pic opportunity slipped away, Harrisonpic opportunity slipped away, Harrison | Forum

OMAHA, Neb. Thomas Welsh Jersey . -- Missy Franklin stood beside the blocks, staring down the still water in her lane. Never had she faced so much pressure, yet she felt serene.A night after she failed to make the Olympic team in the 100-meter backstroke -- an event she won four years ago in London -- Franklin rallied to finish second in the 200 freestyle Wednesday night at the U.S. trials.It was good enough to earn her a spot in an individual event in Rio.Thats probably the most proud race Ive ever swam in my entire career, coming back from such a loss last night and telling myself that I still have it in me to do whatever I believe I can do, she said, tears glistening in her eyes.Katie Ledecky cruised to victory in the race. Franklin was tied for second on the last turn and churned through the water to get her hand on the wall as runner-up.I told her after the race shes one tough cookie, Ledecky said. That 2 race is for real, and theres more to come from her.Up next are the 100 free on Thursday and the 200 backstroke on Friday, giving Franklin two more chances at further redemption. Four years ago, she took London by storm, winning five medals, including four golds, and spread her infectious smile and bubbly personality everywhere.This time, just getting on the team has been a lot tougher.Franklin left college after swimming two years at California to turn pro last year. She juggles sponsor commitments, photo shoots and travel in between training and practice. The extra demands away from the pool were more than she had expected, but its her nature not to want to let anyone down.After struggling to seventh in the 100 back, Franklin returned to her hotel room and re-thought things.I realized that my job here is not to make an Olympic team, its not to defend anything, its to swim well, she said. Its me trying to work through how to deal with this kind of pressure that Ive never really dealt with before and I think, as we just saw, Im really starting to figure that out for myself.Franklin had her work cut out in the 200 free final. Besides Ledecky, there was defending Olympic champion Allison Schmitt (fourth) and Leah Smith (third), who had already made the team.Her coach, Todd Schmitz, pumped his fists and charged down the steps of the arena to congratulate his swimmer.She finally had reason to flash her trademark smile.Last night was really tough and coming back from that, I was telling myself, `Im not done fighting. Im not done with believing in myself, she said.For a while, it looked like Franklin might only make the team as a relay swimmer. Thats hardly what she spent the last four years working for.People say theres nothing like making your first Olympic team, but theres really nothing like making your second Olympic team, she said, laughing. Its moments like this that you kind of have to sit back and say, `You know what? I just did it. Paul Millsap 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. Jamal Murray Jersey . -- Quarterback Will Finch threw for 252 yards and three touchdowns, and Yannick Harou rushed in two scores as the No. http://www.nuggetsproshop.com/Allen-Iverson-Nuggets-Jersey/ . Giroud, who wasnt in the starting lineup for two matches after allegations about his private life and a decline in form, scored twice in the first half. Tomas Rosickys chip made it 3-0 before half time at Emirates Stadium, while defender Laurent Koscielny scored an unmarked header in the second half. Within seconds of crossing the finish line at the Müller Anniversary Games in London on July 22, the stoic expression on American record holder Kendra Keni Harrisons face morphed into uncontrollable emotion.With her time of 12.20 seconds in the 100-meter hurdles posted on the scoreboard, she fell to her knees and buried her face in her hands. Harrison had just broken a 28-year-old world record, previously set by Bulgarian Yordanka Donkova in 1988. When she finally peeled herself off the track, she rushed toward the stands to her coach Edrick Floréal with tears in her eyes.I told you! I told you! Floréal shouted as the two embraced.This race -- part of the prestigious IAAF Diamond League event that drew elite athletes worldwide -- was an uplifting outcome to a crushing reality nearly two weeks prior. It was widely expected that the 23-year-old hurdling sensation would make the team at the U.S. Olympic track and field trials in Eugene, Oregon. But on July 8, the day of the final, Harrison placed a disappointing sixth.It was the wrong day to have a bad race.It was all mental, Harrison admitted. Dealing with the media, coming in at number one and not having lost a race, all played a role in the way I performed.The truth is we choked, added Floréal, who is the head track and field coach at the University of Kentucky. There was pressure to make the Olympic team.Harrison, whose 12.36 earlier this year was the fastest season-opening 100-meter time in U.S. history, entered the Olympic trials with the No. 1 time in the world. But she faced a pool of deep talent. Nine of the worlds top-12 womens 100m hurdlers are from the U.S., and only three would move on to compete in Rio. Harrison is not among them. Instead, she is watching the Olympics on TV and spending time with her family and friends in Clayton, North Carolina, where she grew up.Moments following the 100m hurdles final at the trials, while Brianna Rollins, Kristi Castlin and Nia Ali, who placed first, second and third, respectively, rejoiced, Harrison forced a smile through the bombardment of questions from the media.What happened? blurted one reporter, and Was there a point you felt like all hope was lost? asked another.Im at a loss of words right now, Harrison quietly stated during a postrace interview.Floréal ordered Harrison back on the track the day after what he described as a vicariously gut-wrenching experience. He didnt want Harrison to mope in her hotel room. I wanted her to get so angry, and take it out on the hurdles, he said. So he made her go over as many as possible -- in the rain. Harrison cried throughout practice.Harrisons mother Karon anticipated that her daughter would focus on making the Olympic team in 2020. But Harrison had devised a different plan ever since the 2015 season, a turning point in her career, when she said she found her confidence and realized, I have what it takes. I just have to stay relaxed and go out there and do it, Harrison stated before the Olympic trials.Most people at 23 years of age dont dominate an event like that, Floréal said. Its a long process to come on top. She just got there so fast.Leading into the most pivotal moment of her athletic career, Harrison had spent many nights after practice watching film of herself soaring over hurdles. When curiosity struck, as it did most nights, shed texxt Floréal no matter the hour. Thomas Welsh Nuggets Jersey. Ill ask him about my velocity, Harrison said, noting that lately she had probed him about how she could improve her trail leg.Whats supposed to be a time to recharge turns into a calculated query she needs to know the answer to as quickly as possible because, as she understands, athletes that are able to hold on to their technique and are able to execute at the end of the race are the most successful, Harrison said.I call her the hurdle nerd, said Floréal of Harrison, whom he has worked with since 2013, when she transferred from Clemson to Kentucky (since graduating in 2015, Harrison transitioned to volunteer assistant coach for the Wildcats). She embraces the idea of being a professional beyond belief.That includes assessing and refining the most finite details -- like not popping up too soon before reaching the first hurdle and focusing on the placement of her trail leg leading into the last of the 10 hurdles.If shes not happy with a result, she does it again and again and again until she gets it right, Floréal said.How Harrison developed into one of the worlds best hurdlers is the by-product of her tireless commitment to the sport. Her superior talent doesnt run in the family, at least, not that shes aware of.Born in Memphis, Tennessee, Harrison was adopted when she was 3 months old by Gary and Karon. She is one of eight siblings adopted from all over the world, including from Korea and Bolivia. Gary and Karon also have two biological children.Gary, a retired U.S. Navy pilot, would often shuffle his kids around in a used Marriott shuttle bus he purchased as the family van. That included to soccer and track practices for Harrison, who is the only elite athlete among her siblings, ranging in ages from 18 to 33. Excelling in sports was her way to stand out and get attention.Harrison had her fathers full attention in Eugene, where he sat in the stands at Hayward Field and watched his daughters fate unfold. It has taken years for Harrison to grow into her own and realize that she has staying power.She never saw herself in this position, Floréal said. During our first two years together, every time wed get to big meets, shed fall apart. Shed be number one in the nation, but shed be afraid to win. It was the thought of what comes after finishing first -- the expectation that everybody has on you.Described as reserved by both her father and her coach, Harrison is learning to embrace what comes with the territory of being the best in the world.Hurdling is 80 percent mental, 20 percent physical, Harrison said. I want to be able to run under pressure. Ability-wise, I know Im gifted enough to make the Olympic team. Its mind over matter.This is what she has spent the past year working to better understand as she continues to catapult to the top. And while this Olympic opportunity slipped away, Harrison is adamant about not letting history repeat itself.Im glad to be that story that athletes can look at and see that when things dont go your way, youve got to get back out there, Harrison said. Four years is going to go by fast. Im not sure which hurdle event Ill be doing -- the 100 or the 400 -- but I will definitely be in Tokyo. ' ' '