U.S. sending very powerful team to Rio, says expert

By Gene Cherry EUGENE, Oregon (Reuters) - The United States will field a powerhouse athletics team for next month's Rio Olympics even though several big names crashed out in the just-completed American trials. "It's one of the strongest ever," respected international athletics expert Mel Watman told Reuters via email. "They could well exceed the nine gold medals obtained at the London Olympics of 2012." Decathlon world record holder Ashton Eaton, triple jumper Christian Taylor, pole vaulter Jenn