Some top American track stars struggling

BEIJING -- It surely wasn't meant to be symbolic, the fact that U.S. track officials handed out Olympic media guides a week ago featuring two strong, sinewy athletes in sleek Team USA uniforms on the cover, sweat glistening on their skin, but no faces. The photo was cut off above their necks.

After five days at the Olympic track, the cover choice looks ingenious. There was a time, not long ago, when the sport in the United States was defined by multiple medal winners.

This year's squad can't find a star.

Tuesday night at Beijing's National Stadium, two more seemingly sure bets stumbled in devastating fashion. St. Louis native Dawn Harper, meantime, considered the third-best among the U.S. hurdlers at the Olympics, grabbed the lone Team USA gold medal of the night in the 100-meter hurdles final.

That came after American Sanya Richards, the overriding favorite in the women's 400 final, lost a two-step lead in the homestretch when her hamstring tightened. Passed by two runners, she ended up holding an unsatisfying bronze medal and trying to stem a torrent of tears even an hour after the competition.

"I feel more than snakebitten," said Richards, who also failed to qualify for last year's world championships after she contracted Behcet's Syndrome, an illness that affects the immune system. "I feel so betrayed by my body once again."

And Des Moines, Iowa, native LoLo Jones, the reigning world indoor champion, banged the ninth of 10 hurdles with her right foot in the 100 hurdles final. The mistake caused her to plummet from first to seventh while interrupting what had been a dream climb out of poverty, dating back to when she was homeless and living in the basement of a church. She buried her face in the track for a couple of minutes, pounding it with her fist.

"Today, I crashed and burned," she said. "I'm shocked and sad, but I'm really happy for the girls who won."

Jones's stumble opened the door for Harper, who barely qualified for the U.S. team at the Olympic trials. She joyfully claimed the gold medal in 12.54 seconds, beating out an equally overjoyed Australian Sally McLellan (12.64) and Canada's Priscilla Lopes-Schliep (12.64).

"It's so surreal," Jones said. "It's going to hit me, maybe in the morning, and I'm going to sit and cry. ... It's a dream come true. I have no problem being the underdog. That's less pressure on me, more pressure on the people who are supposed to win."

In the women's 400 final, Richards got out fast. She blew past everyone in the field and settled comfortably into the lead on the final turn. By the time she got into the straightaway, she looked unbeatable. But a telling grimace emerged on her face with about 70 meters left. Britain's Christine Ohuruogo surged past, winning in 49.62. Jamaican Chericka Williams got the silver in 49.67

When Richards crossed the finish line in 49.93, barely hanging onto third, she slapped her legs in frustration, but gamely congratulated the winners and took her victory lap.

"I'm just so disappointed," she said. "I've never had anything like that happen. I was totally out of control in the straightaway of the race."

One bright spot for the U.S. team was former UNC runner Shalane Flanagan, who qualified for the final in the 5,000 meters. Flanagan, who won a bronze medal in the women's 10,000 with an American record, finished her heat in sixth place with a time of 14:59.69, her fastest this season.