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Clay, Merritt and Company come through for the U.S

To say that the United States has had a hard time at the track is a gross understatement. Between dropping batons, tripping over hurdles and not making the finals for several races, this has not been the performance America is used to from our track and field team.

Cue Americans Bryan Clay, LaShawn Merritt, Jeremy Wariner and David Neville. Clay won the decathlon, besting Andrei Krauchanka of Belarus by more than 200 points. Merritt won the 400m easily, upsetting Athens gold medalist Wariner. Neville rounded out the U.S. sweep with the bronze.

I'm not saying that the success of these gentlemen made up for the embarassment in the 4x100 relays or any of the other problems. Still, it was nice to see that some of the U.S. track and field athletes were capable of fulfilling their promise.

Photo via Getty Images