Felix, Tarmoh to break tie in 100 today

Reluctantly, Jeneba Tarmoh will step into the blocks today to break a third-place tie she feels was already decided fair and square.

The young sprinter wants no part of a run-off with training partner Allyson Felix to settle the last spot for the London Games in the women's 100 metres.

The run-off - a winner-take-all race - will be held at 5 p.m. local time - 8 p.m. EDT - at Hayward Field. It's not something Tarmoh is looking forward to.

"In my heart of hearts, I just feel like I earned the third spot. I almost feel like I was kind of robbed," Tarmoh said.

Tarmoh was originally declared the winner of the event last Saturday, even going on a victory lap around the track, being presented a medal and then showing up at a news conference.

Only after her drug test did she discover the controversy. That race officials had declared a dead heat.

Now, after not making the team in the 200, Tarmoh has to regroup and step up to the starting line, trying to reclaim a spot she believed rightfully belongs to her.

"I'm not that excited at all. This decision was really hard for me to make," said Tarmoh, who's eligible to run on the Olympic 400 relay team. "I was pushed into a corner. They said if you don't make a decision, you give your spot up. I work too hard to just give my spot up. I had to say it was a run-off."