Both Ryan Wilson and Johnathan Cabral wanted to focus on their starts in the 110-meter hurdles at the Oregon Twilight Meet on Friday.
But both stumbled on the first hurdle.
That meant both left disappointed in their efforts. Cabral, an Oregon alum, finished first in 13.67 seconds, and Wilson took second in 13.73.
Wilson, a 35-year-old Mizuno runner looking for his first Olympic berth, was competing in his first race of the season.
“I don’t have the gears right now to get back into rhythm easily,” Wilson said. “The race felt like work. It’s never a good feeling if 13.73 feels like work.”
Wilson will fly from Eugene to Los Angeles Saturday morning to race in the Occidental Invitational. It may seem ambitious, but Wilson said time is ticking to summer.
“It’s May. You know what I mean?” Wilson said. “Trials are in two months. I need races. I’ve got to try and take a chunk off their 13.73.”
It’s that sense of urgency that’s fueling Wilson. This summer he could make his first Olympic Team. He finished seventh in the 2012 Trials.
“I definitely look at it as my last shot at it,” Wilson said. “I think I function pretty well under that kind of pressure I put on myself.”
Cabral and Wilson were both hoping to race against Oregon’s Devon Allen, who owns the best NCAA time this season in the event at 13.40 — ninth-best in the world. Cabral came into the day ranked fifth in the world.
“The bigger the field, the better, I always say,” said Cabral, an Oregon alum. “The better chance of losing, the better you run.”
Wilson agreed: “I was hoping for more heat. I was hoping Devon and Ashton [Eaton] would run. I was glad John stepped up to the plate. He’s always a good competitor.”
Cabral ran a 13.35 in the Mt. SAC relays last month. This summer, he will compete for a chance on the Canadian Olympic Team, though he is a dual citizen.
“I feel fairly confident,” Cabral said of making the team. “[Hurdles] two through 10 were a good race. Unfortunately, I got a little sloppy on the start, which included banging the first hurdle. That threw me off a little bit.”
Wilson has trained alone for most of his lengthy career. In the years he’s had training partners, he’s run his best, posting around a 13.20 or 13.30 in the first or second race.
“I just need to race — 10 hurdles with good competition,” Wilson said. “I just need that. I’m always alone. My coach has a watch. That’s about it.”
After a 13-year professional career, Wilson knows what it’ll take to get back to his standard. He won silver at the 2013 World Championships, which was his first appearance on the U.S. National Team.
“Nothing’s better to wake you up than taking an ass-whooping,” Wilson said.
