Jeneba Tarmoh decides against runoff, concedes Olympic spot to Allyson Felix

EUGENE, Ore. — Jeneba Tarmoh conceded the final Olympic team berth in the 100-meter dash to Allyson Felix on Monday, canceling their scheduled runoff and leaving Felix in position for a big medal haul at the London Games.

Tarmoh told Stephanie Hightower, president and chairwoman of USA Track and Field, that she would not contest the tie that was declared after both were timed in 11.068 seconds in the Olympic trials 100-meter final on June 23.

“I Jeneba Tarmoh have decided to decline my 3rd place position in the 100m dash to Allyson Felix,” she said in an email sent by her agent, Kimberly Holland. “I understand that with this decision I am no longer running the 100m dash in the Olympic Games and will be an alternate for the event.

“As an alternate I understand that I will be asked to run if another 100m runner decides not to for personal reasons, and/or on the 4x100m relay.”

The runoff was to be nationally televised from Hayward Field, site of the just-completed U.S. Olympic track and field trials. It would have matched Felix, a two-time Olympic silver medalist in the 200, against Tarmoh, who competed in her first senior-level world championships last year and won a bronze medal in the 200. They train together in Los Angeles with coach Bobby Kersee.

Felix, 26, has long chased the gold medal in the 200, her signature race. After she won the trials 200 in a blazing 21.69 seconds, it was suggested she might relinquish her spot in the 100 to Tarmoh to focus on the longer distance. She said, however, she considers the 100 good training for the 200, and her performance at the trials supported that.

Felix has a shot at medals in the 100, 200 and both relays.

“The situation has been difficult for everyone involved,” Felix said in a statement. “I had accepted the USATF decision and was prepared to run at 5 p.m. I wanted to earn my spot on this team and not have it conceded to me so I share in everyone’s disappointment that this runoff will not happen. All I can do now is turn my focus to London.”

Tarmoh was initially introduced as the third-place finisher in the trials 100-meter final behind Carmelita Jeter and Tianna Madison, and Felix was told she had crossed the line fourth. A review of photo-finish images was inconclusive and a tie was declared.

USATF officials had no tiebreaking procedures but were intent on having the dispute resolved Sunday so they could submit the team roster to the U.S. Olympic Committee on Monday. Kersee told The Times last week he didn’t want a runoff before Tuesday at the earliest because both women would be exhausted and possibly prone to injury after running three rounds in the 100 and three more in the 200.

“We’re talking two American girls trying to live their dream,” he said.

The two women reluctantly agreed Sunday to settle the matter in a special race Monday.

“I’m not that excited at all. This decision was really hard for me to make,” Tarmoh told the Associated Press on Sunday. “I was pushed into a corner. They said if you don’t make a decision, you give your spot up. I work too hard to just give my spot up. I had to say it was a runoff.”

She added, “In my heart of hearts, I just feel like I earned the third spot. I almost feel like I was kind of robbed.”

Felix told The Times on Sunday the proposed runoff “was what we were presented and it’s the best solution. ... It seemed like everything was on a timeline. The team has to be named by a certain time and we had to push it back.”

Hightower, the USATF president, said the organization was “disappointed” over Tarmoh’s change of mind and decision to concede a possible Olympic berth. “We all worked hard to reach a consensus on the tiebreaker, but we know that Allyson, Carmelita and Tianna will represent Team USA well.”

[email protected]

twitter.com/helenenothelen