Williams sets world season lead at Felix Sánchez Invitational - UPDATED
Felix Sanchex (DOM) (AFP/Getty Images)
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Santo Domingo, Domincan Republic - USA's Tiffany Ross-Williams set the current world season’s best for the women’s 400m Hurdles (54.34) to steal the show from Felix Sanchez at his 4th Invitational Saturday night (12 May) in the Dominican capital.
The Felix Sanchex Invitational meeting is an NACAC Area permit meeting.
Olympic 400m Hurdles champion Sanchez made his second outing of the year, but opted for the 4x400m relay and his team finished third in front of some 12,000 spectators.
Ross-Williams cruises to world lead
Over the barriers, 2006 World Athletics Final runner-up Tiffany Ross-Williams made a great display as she cruised to victory with a world leading 54.34, to improve the previous best (54.70) set by USA’s Sandra Glover on the same day in Atlanta.
USA's Dominique Darden (56.26) and Jamaica's Shevon Stoddart (58.12) were distant second and third, respectively.
Sanchez anchors Domincan Republic to third
As usual, Felix Sanchez made his second competitive debut in 2007 and erased the disappointing DNF from last year's 400m Hurdles.
The 2004 Olympic and two-time (2001-2003) World champion anchored his team to third place in the 4x400m relay with 3: 05.73, closely beaten by the USA (3:05.51) and Puerto Rico (3:05.72).
Injuries are gone
"I am not 100% physically, but mentally I am", said the 29-year-old, who played catch up in the last lap. Arysmendy Peguero, Joel Tapia and Pedro Mejia ran the first three legs.
"The most important thing is to finish injury-free. Injuries that plagued my last two seasons are gone. The most important thing is what comes next, the Pan American Games," he added in a press conference.
In April, the 2003 Pan American champion easily won the 400m in 46.59 in local meet in Los Angeles.
"I am happy with the support of the crowd every time I compete here. This is my inspiration and I felt it from the very first second when I took the baton, during the whole race and when I crossed the finish line."
He described the 4th Invitational as the best ever and thanked the Dominican government and sponsors. He also commended the talent of his teammates. "We have a good team to opt for a medal in the Beijing Olympics, together with two-time Iberoamerican champion Carlos Yoelin Santa".
"When I first got here, there was no good track or good training. But things have changed now and they have what it takes to win medals at the Pan American Games in Rio,” concluded Sanchez.
Sanchez is scheduled to run 400m flat at the Ponce Grand Prix – NACAC Area Permit - in Puerto Rico on May 19. He plans to run his first 400m Hurdles in New York at the IAAF World Athletics Tour meeting on 2 June.
Sanchez revealed he would do all of his training for the 2008 Olympics in the Dominican Republic, instead of Los Angeles, USA.
Other results **
Demetria Washington, a 51.2 seconds 400m runner, impressed with a good win over Russia’s 2003 World 200m champion Anastasiya Kapachinskaya.
A week after running 52.54 in the high altitude of Xalapa, Mexico, the 27-year-old Washington was pushed all the way by Kapachinskaya.
Washington stopped the watches (hand timed) in 52.62 and Kapachinskaya 53.06. The American will run her next 400m at the Ponce Grand Prix on May 19 and could well be joined by the Russian again.
Jamaica's 2002 World Cup winner Michael Blackwood repeated his 2006 win in the men's 400m with 45.37, ahead of Trinidad and Tobago's World Junior champion Renny Quow (45.62), America's 2004 Olympic silver medallist Otis Harris (45.78), and Ricky Harris (45.85).
Other winners were USA's Mark Jelks in 10.25 (10.12 preliminary heat) and Bahamas' Chandra Sturrup (11.54) in the women's 100m, Colombia's Rosibel Garcia in the women's 800m (2:04.52), and Kenya's Geoffrey Rono in the 1500m (3:39.64).
In the field, Jamaica's Elva Goulburne took the women's Long Jump (6.51) while Canada's Jesse Lipscombe cleared 2.26m to dominate the High Jump.
The local sprinters pleased the Dominican Republic with a home victory in the 4x100m (45.03). The US quartet took the men's race in 40.38.
Blackwood, Jelks, Sturrup, Garcia and Goulbourne are also expected to continue their Caribbean tour with the next stop in Ponce this Saturday.
Javier Clavelo Robinson for the IAAF
**NOTE: Women's 400m: our correspondent originally reported that Washington stopped the clock in 49.35 and Kapachinskaya 49.78, which we have subsequently found to be incorrect.