Americans Richards, Jones blow leads at Olympics

(AP) - It was theirs to lose, and they did.

Sanya Richards led in the stretch but was outrun to the finish in the 400 meters and Lolo Jones clipped the second-to-last barrier in the 100-meter hurdles Tuesday night, as two of America's top runners failed to capture Olympic gold medals.

Jones had taken the lead and seemed to be pulling away when she tripped over the hurdle and broke her stride, falling from first to seventh. The late blunder opened the door for teammate Dawn Harper to win the U.S. track team's third gold medal of the games.

While Harper did a victory lap carrying the American flag, Jones kneeled on the track and put her face to the ground in stunned disbelief.

Richards painted a similar picture a few minutes earlier. She was ahead, looking to write a successful closing chapter to a year filled of illness and setbacks, but settled for bronze after being beaten badly over the last 80 meters by Britain's Christine Ohuruogu and Jamaica's Shericka Williams.

Usain Bolt played to the cameras before his 200-meter semifinal, slowed down in the middle and still rallied to beat rivals who were running much harder. Then he promised to go all out in the final.

If he does - and he hasn't really yet in these Olympics - there doesn't seem to be any way he can be beaten.

Bolt won his semifinal in 20.09 seconds Tuesday night, keeping alive his chances for the first 100-200 Olympic double since Carl Lewis in 1984.

The Jamaican sprinter, who set the world record in the 100 at 9.69 seconds Saturday, beat defending 200 champion Shawn Crawford of the United States by 0.03 second. The noticeable difference, though, was that Bolt appeared to be loping to the line, while Crawford was busting across at full speed.

"I wouldn't say jogging," Bolt said. "I'm just trying to get through to the next round. I didn't know if he was running. I just wanted to make sure I was in good position."

American Wallace Spearmon used a late burst to finish third and will join a third American, Walter Dix, in the final Wednesday night.

In the 400-meter semifinals, American rivals Jeremy Wariner and LaShawn Merritt won their respective semifinals. Wariner, the defending Olympic champion, is 14-3 lifetime against Merritt, but Merritt has two of those wins in the last year, including at the U.S. Olympic trials.

In other qualifying heats, world record-holder Dayron Robles of Cuba and American David Oliver advanced easily in the 110-meter hurdles. Chinese star and defending Olympic champion Liu Xiang withdrew from the event before the first round with an injured foot.

There were no surprises in the second round of women's 200 heats. Americans Allyson Felix, Muna Lee and Marshevet Hooker all made it through, as did the Jamaican trio of Veronica Campbell-Brown, Sherone Simpson and Kerron Stewart.

In the 100, the Jamaicans swept and the Americans finished 4-5-8. The two countries could again earn six of the eight spots in Thursday night's 200 final.

"It fueled my fire," Lee said of Jamaica's dominance. "I'll just think about that in the final."

In women's 5,000-meter semis, American Shalane Flanagan kept alive her hopes for two Olympic medals. That would be a first for an American in the short history of women's distance running at the Olympics.

Flanagan overcame stomach troubles to win bronze in the 10,000 and said she's still celebrating that success.

"It's beautiful," she said. "It's kind of like I'd imagine if you have a newborn child. You're fascinated with it. You're like, 'Wow, that really is mine? That's mine?'"

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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