Former Redhawk heads to 2012 Summer Olympic trials | People

CAPE GIRARDEAU, MO (KFVS) - A former Southeast Missouri State University track All-American is looking to take another step closer to an Olympic dream when he heads to the Olympic Trials at historic Hayward Field this weekend.

Miles Smith is headed to the University of Oregon for the second-straight summer, going to the spot where he placed sixth in the 400m at last year's USA Track and Field Championships. The university says that performance earned him a spot in the relay pool for Team USA's trip to the IAAF World Championships in Daegu, South Korea. This time around, Smith is in the running to claim a roster spot for the grandest of stages, the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

A 2008 Southeast graduate, Smith earned All-America honors five times during his career with the Redhawks. The last of those honors came with his sixth-place finish at the 2008 NCAA Outdoor Championships.

Since leaving Southeast, Smith has moved to the professional ranks and after his sixth-place showing at last year's USA Track and Field Championships, is looking to crack the top four in the 400m to secure a spot in the London Games.

Smith is seeded 13th in the men's 400m field with a time of 45.19. His mark of 45.34 at the USA Track and Field Championships a year ago was 0.23 seconds out of the top four in that race.

The first round of the men's 400m will be run on Friday at 5:10 p.m. CT. The competition moves to the semifinal round on Saturday at 7 p.m. CT and concludes with the finals on Sunday at 6:20 p.m. CT.

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