BEIJING – David Payne, under the tutelage of Hampton University women’s track & field coach Maurice Pierce, finished second in the finals of the 110-meter hurdles Thursday night in the Summer Games of the 29th Olympiad at the National Stadium, earning a silver medal.
Payne finished with a time of 13.17, .01 seconds ahead of American David Oliver, who took bronze. Cuba’s Dayron Robles won the gold medal with a time of 12.93, just .02 seconds off the Olympic record.
Payne finished with a time of 13.21 in the semifinals on Wednesday, while Cuba’s Dayron Robles won the race in 13.12. Payne’s time was the second-fastest of the semifinal round. Payne will start the final in lane five.
Payne also won his second-round race on Tuesday with a time of 13.24, and his first-round race on Monday with a time of 13.42, which was the sixth-best time posted in the six heat races. The top four finishers in each of the six heats, along with the eight top remaining times, advanced to Tuesday’s second round heats.
Payne is the first athlete Pierce has coached to earn a medal. Former Pirate James Carter finished fourth in the 400-meter hurdles in both Athens and Sydney. He also coached Rachelle Thomas in the 4×100 and 4×400-meter relays in Atlanta in 1996.
As of Thursday morning EST, the United States lead all countries with 93 total medals, while host China sits in second with 83. The Chinese lead the way with 46 gold medals to USA’s 28.
For more information on Hampton University track & field, please call the Office of Sports Information at (757) 727-5811 or visit the official Pirates website at www.hamptonpirates.com.

The original story was published here: http://www.hamptonpirates.com/News/wtrack/2008/8/18/HAMTKW%20(8-18-08).asp?path=wtrack

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