Ohio State's Christina Manning on pace to chase Olympic track and field glory

manning-osu-hurdles-2012-osu.jpgView full size"They say track is 90 percent mental," says OSU hurdler Christina Manning, "and I believe that 100 percent. A lot of my teammates ask me about that -- how do I stay focused? But I don't stress myself out. I don't think I have to win. It's going to happen or it's not."

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COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State track coach Karen Dennis calls it "Five Ring Fever," and it may be the only thing that can keep Buckeyes' hurdler Christina Manning from reaching the Summer Olympics.

An OSU senior, Manning has the fastest American time in the 100-meter hurdles this year with a 12.68, as well as a wind-aided 12.57. That also puts her among the fastest times in the world. A chance at the London Games will be there for her when she competes at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials in Eugene, Ore., with the heats and final in the 100 hurdles scheduled for June 22-23.

But first there are the Big Ten Championships in Madison, Wis., next weekend. Then the NCAA East Preliminary Round, May 24-25 in Jacksonville, Fla. Then the NCAA Championships in Des Moines, Iowa, from June 6-9.

Then she can think about those five Olympic rings.

"She has people come up and fill her head with visions of grandeur," Dennis said Thursday. "I don't want to bypass these steps and assume Christina is a lock on the Olympic team, because she is not. Anything can happen, and a lot of times things do happen.

"My role right now is to keep her grounded, healthy and fit so she can go through the necessary steps that lead to the Olympic trials. Don't get caught up in the hype; get caught up in the preparation. That's what will get her there."

But does Dennis expect to see her star athlete in London?

"I do," she said. "I really do."

Manning laughed at the mention of Five Ring Fever, well-versed in the Dennis philosophy. The Maryland native will try to adhere to the thinking, just happy now with the way she's running and the way she's feeling.

"It's hard for me to grasp how well I've been performing until my coach says it," Manning said.

Dennis said Manning may be the best female American in the 100 hurdles since Gail Devers, who never won an Olympic hurdle medal but won gold in the 100 meters in both 1992 and 1996. She believes Manning could break Devers' American record of 12.33.

Manning may be the best female OSU track athlete since Stephanie Hightower, who made the 1980 Olympic team but didn't participate in the Games because of the United States' boycott.

Dennis believes that talent fueled by a competitive nature sets Manning apart. Dennis has seen how much she can accomplish with it and what happened earlier in her career when it was missing.

"They say track is 90 percent mental," Manning said, "and I believe that 100 percent. A lot of my teammates ask me about that -- how do I stay focused? But I don't stress myself out. I don't think I have to win. It's going to happen or it's not."

So far in her OSU career, it has happened a lot. She was the NCAA champ in the 60 meter hurdles during this indoor season, after a second-place finish in the 100 hurdles outdoors last year. She is a seven-time Big Ten champ, a three-time Big Ten track athlete of the year between the indoor and outdoor seasons and holds school records in four events.

She said nothing at this level makes her nervous any longer. But the Olympics, which she's been asked about since she started running?

"Thinking about [the Olympic trials] is the only thing that gets me nervous," Manning said. "But I know I can make it. I really feel like in my heart I will be at the Olympics."

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