EUGENE, Ore. — Tyson Gay was a blur in blue, sprinting 100 meters faster than anyone ever has.

His time of 9.68 seconds at the U.S. Olympic trials yesterday doesn't count as a world record, because it was run with the help of a too-strong tailwind. Here's what does matter: Gay qualified for his first Summer Games team and served notice he's certainly someone to watch in Beijing.

"It means a lot to me," the 25-year-old Gay said. "I'm glad my body could do it, because now I know I have it in me."

Gay dominated the competition. He started well and pulled out to a comfortable lead by the 40-meter mark.

No one ever has covered 100 meters more quickly. The previous fastest time under any conditions was 9.69, run in 1996 by Obadele Thompson, who now is married to Marion Jones.

Gay's race came with the wind blowing at 4.1 meters per second; anything above 2.0 is not allowed for record purposes.

"I didn't really care what the wind was," Gay said.

Walter Dix, the 2007 NCAA champion from Florida State, overtook Darvis Patton in the final 20 meters for second place. Dix clocked 9.80 and Patton 9.84, as each of the first six finalists turned in times under 10 seconds.

The official world record is 9.72 seconds, set by Jamaica's Usain Bolt on May 31 in New York — with Gay a distant second.

Everyone expected Gay to make the U.S. team. Similarly, long jumper Dwight Phillips also was considered a lock. Phillips is, after all, the 2004 Olympic gold medalist, a two-time world champion and three-time national champion.

But Phillips flopped yesterday, winding up in fourth place by less than an inch. Only the top three finishers in each event earn the right to go to the Olympics, and so Trevell Quinley, Brian Johnson and Miguel Pate will be on the team instead.

In other event finals, 2005 world champion Bershawn Jackson won the men's 400-meter hurdles in 48.17, followed by Kerron Clement in 48.36, and Angelo Taylor in 48.42.

In the women's 400 hurdles, Tiffany Ross-Williams, Queen Harrison and Sheena Tosta qualified to go to China. In the women's discus, Aretha Thurmond repeated her trials victory from 2004 by throwing 213 feet, 11 inches (65.20 meters), and she'll be joined in Beijing by Suzy Powell-Roos and Stephanie Brown Trafton.

Only two women made the team in the triple jump: three-time national champion Shani Marks and Erica McLain.

Derek Miles won the men's pole vault with a top effort of 19 feet, 0-1/4 inches, and 40-year-old Jeff Hartwig and U.S. record-holder Brad Walker also qualified.