EUGENE, Ore. -- LaShawn Merritt considers his 200-meter races to be more of a lark than anything else.Think of the possibilities if they ever become a serious pursuit.Already qualified for the Olympics in his real race, the 400, Merritt pulled away for an easy victory in the opening round of 200-meter qualifying at the rain-soaked U.S. Olympic Trials on Thursday, posting the nights third-best time at 20.09 seconds.He already has the worlds best time this year, at 19.78 seconds, and if world-record holder Usain Bolts hamstring injury turns out to be worse than expected -- well, who knows what could happen?Its not really a serious thing for me, said Merritt, who also owns the fastest time at 400 meters this year. I just want to have some fun with it, and if I have the ability to do it, I figure Ill do it. Ill try to make it as light as possible.Among those who take the 200 more seriously are worlds silver medalist Justin Gatlin, Tyson Gay, Mike Rodgers and Wallace Spearmon, who is trying to return to the upper-echelon of this race after struggling with injuries. All made it through their first-round heats with ease.Allyson Felix also views it as more work than play, and is trying to become the first woman to win Olympic gold in both events. Felix is already qualified at 400 meters and begins her quest in the 200, her specialty, on Friday.Merritt could become the first man to win a 200-400 Olympic double since Michael Johnson in 1996. But his specialty is the 400 and he still has some goals there.Among them: World record, he said. He won the Olympic gold in 2008, but pulled out of the first round in 2012 with a hamstring injury.In his world, the 200 is mainly good training.And yet, watching him pumping his fists as he hit the stretch, then steadily pulling away for a .44-second cushion over the second-place finisher, it was easy to see why hes at least giving this a try.If anybody can do it, LaShawn can do it, Gatlin said. To watch him run is amazing. I know hes got it in the tank. So lets see him put it out there.Gatlin, a more seasoned veteran than Merritt at both the distance and the art of the double, saved energy in his opener, especially with rain starting to soak the track at Hayward Field. He ran the 200 in 20.32 and finished .05 behind Ameer Webb. But all these prelim times go in the wastebasket almost as soon as theyre recorded.Just play it smart, Gatlin said. Im on to the next round. Almost a blueprint of what I did in the 100. Go faster. Rise to the occasion.Other happenings on Day 6 of Olympic Trials:SHOT DIVA: Michelle Carter (Twitter handle (at)shotdiva) already had her Olympic spot wrapped up. Then, she did the same thing as at world indoor championships in the spring: She won the meet on the last throw of the night. Her mark of 64 feet, 3 1/4 inches beat out Raven Saunders and knocked Felisha Saunders into third. Said veteran Jill Camarena-Williams, who finished fifth in what she said would be her last Olympic Trials: I always wait to see Michelles last throw. I would never, ever leave.TRIPLE JUMP: Two-time NCAA champion Keturah Orji, who once dreamed of being an Olympic gymnast, will get a chance at another kind of title. She won the womens triple jump and will head to Rio. On the mens side, Christian Taylors quest for an Olympic repeat is on track. He needed one jump to make it through qualifying, and will try to secure his spot Saturday.THE TOUGHEST JUMP: Stephanie Garcia was in the mix for an Olympic spot in steeplechase until the final lap. First, she got passed for the third position. Then, in her quest to catch up, she stumbled over the last barrier and went tumbling. Emma Coburn, Courtney Frerichs and Colleen Quigley got the trips to Rio. Garcia said she still earned a victory of sorts: I knew if I didnt make it, then I was going to make those who did work very, very hard, she said.MORE MEDALS: Among Olympic medal winners who made it through their qualifying rounds Thursday were Leonel Manzano (1,500), Bershawn Jackson (400 hurdles) and Dawn Harper-Nelson (100 hurdles). Harper-Nelson, the 2008 gold medalist, was in the same heat with American record holder Keni Harrison, but barely noticed. I tell my husband, `Tell me what lane Im in and what heat. The rest doesnt matter, Harper-Nelson said.QUOTABLE: With (Jamaicas) rules, hopefully theyll let him in. If not, it might be the first time the Olympic committee sends a personal invite to an athlete to come to the games. Theyd lose some money if he didnt show up. -- Spearmon, on the chances of Bolt making the Olympics despite his recent hamstring problems. Cheap Nike Air Max 270 Black . -- An ugly goal by Nick Bonino helped the Anaheim Ducks overcome the defensive-minded Phoenix Coyotes on a night when their ragged power play continued to struggle. Cheap Nike Air Max 270 Purple . McPhee said that Ovechkins father Mikhail is in stable condition after having the surgery this week and is no longer in intensive care. "Weve told him to stay as long as necessary with your dad," he said. Ovechkin and his Russian national team were eliminated from the mens hockey tournament in Sochi on Wednesday with a 3-1 quarter-final loss to Finland. http://www.cheapairmax270.us/cheap-nike-air-max-270-all-gold/ . Now that hes hitting streaking teammates with pin-point passes for easy layups, Love is asserting himself as one of the true superstars in the league. Cheap Air Max 270 Hot Punch For Sale . -- If this was Aaron Gordons final home game at Arizona, and it almost certainly was, then he went out in style. Cheap Air Max 270 Flyknit Black . -- San Francisco 49ers linebacker Ahmad Brooks was fined $15,570 by the NFL on Wednesday for his hit on Saints quarterback Drew Brees last Sunday. The booing started late in the second quarter, once the crowd grew tired of watching the Chinese team get relentlessly pounded. At the beginning of the game, the fans, most of whom were Brazilian, gamely rooted for both sides -- but when Brittney Griner scored an easy layup, boosting the U.S. teams lead to 43-17, a few boos tinkled through the arena. A minute later, Maya Moore missed a jumper and the audience howled with glee.A small, vocal section of American supporters, which included friends and relatives of the team, tried to counter with a USA cheer. They were shouted down by the Brazilians, who had thrown their weight behind the underdogs and incorporated China into a variety of Portuguese chants.There were not many opportunities for them to cheer.The American women have crushed the competition in Rio so far, and Sundays 105-62 win over China was no different. For other teams, competing with the U.S. is a little like jumping into a swimming pool and facing five clones of Katie Ledecky, or battling an army of Simone Biles-bots on the gymnastics mat.They totally physically overwhelm you, said Chinas coach, Tom Maher. And their basketball IQ is huge.The U.S. team racked up 14 steals against China, who seemed to be perpetually lost in a thicket of American limbs. Griner, who scored 18 points, towered over shooters, forcing them to lob awkward threes from open space. They were limited to 7 for 25.With the exception of 5-foot-6 point guard Zhifang Zhao, China boasts more height than most teams. But the U.S. squad, which has more players over 6-foot-4 than any other Olympic roster, easily dominated them in the paint.Every single area wee marked down that we wanted to accomplish, we accomplished today, said U.ddddddddddddS. coach Geno Auriemma after the game. When you have 40 assists, that means something. Thats a hell of a thing.The Chinese team tried to trap guards Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi on several possessions, leaving their teammates open for easy layups down the court. The U.S. only turned the ball over 14 times.Despite of what the crowd thought that was booing us, I thought it was fun, said Auriemma.Moore, who said she knew many of the players on the Chinese team from her time playing overseas with Shanxi Flame, said it was important for the U.S. to keep its foot on the gas pedal, even though it had already secured a spot in the quarterfinals going into todays game.We cant relax, lose our focus at all, Moore said. Our days together are limited.On Tuesday, the U.S. will face Japan in a single-elimination match.With this latest victory, the American women have now won 46 straight games in Olympic play. The last time they lost was in 1992 -- two years before Breanna Stewart was born. Since arriving in Rio, they have averaged 104.2 points per game, which puts them on pace to break the record set by the 1996 team of 102.4 points per game.Maher, Chinas coach, said he believes the current squad is comparable to that star-studded 1996 team, whose success paved the way for the inception of the WNBA.When asked about the U.S. squads dominance, he could only shake his head. Who on any other team in this tournament, could even make their team? Cheap Jerseys China NFL Jerseys China NFL Jerseys Wholesale Discount Basketball Jerseys Cheap NHL Jerseys Authentic Cheap Baseball Jerseys Free Shipping Cheapest College Jerseys Sale Cheap Football Jerseys China Nike NFL Jerseys Canada Wholesale NHL Jerseys From China MLB Jerseys Outlet Canada Wholesale NBA Jerseys Canada Store Cheap Soccer Jerseys China Cheap Authentic Jerseys Canada ' ' '