury, but there's a lack of activation in my muscle that's causing pain and discomfort," Crittenden said. "So the plan was to come here, get through the round, and as long as I didn't get disqualified or hit any hurdles, the idea was that I could get through and get another opportunity in the repechage round. So I just wanted to get here, make sure I didn't make anything worse, and give it everything I've got on Tuesday."
➤ The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
The repechage round provides a second and last opportunity to qualify for athletes who don't run well enough to do so in preliminaries. Crittenden said he had mixed feelings about the strategy, but ultimately chose the path he felt gave him the best chance to reach the finals.
"My first thought was, am I going to be ready? Am I going to discredit all the athletes that wanted this spot and didn't have it?," he said. "Then after that it was, "What can I do to explore all my options?'"
It was obvious from the start that Crittenden’s intention was something other than to win the heat. With a short, choppy stride, it looked more like a warm-up form than anything resembling race-level effort. But this wasn’t just a race. It was the opening round of competition in the event at the Paris Games, and a raucous morning crowd was left more curious about the last-place finisher than it was about how the front-runners clocked.
"In a couple days I think it'll be better and I'll be able to leave it all on the track on Tuesday. It was definitely a strange feeling, especially walking out of that tunnel and seeing the beauty of the Paris Olympic Games," he said. "This is my first Olympic team. I definitely was a little close to just going for it, but with that came the risk of really injuring myself and putting myself at risk to not even make it to the repechage round. So I really had to make the best choice."
Crittenden's strategy put him in a position to have to run on three consecutive days to race for a medal. Following Tuesday's repechage round, semifinals are scheduled for Wednesday followed by medal competition Thursday.
Reach Tuscaloosa News columnist Chase Goodbread at cgoodbread@gannett.com. Follow on X @chasegoodbread.
veryGood! (4221)
Related
- Rylee Arnold Shares a Long
- Yankees ace Gerrit Cole out until at least May, will undergo more elbow exams
- Chick-fil-A to open first mobile pickup restaurant: What to know about the new concept
- Massachusetts man gets prison for making bomb threat to Arizona election office
- How to watch new prequel series 'Dexter: Original Sin': Premiere date, cast, streaming
- Police say suspect in a Hawaii acid attack on a woman plotted with an inmate to carry out 2nd attack
- Majority of U.S. adults are against college athletes joining unions, according to AP-NORC survey
- Checking In With Justin Chambers, Patrick Dempsey and More Departed Grey's Anatomy Doctors
- Justice Department, Louisville reach deal after probe prompted by Breonna Taylor killing
- Kate Middleton Photographer Shares Details Behind Car Outing With Prince William
Ranking
- Warm inflation data keep S&P 500, Dow, Nasdaq under wraps before Fed meeting next week
- March Madness bubble winners and losers: Villanova keeps NCAA Tournament hopes alive. Barely.
- South Dakota legislator calls for inquiry into Gov. Noem’s Texas dental trip and promo video
- Star Wars’ Child Actor Jake Lloyd in Mental Health Facility After Suffering Psychotic Break
- Chuck Scarborough signs off: Hoda Kotb, Al Roker tribute legendary New York anchor
- Pro-Palestinian faculty sue to stop Penn from giving wide swath of files to Congress
- Checking In With Justin Chambers, Patrick Dempsey and More Departed Grey's Anatomy Doctors
- South Dakota prosecutors to seek death penalty for man charged with killing deputy during a pursuit
Recommendation
Trump issues order to ban transgender troops from serving openly in the military
RHONY's Brynn Whitfield Shares Hacks To Look Good Naked, Get Rid of Cellulite & Repair Hair Damage
Michael Strahan Surprises Daughter Isabella With Visit From Her Favorite Celebrity Amid Cancer Battle
George Widman, longtime AP photographer and Pulitzer finalist, dead at 79
Jorge Ramos reveals his final day with 'Noticiero Univision': 'It's been quite a ride'
RHONY's Brynn Whitfield Shares Hacks To Look Good Naked, Get Rid of Cellulite & Repair Hair Damage
Drake Bell Shares He Was Sexually Abused at 15
Dua Lipa Dives into New Music With Third Album Radical Optimism