News14 Mar 2004


19 year-old Richards runs 50.82 for 400m – at NCAA Indoor Championships – Day TWO

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Sanya Richards of the USA in the 400m heats (© Getty Images)

The second and concluding day of the NCAA Indoor Championships yesterday (Sat 13) produced some excellent performances, of which the exploits of junior Sanya Richards are the most noteworthy.

After running 200m on Friday night (12 March) in 22.49 to finish close behind the world season's lead of Jamaica's Veronica Campbell (22.43), Richards cranked out a smooth-looking 400 metres in 50.82, sixteenth all-time and fourth best this year. Her time on the 2004 World indoor list splits a quartet of Russians who turned so many heads a week ago in Budapest.

It was the fastest time ever run by a junior athlete, and Richards who only turned 19 last month (26 Feb), came back to contribute a 50.2 anchor for a University of Texas 4x400 team which, despite running with two substitutes, ran a swift 3:28.69.

Richards, who is coached by Beverly Kearney, is pointing toward the 400 this summer, although you can expect her to run a lot of 200s before the Olympic Trials to sharpen her speed.

Behind Richards in her 'B' race was Tiandra Ponteen 51.23 which was a St. Kitts and Nevis record, while Dee Dee Trotter won the other final in 51.29, with Hazel-Ann Regis of Grenada setting a national mark 51.31 in second place.

Smith and Cragg complete doubles

Kimberly Smith of New Zealand and Providence College, who ran herself into the top 15 all-time in the 5000 metres on Friday (Area record 15:14.18), won the 3000m in 8:49.18 yesterday, her time being both a national and a collegiate record.

She was matched on the men's side by Alistair Cragg of Ireland, who also won the 5000 on the opening day and the 3000m last night in 7:55.29, beating New Zealand's Nick Willis' 7:56.44.  But unlike Smith, Cragg just ran to win rather than records on both occasions.

19.15m shot for Gerraughty

Two other collegiate records were set by young Americans. 20-year-old Laura Gerraughty added 1 cm to the 19.15 indoor shot record she set two weeks ago at the USATF championships, Afterwards, the 1.76, 93 kg New Englander joked, "Just like Sergey Bubka - one centimetre at a time - only I'm not getting paid."  She's not very big for a shot putter, but she is fast, efficient, and determined.

Kilmartin – Heptathlon record

The other collegiate record - and on the edge-of-world-class performance - was turned in by Donovan Kilmartin of the University of Texas. Kilmartin, who won't be 20 until June 11, won the Heptathlon easily with a score of 6136 points. His best marks came in the jumps - a 7.47 Long Jump, a 2.08 High Jump (and close at 2.11), and a 5.40 vault.

He really showed the typical American decathlete's distaste for distance running when, asked about the difference between the Heptathlon and the Decathlon, he quipped, "not having to run the 1500 is nice."

Like the women's 400m, the men's was fast, too - the fastest in the world, so far, in fact. It was won by yet another 20-year-old, Jeremy Warriner, the latest in Clyde Hart's seemingly unending stream of good 400 men at Baylor University. Warriner took the lead at about 180 metres and held off all attempts to pass him. He finished in 45.40, just ahead of Jerry Harris, who equaled his own previous season's best of 45.52

Other winners included -

Dan Taylor, who added a 23.66 weight throw victory to his Shot Put win of Friday. Brad Walker won the men's Pole Vault with 5.70m.

Tiffany McWilliams, who lost to Sweden's Johanna Nilsson a year ago, returned the favour this time, edging Nilsson, 4:32.24 to 4:32.72.

Latvian Ineta Radevica, winner of the women's Triple Jump with 13.68, just 4 cm short of her PB. LeJuan Simon won the men's event in a 17.05m PB.

DaBryan Blanton, winner of the men's 60m in 6.59.

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