Sprinter Gay has mild leg strain, says he'll be 100 percent for Olympics

EUGENE, Ore. -- Sprinter Tyson Gay has a mild strain in a muscle in the back of his left leg but says he'll be 100 percent for his two races at the Beijing Olympics.

Gay has been told to restrict himself to light physical activity for the next two weeks. He pulled up abruptly in the first 40 meters of his 200-meter qualifying race Saturday at the U.S. Olympic track and field trials and had to be carted off the track.

He was diagnosed with a severe cramp in his hamstring, and an MRI that afternoon revealed the strain.

"I'll be 100 percent for the 100 and 400 relay," Gay said in an NBC interview before Sunday's 200 final.

Gay said he felt a "little tweak" in the hamstring before the race and told coach Jon Drummond, who recommended he not run. But Gay didn't take that advice.

"I thought it would go away once I warmed up," he said. "By the time I came off the blocks, 20, 25 meters into the race, my hamstring pulled up."

Gay will not be able to run the 200 for the U.S. team in Beijing.

On Sunday, Walter Dix, Shawn Crawford and Wallace Spearman earned those spots on the team. Dix won the race in 19.852, just ahead of Crawford's 19.857.

-- The Associated Press