Ex-Howard Bison athlete captures bronze in hurdles

It wasn't that long ago that David Oliver was an afterthought on the U.S. track team, a hurdler who went unrecognized by television analysts when he finally won a major race. "A nobody," he said. But Thursday night, the 26-year-old Denver East High School (and Howard University) graduate stood on a podium in National Stadium, a 2008 Olympic bronze medal hanging around his neck, eight years after a college scholarship seemed beyond his grasp.

"They only pass out three of these every four years, so to be one of the people who've got one is definitely an accomplishment in itself," Oliver said. "To get one of them (means) you'll always be remembered." Once Chinese superhero Liu Xiang pulled out of a preliminary heat with a foot injury, the race lost its luster in China. But Cuba's Dayron Robles, the world record-holder, ran a remarkable 12.93 seconds to take the gold.

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