Sizzling (and wind-assisted) 10.74 for Carmelita Jeter at the US championships (© Getty Images)
Eugene, USA Walter Dix and Carmelita Jeter sped to 100m wins in the second day of the USA Championships before a crowd of 10,047 at the University of Oregon’s Hayward Field on Friday (24) while injury forced former World champion Tyson Gay to withdraw.
Jeter edged Marshevet Myers in a wind-aided 10.74 to 10.83 (+2.7 mps). Dix nipped Justin Gatlin, 9.94 to 9.95, in the men’s race to defend his title on a day in which Gay, Olympic Decathlon champion Bryan Clay, and Sanya Richards-Ross withdrew from the competion.
Gay pulled out of the 100m semifinals because of a lingering hip injury and will not run in the 200.
“He was unable to warm up due to a hip and adductor problem on his right side,” his manager Mark Wetmore said. “As Tyson has mentioned, it has been bothering him for several months.”
Because the U.S. record holder ran in the 100m prelims on Thursday, the 2007 World 100m and 200m champion will be eligible for the U.S. relay pools for Daegu.
Clay strained his left calf after hitting a barrier in the 110m Hurdles on the second day of the Decathlon and failed to finish. Clay sat on the ground for several moments before limping away noticeably. He took one throw in the Discus before removing himself from the remainder of the competition.
Clay, who entered the second day of the Decathlon in second place behind Ashton Eaton, may appeal for a spot on the U.S. World Championship team. Eaton won with 8,729 points to move into fifth on the all-time U.S. list. [Click here for the Decathlon report.]
Richards-Ross did not start in the women’s 400m semifinals after running 52.02 in the first round on Thursday but she will be eligible to compete in the World Championships with a bye as a reigning champion.
Jeter continues Hayward Field success
Three weeks after running a World-leading 10.70 at the Prefontaine Classic on the same track at Hayward Field, Jeter ran a well executed race out of lane three to defeat Myers running in the lane five. Mikele Barber was third in 10.96.
“I feel like I executed a great race. I feel like I hit the back block like I was supposed to. I did everything that my coach wanted me to,” Jeter said. “I want to stay healthy. That’s the No. 1 plan and to not think too much. Just work on myself and not think about anybody else and that’s what I did today.”
Dix edged returning Gatlin
Dix shook off allergies and sluggish start because of a “twinge” in his left hamstring to win the 100m and spoil the return of 2004 Olympic 100m champion Gatlin in his first full season after a four-year layoff. Michael Rodgers was third in 9.99.
“In the semifinals I tested it out,” Dix said about the hamstring. “In the finals, I let it rip and nothing happened. When you are trying to adjust to different things and the pollen was high, you just don’t know what to expect and my body adjusted quickly. I was able to get through those rounds.”
Dix will run in the first round of the 200m today (25).
Lagat collects fifth 5000m title
Bernard Lagat won a final lap duel over Chris Solinsky and Galen Rupp to win the 5000m in 13:23.06, covering the final four laps in 3:58, to win his fifth national title in the event. Solinsky was second in 13:23.64. Like in his 10,000m win on Thursday, Rupp wore a mask for the first half of the race to control his allergies and finish thirded in 13:25.52.
In the women’s 5000m, Molly Huddle used a 63.9 final lap to win in 15:10.00 over Amy Hastings (15:14.31) and Angela Bizzari (15:16.04).
Brigetta Barrett of Arizona and Amanda Smock turned in yearly U.S. leading marks in the women’s High Jump and Triple Jump.
Barrett, the 2011 NCAA indoor and outdoor champion, won the women’s High Jump with a 1.95m leap, the highest by an American this year. U.S. record holder Chaunte Lowe, who gave birth to her second daughter on 4 April, finished in a five-way tie for ninth after clearing only the opening height of 1.78m on her first try before bowing out with three misses at 1.83m.
Smock bounded 14.07m in the Triple Jump with Crystal Manning in second with a sixth-round effort of 13.94m.
Elsewhere, Mike Hazle won the Javelin at 78.22m after four previous runner-up finishes. David Oliver led all qualifiers in the 110m hurdles in 13.08.
In the women’s 400m semifinals, Francena McCorory and Natasha Hastings were the top qualifiers at 50.77 and 50.98. Allyson Felix won her semifinal in 51.52. Tony McQuay led the men’s 400m semis at 44.79 with Jeremy Wariner advancing to the final by finishing third in his heat in 45.28.
Kirby Lee for the IAAF
