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Jackson runs with heavy heart, silver bullet around neck

Related Topics: Silver bullet, Track and field

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — Bershawn Jackson's dad used to call him a speeding bullet.

That explains the necklace the 400-meter hurdler wears when he races.

Jackson's dad, Jeffrey Felton, died of a heart attack in October at the age of 53. Jackson's tribute to the man who rarely missed a track meet is to wear a hollowed-out silver bullet filled with his dad's ashes when he competes.

"He's always with me," Jackson said after winning his first-round heat Thursday at the U.S. Track and Field Trials. "He was my No. 1 support team."

Being here, in Eugene, is difficult for Jackson.