It appears that I’m not as good at detective work as I thought. A sponsor sending gear and racing kits isn’t the same as a signed contract.

As you heard from the man himself,Robby Andrews is still courting potential sponsors and has not signed his name on the dotted line.

My apologies for the false start.

Update 9pm EST 5/17/2012: Robby Andrews posted a video on YouTube to say the he is still without a shoe contract.

Instagram appears to be the new source for breaking running news.  A day after Kyle Merber’s 3:35.59 was confirmed via the billion dollar photosharing app, it appears that Robby Andrews has officially signed with Nike.

A photo of Robby Andrews’ girlfriend and UVA 800m runner Jayna McGehee recently appeared on Instagram sporing the 2012 official Nike racing kit.

Robby obviously took his time and considered all the options we laid out for him earlier here on TrackFocus before signing with the Swoosh.

In the build up to the 2012 London Olympic Games, every media outlet, company and publication wants a part of those athletes going for gold later on in the summer.

Oregon Track Club Elite’s Ashton Eaton is one of those sought after athletes. The decathlete participated in a photo shoot with famed photographer Annie Leibovitz for famed fashion magazine, Vogue (as seen in the picture above).

Eaton and his mother were also part of a group of Olympic athletes featured for Mother’s Day on the NBC’s The Today Show.

Ashton Eaton with the Today show's Al Roker.

A ‘Dan vs. Dave’ style, ‘Trey vs. Ashton’ Nike campaign would be a lot of fun as well, but that seems unlikely.

Eaton is a great athlete with a wonderful story, we can be glad to have him as an ambassador of our sport.

Photos: TracktownPhoto  The Oregonian  

Results: Flash Results

Articles:
Ken Goe, The Oregonian: Ducks trample the form charts and the competition to sweep the meet
Curtis Anderson, Eugene Register-Guard: Sweep’s all yell ‘O’ - Women: 1-2-3 finishes in 800, 200 lift UO to fourth straight title
Barrett tunes up for Trials with jump title - The reigning U.S. and NCAA champion falls short of collegiate record
Adam Jude, Eugene Register-Guard: Never-quit mentality carries Oregon men to sixth straight Pac-12 track crown
George Schroeder, Eugene Register-Guard: Women of Oregon poised for next chapter
Paul Merca, paulmerca.blogspot.com: UW’s James Alaka repeats as Pac-12 200 champ; Sammamish native Jessica Tebo wins 5000

Photos Courtesy of Phil Johnson, TracktownPhoto.com

Colby Alexander sports a Prefonatine era inspired throwback jersey at the 2012 Pac-12 Championships. (Photo: www.twitter.com/pwerhane)

In defense of last year’s conference titles, the Oregon men’s and women’s track and field teams are attempting to conjure up the winning ways of legendary past teams.  This weekend at the first ever Pac-12 track and field championships, the Ducks are going with the retro look.

The Ducks are sporting Prefontaine era, throwback jerseys this weekend in Eugene.  The jerseys feature a lighter shade of yellow and the distinctive font worn by Oregon legends a few decades ago.

While the men and women of Oregon don’t change uniforms as often as the Oregon football squad, the Ducks have worn a mostly black kit during the championship potions in recent seasons.

We’ll have to wait and see on Sunday whether the Oregon throwback jerseys lead to team titles at the inaugural Pac-12 track and field championships.

Check out more photos HERE

Photos: TracktownPhoto  The Oregonian  Eugene Register-Guard

Results: Flash Results

Articles:
Ken Goe, The Oregonian: Everything goes right for the Oregon track teams on the first day
Curtis Anderson, Eugene Register-Guard: Ducks go long distance in keeping fourth title in sight
Gunshot wounds fail to derail Bryshon Nellum’s Olympic dream
Adam June, Eugene Register-Guard: Sam’s a chip off the ol’ Crouser at Pac-12 championships
Lucas Clark, Eugene Register-Guard: Former Sheldon star JJ Juilfs clears lifetime best to capture the Pac-12 title
Paul Merca, paulmerca.blogspot.com: Hometown hero JJ Julifs takes Pac-12 pole vault title, while Cougs’ Scott-Ellis wins long jump

Photos Courtesy of Phil Johnson, TracktownPhoto.com

American sprinters made a clean sweep of the short distances at the first stop of the 2012 Diamond League Friday in Doha.  

Justin Gatlin moved past Asafa Powell late in the men’s 100m for the victory and both Walter Dix and Lashawn Merritt looked in fine form for this time of the year.  
But what impressed me the most in Doha was the athlete who won the women’s 100m dash.  

Allyson Felix.  

Yes, Allyson Felix the American 200/400 star.

Before the race started, I responded to a tweet by Tim Layden of Sports Illustrated.

@SITimLayden A leg on the 4×1 I can see. But open 100 is not going to happen for @allysonfelix

— TrackFocus (@TrackFocus) May 11, 2012

The strong field included Felix’s Jamaican rival Veronica Campbell-Brown and 2008 Olympic champ Shelly Anne Fraser-Price. When Felix introduced by the commentators, I didn’t think too much of it. I figured she was stepping down in distance for a race to work on her speed to hopefully transfer that over to her 200/400s. And boy was I wrong. After Felix’s win in fast 10.92 (+0.7) personal best, I was forced to eat my words and at the very least consider the possibility of her running the 100m in London.

@SITimLayden I digress

— TrackFocus (@TrackFocus) May 11, 2012

Can Allyson Felix challenge for gold over 100 meters in London?

Winning the 100m in Doha is not a new accomplishment for Felix (Video). Back in 2008, Felix set her previous personal best at the same event running 10.94 with a 1.5 m/s tailwind. She also collected a title over the distance at 2010 USA Track & Field Championships.

If she intends on contesting the 100m in London, her biggest challenge may come from a fellow American. Current world outdoor 100m champion, Carmelita Jeter was not in the field on Friday and has a current best significantly faster than Felix at 10.64.

We’ll have to wait and see how coach Bobby Kersee guides Felix through her upcoming races and preparation for next month’s Olympic Trials.

Am I jumping the gun? After all, it’s still early May and this is the only the first Diamond League meet of the year. Maybe. But take this into consideration, the women’s 100m Olympic final is a mere 85 days away.

After witnessing her heartbreaking loss in the 400m at the World Championships in Daegu last summer (Video), I still feel the 400m is Felix’s best shot at gold. Her competitiveness over all the sprints is impressive and I can’t blame her if she decides to take her shot at 100m glory.

There’s something seductive about winning the Olympic 100 meter title and carrying the title “World’s Fastest Man/Woman”. Allyson Felix has the opportunity to become a household name for winning a race in under 11 seconds.

Do you think we’ll see Allyson Felix on the 100m medal stand on August 5th? Or should she stick with the 400m? Let us know what you think below in the comments.

 The Diamond League kicked off today with a meet in Doha, Quatar.  Warm even temps in the mid 90s welcomed the athletes in all disciplines.

Oregon Track Elite’s Jesse Williams, the current outdoor world champion and last year’s Doha meet champ, was competing to defend his crown.

But a repeat performance of 2011 was not to be for the USC grad.  Current indoor world champion, Dimitrios Chondrokoukis of Greece had a near flawless competition and took home the title.

Williams highest clearance of the day was a third attempt clearance of 7-6 1/2 (2.30m).

Also representing the Oregon Track Club Elite in Doha was Russell Brown in the men’s 1500m.  The large and loaded field included the 2011 world outdoor 1500m champion, Kenya’s Asbel Kiprop, and world runner-up, Silas Kiplagat.

Good pacesetting led to some tremendous early season times with Kiplagat both going under the 3:30 barrier.  Brown latched on to pack, fought hard in the middle and kicked to a new personal best time in the event.

Wheating’s training partner and fellow Behind the Stands prankster did not  for the win, but had an impressive race nonetheless.  Brown crossed the line in 3:34.11, which is under the Olympic A qualifying standard and is currently the fastest time by an American this year.

Other impressive performances from American at the Diamond League opener, included wins in the 100m from Justin Gatlin & Allyson Felix, a new world-leading time for Lashawn Merritt in the 400m, a win for Walter Dix in the 200m, a sub 2 minute 800m for Molly Beckwith and runner-up finishes for shot putter Jillian Camarena-Williams and 100m hurdler, Kelly Wells.

Check out full results HERE