With the opening ceremony for the 2012 London Olympics only three days away, sprinter Jeff Demps woke up Tuesday morning to an email sent at 3 a.m. giving him a second chance at London.
The email informed Demps that he was added to the U.S. Olympic Team with a spot in the 4x100-meter relay pool.
His last-minute addition to Team USA came after Mike Rodgers was injured with a stress fracture in his left foot.
Gators coach Mike Holloway, who is also an assistant on the U.S. Olympic Team, confirmed the email by calling Demps early Tuesday to let him know about the late decision.
When Demps wrapped up the football season earlier in the year, he announced that he would pass up the NFL for a chance to compete for Team USA in London. However, he came up short in the trials, finishing in seventh place with a time of 10.27.
With his 2012 Olympic dreams dashed, he started preparing for his professional track career by competing in other meets while putting his Olympic aspirations off until 2016.
His latest competition was this past weekend at the Monaco Diamond League track meet in France. There Demps ran for U.S.’s No. 2 team with Rodgers, Maurice Mitchell and Travis Patton.
After missing out on his final NCAA Outdoor Championships because of a tweaked hamstring, Demps is feeling healthier as he heads to London to join the relay team that’s favored to win silver behind Jamaica.
Demps is now the 10th Gator to make it to the Olympics for track and field.
In total, there are 37 Gators competing in London, setting the school’s all-time record for number of competitors at a single Olympics. In the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Florida had 34 Gators competing.
