Congrats Tiff!!

I want to congratulate one of my training partners Tiffany Ross-Williams, who will be advancing to Beijing in the 400 hurdles as the U.S. Champion and one of the prohibited favorites for gold in the Olympic Games. She dominated the field in every round in her usual fashion and won her second U.S. title in the process.

She is someone who I have had the pleasure to watch train this outdoor season. You can clearly see why she is one of the best. I believe that herself and I share a lot of commonalities when it comes to our attitude towards training and our ability to follow what Brooks says to a T. It is wonderful to see Tiff enjoy the fruits of her labor this season.

Brooks in the process has kept his streak in tact, he has had someone he coached on every Olympic team since the early 70s. Tiffany will be one, hopefully he will have others.

Congratulations again ROSS!!! 3-0-5 M-I YA-YO in the building!

Capel's New York Times Article

The New York Times has a very nice article on John and his comeback. I definitely believe he is going to shock some people out in Eugene.

Click here for the article

I want to thank my boy Mc(Lean wit it rock wit it) Cromer for the new header action, I changed the colors up on the blog to match this year's NIKE uniforms.

I'm finishing up the last few practices left down in Orlando, Brooks has already headed off to the trials with Tiffany Ross-Williams and John Capel.

Just wanted to drop a quick update, I gotta get back to finishing tapping Aub-Rida out in the online Family Feud game. I shut him out last game and I think Joel is beating him right now.

Fox Interview Action

I've been very busy and tired over the last couple of days, practice has been moved up to 9am and it has definitely taken some getting use to. I have been doing several interviews as well, driving an hour to this station and and hour to that station etc, but I have had a whole lot of fun doing it.

I was contacted by Josina Anderson of Fox back home in Denver for an interview. This was by far my favorite interview I have ever done because it included my mom Bren as well (even though she hates doing interviews). I was on satellite from the Orlando affiliate station here. The footage from the Orlando studio was aired a couple of nights ago.

Click here for the interview from Fox Denver

Clermont 13.10 (1.4w) Race

After almost a week of camera malfunctions, Aub-Rida was able to finally send me the video of the race.

Joel Brown Tapped Out

Andre Brown sent me a series of pictures from the race, I happened to see in the background of one of them, Joel laid out after his fall, "First 48" style. We all were dying laughing when we saw it, including him, so I cropped it out and told him I was going to post it here. Being a fellow hurdler, I am entitled to this, plus he's perfectly fine aside from some scrapes. I also remember how funny he thought my fall in Oslo was.

Clermont Meet Results

It was a pretty early day for the crew when we shook from 4700. Clermont's about a 45 minute drive from our house to the facility. I hit the meet and dropped my $30 entry fee, which was funny, it doesn't even cost that much to enter in to the Olympic Trials! Other than the U.S. Championship events, I can't remember the last time I paid to run at a track meet. The competition had prelims and finals, so here's the rundown:

In the prelims, I ran a pretty easy race, just trying to work on some technical aspects and I ended up running a wind-aided 13.16. Brooks commented that I was doing some impressive things in the middle of my race, which was the main focus. Joel and Aub ran in heat two, Joel edged out Aub 13.33 to 13.35, their race was legal wind. That's a seasons best for Joel and Aub's second fastest time of the season. It's crazy how I'm always catching the wind aided races, just like in Greensboro, out of four heats, mine was the only windy one.

We had about 45 minutes until the finals went off. It was Aub in three, me in four and Joel in five. I was thinking, this is just like in practice. The gun went off, we all three hit the first hurdle, Joel ended up falling. That threw me off for a hurdle or two, I ended up hitting at least three hurdles. I finished up in 13.10 and Aub ran 13.31. The race was legal, 1.4 wind. As I'm typing this right now, I can hear Joel in the shower screaming. Anyone who has fallen in the hurdles knows the feeling he is having right now. Trust, I feel his pain. In Oslo last year, I tapped myself pretty good, here's the pics. Aub has the finals video on his camera, I will upload it to the blog when he downloads it to his computer and sends it to me.

The prelim race was clearly the better race, I just have to learn to use better technique when I'm running at velocity on a more consistent basis, but that's what training is for and I will be working on that before the trials.

The meet had several great performers competing, Veronica Campbell rolled out in the 100 prelims running 10.88 (1.2) and the 200, Wallace Spearmon (20.40 chilling) rolled out in the 200, Mark Jelks(10.00w, 10.04 legal) and the high school kid Jeff Demps (10.03w), did their thing in the 100, Natasha Hastings won the 400 over Dee Dee Trotter in a good battle down the stretch. This was a great tune up meet for everyone in a prelude to the trials.

Results at www.steepletiming.com

I'm just going to post up and watch this NCAA meet, I'm calling Jason Richardson in the hurdles in 13.17

Clermont Meet

In a final tune-up race for the trials, my camp will be competing at the National Training Center down here in Clermont, Florida. Dennis Mitchell and Lance Braumen's groups train there and they are hosting a spur of the moment meet with two or three rounds in the sprints. I have heard of a lot of people coming down here for this one, so it should be a pretty decent meet. I have had a very solid week of practice, so I'm excited to try to execute some of the things I have been working on in practice at velocity. Brooks thought it would be a good idea for us to get in at least one race, so you know me, if there's a meet with ten hurdles lined up, you know I will be there. I never have a problem lacing up the spikes for a meet. I'm about to tap out now, we've got to be up pretty early for this one. Get back at you tomorrow, hopefully with some good news!

Dayron Robles, World Record- 12.87!

Today in Ostrava, the guy who I have proclaimed as the best 110 hurdler since 2006, came through with the best performance in the history of the event. A World Record run of 12.87 seconds. Bettering Liu Xiang's performance of 12.88 seconds set in Lausanne in 2006. It was the most amazing race I have ever seen. Congratulations to Robles and his camp for running the record and once again showing the world again how the 110 hurdles is the best event in track and field to watch.

This race has caused me to undertake some changes to my site, as I had Mission: 12.87, now I have had to lower it down to 12.85. I think I should put it at 12.75 because then I might be able to hold on to that title without changing it for a while. I'm sure 12.85 will be surpassed by someone here in the next coming months.

David Oliver: Mission 12.87

My good friend Mc(fresh and so c)Lean made this video the other day, just messing around at his house. He made the new header as well. Good looks on that.

Pre Classic, No Action

Due to coaches decision, I regret to inform that I will not be competing at the Prefontaine Classic this weekend. I was really looking forward to competing here and getting one final tune up race before the trials. The decision is for the best when you think about the ultimate goal this season. I was so sore when I came back from Berlin on Tuesday, Brooks felt the turnaround for a cross country trip was too much of a risk due to the circumstances. I have to keep my eye focused on that rear view mirror looking for that pendulum swing.

What David Means

I found this pretty interesting because it describes me pretty effectively. Funny what an internet program thinks it knows, lol.

What David Means You are balanced, orderly, and organized. You like your ducks in a row.
You are powerful and competent, especially in the workplace.
People can see you as stubborn and headstrong. You definitely have a dominant personality.

You are usually the best at everything ... you strive for perfection.
You are confident, authoritative, and aggressive.
You have the classic "Type A" personality.

You are very hyper. You never slow down, even when it's killing you.
You're the type of person who can be a workaholic during the day... and still have the energy to party all night.
Your energy is definitely a magnet for those around you. People are addicted to your vibe.

You tend to be pretty tightly wound. It's easy to get you excited... which can be a good or bad thing.
You have a lot of enthusiasm, but it fades rather quickly. You don't stick with any one thing for very long.
You have the drive to accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. Your biggest problem is making sure you finish the projects you start.

IAAF/VTB BANK World Athletic Final Write Up and Info

Jorg Wenig of the IAAF has published an article of me as we lead to the 2008 World Athletic Final to be held at the end of the season.

This is the largest competition of the season behind the Olympic Games of course. The top seven point scorers during the course of the season and a wild-card qualify to go. You score 20 points at Golden Leagues and Super Grand Prix for winning, 10 at Grand Prix and 6 at Area Permit Meetings. They take your top five performances of the season

So far this season I have competed in two scored meetings and have 40 points due to my wins in Doha and Berlin. Joel is tied with me for the lead in the hurdles with the four scoring meets he has been to. I'm thinking that you probably need to score around 65 points to make the top seven.

Here is the link to everything you need to know regarding the World Athletic Final

In 2006, I qualified for the competition and finished fifth, behind Liu Xiang, Dayron Robles, Allen Johnson and Terrence Trammell, last year I didn't compete due to some set of circumstances I didn't understand and was not explained, I wrote a long post about it last year HERE.

Track And Field News June '08 Edition

Track and Field News has a quick interview with me in the latest edition of the magazine. John Hendershott was the interviewer. It's a pretty cool read, I don't like that picture they used though. It was from the Disney meet, my first competition, right at the last hurdle. My technique doesn't look good at all, I'm too high and my trail leg is too wide, but I'm glad that I made the magazine.

Berlin Race Video

1 David Oliver 13.19 20
2 Dayron Robles 13.20 16
3 Ryan Wilson 13.30 14
4 Joel Brown 13.52 12
5 Thomas Blaschek 13.57 10
6 Sergiy Demidyuk 13.58 8
7 Gregory Sedoc 13.65 6
8 Andrew Turner 13.71 4
9 Erik Balnuweit 13.84

Berlin Golden League Recap

I ran what I easily classify as the most ragged race I have run to this point of the season. It took us quite a few starts to get going as people were raising their hands at the start due to noise in the stadium. I think I lost a lot of my nervous tension but I just did my best to focus and refocus for the start.

I really have no idea what I was doing for the first half of the race. My trail leg was very sloppy at the beginning, I killed the second hurdle which caused my third hurdle to be off balanced as well. I believe I got caught up in trying to keep pace with Robles because at the first hurdle, he was the only person I saw in the field and I got away from what I needed to execute. I finally hit my rhythm around the fifth or sixth hurdle, my lead leg was snappy and my trail leg wasn't as late. Out of my peripheral vision, I kept seeing Robles getting closer and closer. The last hurdle was where I believe the race was won and lost. I cleared it about as good as I could have and Robles smashed it. He leaned and I leaned, but who won was a mystery at the finish line.

I was upset with myself at the race I had run. I thought I lost the race and I had no one to blame but myself. They showed the replay in the stadium and I was thinking that I might have won at the tape, but they gave him the flowers and I relegated myself to second place.

I didn't know I won the race until the drug testing people came up to me with my name and a 1 on the paper. I asked the woman if I had won she said yes, then Alphonse came over and told me I had won too 13.19 to 13.20. I was excited, but I was like I am going to wait until I see it posted on the big screen. They posted the result and I was excited and finally did my victory lap, which only lasted about 150 meters. I managed to make it further this time than I did when I won here in 2006. In '06, I was so happy I won, I threw the flowers in the stands where no people were sitting and ran about the fastest 80 meters I had ever run and tapped myself out. That year Aub, Joel and Hughes were all making fun of me for my lack luster victory lap. Winning Golden League events don't come that often, this was only the second one I have won thus far in my career.

This was only the second time I had ever beaten Robles in my career, I have a record of 2 wins and 13 loses to him, man I didn't know I had been getting my ass kicked that much by him until I looked it up on tilastopaja.net just now. I have a long way to go to even that matchup at .500! I'm glad to get the win, running the type of race I did, I dominated the critical zone like my coach preaches all the time. Like I told the reporters at the meet, I ran 13.19 and it wasn't one of my best races top to bottom, I have nothing to complain about.

I had a great time in Berlin, they broke out the royal treatment for me from the time I got there and I can't wait to go back next season. I'm off to Prefontaine in Eugene, Oregon for my next competition this Sunday. I have never performed up to my expectations the two times I have run there, this time will definitely be different.