6/28/08

EUGENE, Ore. -- Marshavet Hooker glided through the finish line in her 100-meter quarterfinal heat Friday night at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials and then heard the voice of public address announcer Scott Davis as he announced her winning time. "10.76 seconds...''

Hooker's first impulse was to celebrate. Track athletes understand immediately the significance of their times. The last time a U.S. woman ran that fast was when Marion Jones ran 10.68 at a meet in Stockholm, Sweden in 2000. Pause. (There are many implications that might be drawn from this last statistic, and I will be happy to outline them. But it's complicated. Keep reading).