Family Business Makes for a Busy Day

On another day of relative craziness at the Olympic trials, twins Alvin and Calvin Harrison threatened to sue USA Track and Field, sisters-in-law Jearl Miles-Clark and Hazel Clark won berths on the Athens team by finishing first and third in the 800, and Shayne Culpepper joined her husband, marathoner Alan, on the Olympic team by winning the women’s 5,000 on Monday.

Oh, and Marion Jones kept her Athens hopes alive by advancing to the long jump finals with a seventh-place leap of 20 feet, 11 3/4 inches. Since she has surpassed the Olympic “A” standard of 6.70 meters (21-11 3/4) this season, she’s in good shape for Thursday’s final because she’d get precedence in Olympic selection over someone who finishes higher here but doesn’t meet the “A” mark. No one met it Monday.

Alvin Harrison, who was charged by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency with having used four steroids and other substances and faces a lifetime ban from the sport, was eliminated in the semifinals of the men’s 400 when he finished seventh in his heat. Calvin Harrison, who’s facing a two-year ban after testing positive for modafinil, advanced to Thursday’s final by finishing third in his heat in 44.98 seconds.

Jerome Young, who was allowed to compete in Sydney despite a positive drug test the previous year and won a gold medal with the 1,600-meter relay team, was eliminated in his heat in the 400. He didn’t speak to reporters -- nor did Jones -- but the Harrisons held court for several minutes, with Alvin saying he and his brother planned to sue U.S. track authorities for “bias and discrimination.”

Said Alvin: “They can’t pick athletes out who they think they can pick on. We’re fighting for the athletes. It’s a cover-up.... You’ll be hearing from our lawyer, Ed Williams.”

The mood was lighter in the women’s 800, where the Clark sisters-in-law, who are coached by J.J. Clark, Jearl’s husband and Hazel’s older brother, earned repeat Olympic berths.

Jearl, 37 and a two-time relay gold medalist, won in 1 minute 59.06 seconds and will make her fourth Olympic appearance and fifth team, having been a relay alternate in 1988. Nicole Teter escaped a tight box to get through in 2:00.25, just ahead of Hazel Clark, who finished in 2:00.37.

Hazel Clark wanted to celebrate with a victory lap and couldn’t understand why Jearl was restraining her until Hazel’s fiance, Wensten Riley, materialized with a ring box in hand and a proposal on his mind.

“I was arguing with everyone to let me get off the track,” Hazel said. “Then I saw Wensten out there, shaking and acting kind of weird.”

They’d met at a stoplight in Gainesville, Fla., when Hazel’s car pulled up beside his; he was a runner at Missisippi State and so recognized her and said hello. “We didn’t see each other until three months later at the track,” he said, “but we talked that day and we’ve been together every day since.”

Riley, a probation officer, said he would have proposed Monday “if she finished first or fourth.” That he could propose to a soon-to-be Olympian delighted the crowd of 20,122 at Sacramento State’s Hornet Field as well as the many Clarks in attendance. Among them was older sister Joetta, a four-time Olympian who retired after the Sydney Games.

“They’ve known each other for a while, so this is nice,” Jearl said.

It was also a happy evening for Jearl, who had strained her hamstring twice in the past month. She had intended to double in the 400 but was talked out of it by her husband.

“This means a lot, especially winning and knowing this is my last one,” she said.

Culpepper edged Marla Run- yan in the last 50 meters of the women’s 5,000 to win in 15:07.41, to Runyan’s 15:07.48.

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Michelle Collins, one of four runners facing lifetime bans from the USADA, withdrew from the 400 because of a hamstring injury. Her attorney, Brian Getz, said Collins still intends to contest USADA’s actions.... UCLA alum Seilala Sua qualified for her second Olympic team by finishing third in the women’s discus, with a best of 202-1. Sua won the 2000 trials and finished 10th at Sydney. Aretha Hill won with a toss of 208-6, followed by Stephanie Brown, at 203-1.... UCLA junior Monique Henderson advanced to the next round of the women’s 400.