GAINESVILLE -- Here's something to keep an eye on today (Sunday). Incoming UF freshman Jeffrey Demps (running back, Okahumpka, Fla.) competes in the 100-meter dash semifinals of the Olympic Trials at 2:30 p.m. today. The top four from each heat advance to the finals, which are scheduled for 7:49 p.m. NBC will air the finals between 7-8 p.m.
Demps, who will be one of the fastest players in college football this season, qualified for the Olympic Trails with the blazing time of 10.17 seconds during the Florida high school track championships. You might remember this. Demps set the mark at UF's track stadium while the Gators were conducting spring practice. The track championship's personal address announcer declared the mark as one of the fastest 100-meter times ever for a high school student. Urban Meyer got a big kick out of that.
ANYWAY, Demps races today in the semis after posting a 10.01 seconds in the quarterfinals. That's a different kind of fast, folks. Demps' quarterfinal time was the seventh fastest mark among the participants. He finished second in his heat to gold medal hopefully Tyson Gay. LSU running back Trindon Holliday also qualified for the semis with a time of 10.09. Not that it matters, but Demps' quarterfinal time also edged FSU superstar Walter Dix (10.02). Demps is apparently quite a charismatic guy. He actually wore this orange and blue mullet wig when he announced he would attend Florida on ESPNU.
According to the qualifying times, Demps has a pretty good shot at competing in the finals. An Olympic berth is a long shot, though.
Here are the semifinal heats.
Event 1 Men 100 Meter Dash
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8 Advance: Top 4 Each Heat plus Next 0 Best Times
Sunday 6/29/2008 - 2:30 PM
World: 9.72 5/31/2008 Usain Bolt, JAM
American: 9.79 6/16/1999 Maurice Greene, Nike
OT: 9.91 7/11/2004 Maurice Greene, Nike
Hayward: 9.88 2004 Shawn Crawford, USA
Name Year Team
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Heat 1 Semis
1 436 Rae Edwards Nike 10.06
2 401 Walter Dix Florida St. 10.02
3 849 Rodney Martin Nike 9.95
4 505 Tyson Gay adidas 9.77
5 1369 Ivory Williams Nike 9.94
6 291 Xavier Carter Nike 10.00
7 563 Chrisdon Hargrett adidas 10.12
8 635 Trindon Holliday L S U 10.09
Heat 2 Semis
1 1107 Michael Rodgers unattached 10.07
2 403 Leroy Dixon Nike 10.02
3 380 Jeffery Demps unattached 10.01
4 998 Travis Padgett unattached 9.89
5 1008 Darvis Patton adidas 9.89
6 686 Mark Jelks Nike 9.99
7 277 John Capel unattached 10.06
8 1210 Wallace Spearmon Nike 10.07
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