Moss 14th overall in Olympic decathlon trials

EUGENE, Ore. -- Former Wilson Hall and Clemson University standout Miller Moss has some ground to make up after the first day of the Olympic decathlon trials was held on Saturday in Oregon.

Moss is in 14th place overall with 3,914 points -- 646 behind leader Ashton Eaton (4,560), the defending gold medal champion. Jeremy Taiwo is in second with 4,478 points followed by Zach Ziemek with 4,411 points.

The top two to three finishers generally qualify to represent the United States in the Summer Olympics, which will be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, beginning the first of August.

Moss placed 15th in 100m; 13th in the long jump; eighth in the shot put; 12th in the high jump and 14th in the 400m.

The 2-day trials finish up today with the 110 hurdles, discus, pole vault, javelin and 1500m events.

In other track and field news from Saturday, sprinters wasted no time drawing conclusions about Usain Bolt’s summertime itinerary.

The consensus: He’ll be in Rio.

For the second straight day, the Jamaican sprinter’s hamstring was Topic No. 1 in the track world. If Bolt is seriously hurt, the entire Olympics will take on a new perspective, whether it’s Bolt at less-than-full strength or — still unthinkable at this point — absent altogether.

Not that anyone going through preliminary rounds in Eugene was worried about that.

“Crazy stuff always happens in an Olympic year,” said Bolt’s main challenger, Justin Gatlin, who cruised through his 100-meter preliminary in a time of 10.03 seconds. “Like anyone else, you have to see what’s going to happen. But c’mon. We’re going to see his face in Rio one way or another.”

Gatlin, Tyson Gay, Mike Rodgers and Trayvon Bromell all advanced easily through the first round of the 100 on a sunny, 83-degree day that produced little in the way of top-line surprises.

Meanwhile, a continent away in Kingston, few clues emerged the day after Bolt, the 29-year-old world-record holder, pulled out of his national championships, posting a picture of himself on Twitter with electrical-stimulation pads stuck to his hamstring and the message: “Starting the recovery process right away.”

What is known is that Jamaica’s rules are much less restrictive than those in the United States, which allow the top three finishers in each event to qualify, with no exceptions for injuries or past performances.

Per Jamaica’s rules, Bolt can earn his spot in the 100 and 200 if he can show he’s fit enough; that judgment call has to be made by July 18, when Olympic rosters are due.

“I feel like it’s a cop-out. He should run like anybody else,” said Rodgers, the 2009 U.S. champion at 100 meters. “But at the end of the day, he’s Bolt. He’s the Olympic champ, he’s the world champ. Until someone beats him, puts him in his place, he’s going to do what he wants to do.”

Allyson Felix again gritted her way through the 400-meter heats, finishing second to Francena McCorory in a time of 50.31. “It’s not an ideal situation for me,” Felix said of the injured right ankle that has hampered her preparation for the 200-400 double. “I’m happy to keep moving on.”

BUSY DAY

World long-jump champion Tianna Bartoletta had a busier day than most. She was also entered in the women’s 100 meters, and the events were scheduled simultaneously. She qualified for the Olympics in the long jump and moved easily through the first round of the 100. Bartoletta petitioned to have the schedule changed, but to no avail. “We changed the practices so I would go from the runway to the sprint, back to the runway,” she said. “Even though the pressure of being at the Olympic trials was higher, my body was actually used to doing that.”

HUDDLE UP

Molly Huddle ran hard to the line to win the women’s 10K by more than 4 seconds over Emily Infeld. Huddle finished in 31:41.62. Last year at world championships, Huddle slowed up and raised her hands to celebrate with about a step left, which allowed Infeld to shoulder past her for the bronze medal.

DISCUS QUALIFIERS

Whitney Ashley, Shelbi Vaughan and Kelsey Card all qualified for the Olympics in the discus throw. Ashley won the event with a throw of 204 feet, 2 inches.