Mainers Ben True, Becky O’Brien compete in Olympic trials

EUGENE, Ore. — Two Maine natives made their debuts over the weekend at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials.

Ben True, a distance runner from North Yarmouth, finished 12th in the men’s 10,000-meter run. The former Dartmouth College standout was timed in 28 minutes, 8.17 seconds.

Galen Rupp set an Olympic trials record of 27:25.33 to win the race and claim one of three berths in the 2012 Summer Games in London. Other qualifiers for the U.S. team were Matt Tegenkamp (27:33.96) and Dathan Ritzenbein (27:36.09).

True will continue his Olympic quest with the preliminary rounds of the 5,000-meter run Monday.

Becky O’Brien of Cumberland, now at SUNY-Buffalo, finished 23rd out of 24 competitors in the preliminary round of the women’s discus with a best effort of 147 feet, 5 inches.

Stephanie Brown Trafton led 12 qualifiers for Sunday’s final in the event with a best throw of 206-1.

O’Brien is scheduled to compete in the shot put preliminaries beginning Thursday.