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EUGENE, Ore. — Many professional athletes have some sort of strict regimen they go through each day in order to prep for a big competition. Often it involves visualization or eating a certain meal or listening to a certain type of music. In short, many athletes are superstious.

But Dee Dee Trotter isn’t most people.

To prepare for her final in the women’s 400 at the Olympic Track and Field Trials at Hayward Field, the former University of Tennessee star spent some time watching TV. Specifically, she watched some Nickelodeon.

“I find that if I run a race in my head then my heart just starts (beating) really fast,” Trotter said. “I like to watch some Spongebob, real light-hearted stuff.”

Her routine worked. Trotter placed third Thursday night, behind Sanya Richards and Mary Wineberg, finishing in 50.88 seconds to qualify for the Olympics in Beijing.

“I can’t wait to watch it on TV,” said Trotter, who was fifth in the 400 at the 2004 Olympics but won a gold medal as a member of the 4x400 relay team.

Richards won in 49.89 and Wineberg finished in 50.85, falling across the finish line at the end to hang on to second place.

“It was so windy on the backstretch today and I knew that was going to play a factor in the time, but I kept telling myself that time doesn’t matter here,” said Richards. “It is all about finishing in the top three. I went out a little bit slower than I would like to in a major event, but I had to do that because of the wind so my time was good but not great.”

Trotter, who is famous for kicking late, said it is a necessary task for her considering she doesn’t have the footspeed of someone like Richards.

“Does it stress me out? Yes,” Trotter said with a laugh.

It was a painful race for Trotter. Two months ago when getting out of her car in Knoxville, Trotter accidentally slammed her left leg in her car door, chipping her femur bone. The injury will most likely require surgery after the track season is finished.

“I feel like Tiger Woods,” she said, adding that she and her coaches have worked tirelessly to keep the swelling down. Once every few weeks, she said, she goes in to get her knee drained of fluid.

“Just a few weeks ago I was running 53.90s, 53.60s, it was looking like I wasn’t going to do too hot here,” Trotter said. “To actually come out each round and improve, see myself actually growing … I feel very blessed.”

Bowman Advances: Sarah Bowman of UT advanced to today’s semifinals in the 1500. The junior from Warrenton, Va., checked in third in heat three of the quarterfinals at 4:17.48 and posted the 10th fastest clocking of the qualifiers.

Joining Bowman in the semifinals will be Knoxville resident Treniere Clement, who finished just ahead of Bowman in heat three and was ninth of the qualifiers at 4:17.33.

UT sophomore Lynne Layne is expected to be in action today in the qualifying round of the 200. Layne made it to the quarterfinal round of the 100 meters last week.

Famiglietti Advances: Former UT standout Anthony Famiglietti of Knoxville advanced to Saturday’s finals in the 3,000 steeplechase by winning his heat in 8:25.17 on Thursday.

Famiglietti is looking to make his second consecutive Olympics.

Madison Fifth: Former UT star Tianna Madison finished fifth in the women’s long jump, bolstered by a third-attempt leap of 21 feet, 7 1/4 inches.

© 2008, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.