Oregon Public Broadcasting

The track and field portion of the Olympic Trials can't end soon enough for the snake-bitten United States team.  As Andrew Theen reports, Northwest stars aren't  immune from the woes in Beijing.

Nick Symmonds easily won his quarterfinal heat in the 800 meters by doing something he rarely does; leading the race from the beginning.  But in his semifinal heat this morning the former Willamette University star reverted to his typical style of hanging back.

Symmonds waited too long, and he didn't make it to Saturday's final.

Symmonds was the last hope of three American runners with Oregon connections in the 800. He dazzled the Hayward Field crowd at the Olympic Trials this summer as part of a 1-2-3 Oregon finish.

Glendale Oregon native Tom Pappas withdrew from the decathlon  due to injury.  It's the second straight Olympic contest that Pappas didn't finish.