EUGENE, Oregon – In the midst of the excitement of the Olympic Track and Field Trials in Eugene, Oregon, are two men who have been in the Olympic chase before and know what it takes to earn gold.
Carl Lewis and Leroy Burrell, now coaches at the University of Houston, are in Eugene leading a group of young men trying to make the Olympic team in Rio.
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Lewis won a total of 10 medals, nine gold, with Burrell winning a gold himself. They now have three current (and two former) Cougars trying to make this year's Olympic team.
It was part of a plan to make the UH program one of the best in the world.
"When I came on to the program last year, Leroy said, 'Hey, we want the best team in the world,'" recalls Lewis. "And in one year we were top 10 and next year we're going for it all."
"Given the investment that the university has made in the track program, the facilities, and commitment they've made in us, we'll continue to make strides and we will put some people on the Olympic team," said Burrell.
Burrell and Lewis aren't content with a good showing in 2016. They want a program that sets the standard for years to come.
"I want to thank Houston because that's my town," says Burrell. "I love it and I'm going to be there forever."
Among the athletes competing tonight in semifinal events are Issac Williams and Amere Lattin from UH. Both are running the 110-meter hurdles.
Former Texas Aggie Ricky Babineaux is trained by Lewis and is running the 400-meter hurdles. And Devin Jenkins, a current Aggie runner, is competing in the men's 200-meter dash.