Dutch, a Clayton High product and the 2007 Wilson Daily Times Track Classic boys most outstanding performer, finished fifth in the 400-meter hurdles finals during the U.S. Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon -- just missing out on a berth for August's headline event in Beijing, China.
"I was excited to be there," Dutch said Thursday evening. "A lot of kids my age work really hard to get to NCAAs, so for me to reach this level was a little overwhelming. But it was such a great opportunity."
Dutch, a rising sophomore at the University of South Carolina, qualified for Sunday's finals after finishing fifth in his heat (qualifying 15th out of the 16 advancers) Friday and second in his heat Saturday.
On Sunday, he ran a personal-best time of 48.52 -- just one tenth of a second behind the third and final qualifer, Angelo Taylor.
Dutch said making the Olympic trials was "a discreet goal" this year, behind Southeastern Conference and NCAA championships.
To reach that goal and be so close to his ultimate goal of making the Olymic team for the Beijing Olympic Games was bittersweet, he said.
"It was definitely bittersweet," he said. "To be so close, I'm definitely excited about that. But it wasn't a well-deserved fifth-place. It was a fifth that should've been a second.
"And especially because I have a such love for the Asian culture, to be so close broke my heart."
With such a strong rookie performance, however, Dutch helped pave the road for the 2012 Olympics.
"People were already predicting, 'See you in 2012,'" his mother, Deborah, said. "We were just ecstatic for him to get to the finals -- especially with him running in lane 8, which is the hardest lane to run in.
"He just left it all on the track. Any time you give him a goal or a mark, he always exceeds it."
And having his parents, Johnny and Deborah, and his sister Ashley in attendance made a big difference, he said.
"Every time they were there, I PR'ed," Dutch said, referring to his personal-record times. "I could feel their love and support. So, to have them there, helped a lot."
Dutch, the Southeastern Conference Freshman Male Runner of the Year, will next compete at the 2008 IAAF World Junior Championships on July 8-13 in Bydgoszcz, Poland.
mlindsay@wilsontimes.com | 265-7807