With a head-first slide across the finish line, former University of Michigan track athlete Jeffrey Porter earned himself a spot in the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

Porter finished third in the 110-meter hurdles in a personal-best time of 13.08 seconds at the U.S. track Olympic trials Saturday at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore.

His lunge at the finish line turned into a dive, something the New Jersey native told the Newark Star-Ledger was part of the plan to achieve his Olympic dream.

"I told these guys that if it's close I am diving across the line,'' he told the newspaper. "I got the start I needed. The middle of it was a little rough, but I wanted this dream more than anything so I dug deep."

Aries Merritt won the race in 12.93 seconds and reigning world champion Jason Richardson was second in 12.98 seconds.

Porter, a national champion in the 60-meter hurdles while competing at Michigan from 2004-07, is the husband of Ypsilanti High School and Michigan graduate Tiffany (Ofili) Porter, who previously qualified to represent Great Britain in the 100 hurdles at the London Games.

Michigan's other representative competing on Saturday, Bettie Wade (2006-09), finished fourth in the heptathlon. She scored 6,018 points, 170 shy of qualifying for the U.S. Olympic team.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.