Sanya Richards dominates in Yokohama (© Kazutaka Eguchi (Agence SHOT))
Cold and rainy weather played a key role at the Super Meet this year, resulting in sub-par performances despite the solid fields assembled.
Sanya Richards managed the conditions best. As a follow-up to her 10.97 PB in the 100m on Friday in Shanghai, she won her specialty the 400m with a quite respectable 50.27, more than two seconds ahead of Bahamian Christine Amertil. Asami Tanno, the Japanese national record holder, was third with 52.94. Tanno also finished third in the 200m, an event won by Shericka Williams in 23.32. The race was run into a strong wind of 3.8m/s.
In addition to the cold and rainy weather, all the sprints events were run into a head wind, thus slowing the times even more. World champion Tyson Gay won the men’s 100m in 10.23, a massive 0.25 seconds ahead of Osaka finalist Churandy Martina.
Powell ends season with injury
The 200m was even more disappointing. Although Asafa Powell had a commanding lead 50 metres into the race, he started to limp nearing the 100m point and soon dropped out of the race altogether.
“It's a strain of some sort,” Powell's manager Paul Doyle told the Press Association. “He felt a pain in his upper hamstring and then it moved to the middle of the hamstring which would indicate there is some sore of muscle tear.”
In his absence, American J.J. Johnson won the event in 20.64.
Japan’s Kumiko Ikeda also doubled in the meet. She finished second in the Long Jump behind Russia’s World Champion Tatiana Lebedeva who reached 6.63m. The Japanese also finished second in the 100m Hurdles, behind Australian Sally McLellan (13.27).
Jackson prevails in 400m Hurdles
2005 World champion Bershawn Jackson won the 400m Hurdles in 49.80 seconds, just nipping Japan’s Kenji Narisako at the finish. World champion Kerron Clement was a disappointing fifth (50.74), one place behind the World bronze medalist Marek Plawgo of Poland.
Tikhon yet again
One of the featured events of the Super-Meet was men’s Hammer Throw, because of the presence of Koji Murofushi, the reigning Olympic champion. He was only sixth in the recent World Championships, and was expected to challenge the three-time World Champion Ivan Tikhon of Belarus. However, the expected challenge from Murofushi never materialized as he could only manage to throw 74.31m. Tikhon won the event with a 77.55m effort, while the World Championships medalists Libor Charfreitag (75.77m) of Slovakia and Primoz Kozmus (75.29m) of Slovenia finished second and third, respectively, reversing the order of finish from the World Championships in Osaka.
The men’s High Jump was won by Swede Linus Thornblad, the winner Friday in Shanghai, with a 2.21m clearance, while the reigning World Champion Donald Thomas of the Bahamas could only clear 2.15m.
Just one clearance in two Pole Vault competitions
The event most affected by the weather, of course, was a Pole Vault. In the women’s event, the reigning World Youth champion Vicky Parnov of Australia won with a relatively low height of just 4.00m; of the five vaulters entered the competition, Parnov was the lone vaulter to clear the opening height. The men fared even worse; all vaulters contesting the event, including American Jeff Hartwig and Japan’s Daichi Sawano failed to clear a height.
Ken Nakamura assisted by Akihiro Onishi for the IAAF
Leading Results:
Weather: Rain, temperature 15.9C, humidity 90%
Men -
100m (-1.4m/s)
1) Tyson Gay (USA) 10.23
2) Churandy Martina (AHO) 10.48
3) Naoki Tsukahara (JPN) 10.51
4) JJ Johnson (USA) 10.56
200m (-0.8m/s)
1) JJ Johnson (USA) 20.64
2) Tyler Christopher (CAN) 20.82
3) Hitoshi Saito (JPN) 21.16
DNF - Asafa Powell (JAM)
400m
1) Lewis Banda (ZIM) 47.39
2) Masahiro Naiki (JPN) 47.60
110mH (-1.6m/s)
1) Dexter Faulk (USA) 13.57
2) Serhiy Demydyuk (UKR) 13.58
3) Masato Naito (JPN) 13.83
400mH
1) Bershawn Jackson (USA) 49.80
2) Kenji Narisako (JPN) 49.92
3) Mahau Sugimachi (BRA) 50.05
4) Marek Plawgo (POL) 50.61
5) Kerron Clement (USA) 50.74
HJ
1) Linus Thornblad (SWE) 2.21m
2) Naoyuki Daigo (JPN) 2.18m
3) Hikaru Tsuchiya (JPN) 2.15m
4) Donald Thomas (BAH) 2.15m
PV
All vaulters no-heighted
HT
1) Ivan Tikhon (BLR) 77.55m
2) Libor Charfreitag (SVK) 75.77m
3) Primoz Kozmus (SLO) 75.29m
4) Koji Murofushi (JPN) 74.31m
Women -
200m (-3.8m/s)
1) Sherika Williams (JAM) 23.32
2) Cydonie Mothersill (CAY) 23.77
3) Asami Tanno (JPN) 24.20
400m
1) Sanya Richards (USA) 50.27
2) Christine Amertil (BAH) 52.32
3) Asami Tanno (JPN) 52.94
1500m
1) Olga Komyagina (RUS) 4:20.49
2) Sylvia Ejdys (POL) 4:20.50
3) Tiffany McWilliams (USA) 4:22.99
100mH (-0.8m/s)
1) Sally McLellan (AUS) 13.27
2) Kumiko Ikeda (JPN) 13.48
3) Mami Ishino (JPN) 13.77
PV
1) Vicky Parnov (AUS) 4.00m
Everyone else no-heighted
LJ
1) Tatiana Lebedeva (RUS) 6.63m (1.2m/s)
2) Kumiko Ikeda (JPN) 6.41m (1.9m/s)
3) Tatiana Kotova (RUS) 6.40m (1.5m/s)
