Former Saint Augustine's hurdler earns Olympic berth

EUGENE, Ore. - Former Saint Augustine's College hurdler and current Falcon student Bershawn Jackson gained a berth to the 2008 Beijing Olympics with a convincing victory in the 400-meter hurdles final on Sunday (June 29) at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials at Hayward Field. This is the first Olympic berth for Jackson, a Miami, Fla., native who lives and trains in Raleigh, NC, under George Williams, the legendary Saint Augustine's College track and field coach and 2004 U.S. Olympic team coach.

Jackson blitzed the field in the finals, crossing the finish line in 48.17 seconds to beat Kerron Clement (48.36) and Angelo Taylor (48.42), who both are going to the 2008 Olympics as well. The top three finishers advance to the Beijing Games.

Jackson, who won his heat in the quarterfinals and semifinals, entered the finals with the fourth-best semifinal time but made an adjustment.

"I got out very hard," said Jackson, the 2005 world outdoor 400-meter hurdles champion. "The wind played a big factor in the race today. I just wanted to relax as much as possible and not fight the wind and conserve as much energy as possible. The main thing was to come home strong and have a kick because I knew it was going to be a tight race.

"I really came on. I felt pretty sluggish today but when the race came, the adrenaline put me through the race. I had a hurdle-free day."

Williams said Jackson ran a smart race.

"By him being small, (Jackson) let the wind help him on the backside," Williams said.

As a result, Jackson attained his life-long goal of making the Olympics.

"My main thing was to make the team," Jackson said. "I was very nervous. If I didn't make the team, I think I would have given up track and field, I was feeling so much pressure."

Jackson, scheduled to graduate from Saint Augustine's College in the fall semester of 2008, is the latest runner under Coach Williams headed to the Olympics.