EUGENE, Ore. -- The numbers were as telling as the names.Americas Olympic mainstays, Allyson Felix, LaShawn Merritt and Justin Gatlin, are all on their way to Rio de Janeiro. With the best times in the world this year to boot.Gatlins 100-meter run in 9.8 seconds at U.S. Olympic Trials on Sunday will certainly turn the most heads.Its the same time he posted last year at world championships in Beijing, where Usain Bolt nudged him out by a hundredth. Bolt pulled out of this weeks Jamaican national championships and his form will be a mystery for at least the next few weeks.Nobody needs wonder about where Gatlin stands.When the competition shows and the competition rises, Ive got to rise to the occasion with it, he declared.Even so, hes destined to head to his third Olympics as an underdog to Bolt, The Worlds Fastest Man.Ashton Eaton will be a favorite.The defending Olympic decathlon champions score of 8,750 was nearly 300 short of his world record. A bit frustrating for Eaton, but the score was still notable because it was one point better than the personal best of anyone who can qualify for the event in Rio. And besides, theres no such thing as perfect over a 10-event endurance test.As a decathlete, if you dont leave with something (frustrating), then you should quit, he said.Besides Eaton, nobody has carried the flag more nobly for the USAs track team of late than Felix, who has been to three Olympics and picked up six medals, including 200-meter gold in London.Her quest at Olympics No. 4 is to become the first woman to win gold in both the 200 and 400 meters. That mission landed on shaky ground when she hurt her right ankle this spring while working out. Its been a brutal comeback, she said, though the performance Sunday hardly showed it.Pulling away late, she finished the 400-meter final in 49.68 seconds for a .26-second win over Phyllis Francis, then collapsed in exhaustion and relief.Two months ago, I couldnt even walk, Felix said. To be here and have everything still come together, I dont know quite how it happened.Merritt certainly does.Fists pumping high down the stretch, he burst down the last 50 meters of the straightaway to finish in 43.97 -- a .76-second romp over Gil Roberts. It was a clinic, reminiscent of Merritts .99-second blowout over rival Jeremy Wariner in the 2008 Olympics.People always say they look at my film to tell their athletes, `This is how youre supposed to run the last part of the race, Merritt said. They havent been looking at it lately. I had to give them something to look at.Merritt said he feels good enough to give it a go at 200 meters, where he also holds the worlds best time of the year.Yet another world-best mark came from Chaunte Lowe in the high jump. Her jump of 6 feet, 7 inches beat Vashti Cunningham, daughter of former NFL quarterback Randall, by 1 1/2 inches.Lowe is on the way to her fourth Olympics, seeking the medal that has always eluded her there. Stoked by her performance, and the others she saw on this breezy, sunshine-filled day in Eugene, she was thinking bigger.Fitting on a day such as this.It felt so easy, Lowe said. I think Ill be ready. Just keep training, fine-tuning. I think we could see a sweep of the podium.Other happenings on Day 3 at track trials:GARDNER IS A GO: English Gardner ran a personal best 10.74 seconds in the 100 to put herself on a list of Olympic track-and-field newcomers that now numbers 25. She edged out Tianna Bartoletta, who will be going for a sprint-long jump double, and another first-timer, Tori Bowie, the bronze medalist at last years world championships. Bartoletta and Bowie both finished in 10.78 and, according to a statkeeper for the IAAF, this was the first wind-legal womens 100 with three times of under 10.8.BACK TO CAMP: Marquise Goodwins dream of skipping training camp with the Buffalo Bills is over. The receiver/long jumper finished seventh and didnt qualify for the Olympics. He said he strained his hamstring during qualifications Saturday and couldnt recover in time for the final. Now, he takes a few days off and gets ready for camp. Just a switch. Got to hit it, he said about the quick changeover.THIRD TIME IS A CHARM?: Tyson Gays chances of making a third Olympics now rest in either the 200 meters or a slot as part of the relay pool. Both Gay and Mike Rodgers got beat for the third spot in the 100 by Marvin Bracy, a three-time national indoor champ at 60 meters who also used to be a wide receiver at Florida State. Bracy is an Olympic newcomer, as is second-place finisher Trayvon Bromell, who finished second to Gatlin in 9.84.PUNCHING TICKETS: Qualifying for long jump were 2014 national champion Jeff Henderson, Jarrion Lawson and Will Claye. Claye took bronze at the London Games. The other two will make their Olympic debuts. Finishing in the two spots behind Eaton were Jeremy Taiwo and Zack Ziemek.QUOTABLE: The one thing I love about the athletes I coach, they love running for the United States. She wants to make this Olympic team. That was something that, like you saw, she was willing to pull every muscle in her body. -Allyson Felixs coach, Bob Kersee Cheap Tom Brady Jersey . After a first half in which he thought "the lid was on the basket," the Toronto Raptors coach watched his squad mount a second half surge to defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers 98-91. Tom Brady Jersey . -- Chicago Bears cornerback Tim Jennings was selected Monday to his second straight Pro Bowl, while guard Kyle Long made it after a solid rookie season. https://www.sportsstarsjerseys.com/tom-brady-jersey/ . -- In one brief spurt, Brazil turned a close game into a rout and proved again it will be a strong World Cup favourite. Youth Tom Brady Jersey . Denis Coderre, the former federal MP who was elected mayor on Nov. 3, has drawn the ire of some Montreal Canadiens. During last nights game he tweeted: "Hello? Can we get a one-way ticket to (minor-league) Hamilton for David Desharnais please. Authentic Tom Brady Jersey . -- Quarterback Will Finch threw for 252 yards and three touchdowns, and Yannick Harou rushed in two scores as the No. MADRID -- Real Madrid solved one of its problems during its trip to Germany in the Champions League: Cristiano Ronaldo made peace with coach Zinedine Zidane.Now it needs to find a way to start winning again.The 2-2 draw at Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday was the third consecutive for Madrid in all competitions, raising questions about the teams potential to repeat as Champions League champion, and to end a four-year title drought in the Spanish league.I am frustrated, Zidane said. We played a good game in attack and defense and it was a great effort from everyone. We played the game we wanted. At the end, the same (draw) again, its the third match. Im frustrated for the players because its undeserved.Dortmunds equalizer came in the 87th minute, when Madrid appeared in control.One of the positives that came out of the result was that Zidane got a much warmer handshake from Ronaldo, who created a bit of turmoil after going on a little rant because of his substitution in the league setback at Las Palmas on Saturday. He didnt even look at Zidane while reaching for the coachs extended hand on the sidelines.After scoring Madrids first goal in Dortmund, he immediately pointed to the bench and rushed to celebrate with his teammates. He also exchanged a moment with Zidane, apparently trying to erase doubts about any problems in their relationship.Ronaldo and his teammates have been struggling to put together the type of top-notch performances that led them to the Euroopean final last season, failing to capitalize on scoring opportunities and being unable to put games away.ddddddddddddWe need one more goal. When you are only one goal in front, things like this can happen, Zidane said. We are in a slump but we will keep working, and we will change things soon.Madrids first draw was at home against Villarreal, and then it tied Las Palmas after conceding a late goal. In its Champions League opener against Sporting Lisbon, it was losing until the 89th when it rallied to win.Madrid remains unbeaten, and is in decent shape both in the Champions League and La Liga, but new setbacks could start putting Zidanes team in a difficult position in both competitions. Madrid is tied with Dortmund atop Group F with four points from two matches. It leads the league after six games, one point ahead of Barcelona.Madrids next chance to snap its winless streak is on Sunday in La Liga against Eibar at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.Even though weve drawn the last two games in the league, we dont want to keep playing badly, Madrid midfielder James Rodrigues said. On Sunday, we have to go out looking for a win.All three draws came against teams with yellow uniforms. Eibars colors are blue and purple.---Tales Azzoni on Twitter: http://twitter.com/tazzoni. His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/tales-azzoni ' ' '
