Chantae Bayne of Texas and Kelly Ann Baptiste of LSU duel in 4 x 100 relay - Texas Relays (© Kirby Lee)
Athletics is a sport which is always, ultimately, at the mercy of the weather. Yesterday (7), the weather showed no mercy to the concluding day of the 80th Texas Relays.
The rain was close to non-stop, and the thermometer at the start of competition was 7 C. or so. It dropped steadily until at times there were sleet and tiny hailstones. The expected overflow crowd of 22,000 never reached one-tenth of that number.
By mid-morning rumours began to circulate that entire teams were dropping out -- both universities and high schools - getting in their team buses and leaving for home. Soon the rumours proved true, as the numbers of entrants in most events dwindled from eight or nine in the lane races to four, three, or even two.
In the sprints and hurdles events, two or three race fields were sometimes telescoped into a single race
Of the 60-odd professionals participating in the meet as part of a USATF programme to improve American baton-passing and to give the fans a chance to see in person some of the stars that they've only seen on television, fewer than five braved the conditions to compete.
The field events, especially the jumps, were similarly affected, with most entrants preferring not to risk injury. Only in the middle distance races did the fields remain relatively normal in size,
The officials, almost all volunteers and many of whom had also worked the three previous days, did an excellent job of coping with a continuous stream of changing circumstances. The athletes who stayed and braved the conditions won the admiration of the people in the stands who stayed and braved the conditions.
But the weather won.
James Dunaway for the IAAF
Results
For the record -- and the performances in no way reflect the abilities of the athletes other than their competitive abilities -- here are some of the day's best performances:
WOMEN
High school girls' 100m (wind + 2.9) -- 1, Tiffany Townsend, 11.96 (yesterday with the same degree of aiding wind, she ran 11.29).
1500m -- 1, Mable Kunihiri, Oral Roberts University, 4:26.86; 2, Jennifer McPherson, Mississippi State University, 4:27.16
400m Hurdles -- 1, Nickiesha Wilson, Louisiana State University, 57.12
4x100 Relay -- 1, University of Texas, 44.49; 2, Lousiana State, 44.62
Pole Vault -- 1, Jennie Sewell, Sam Houston State, 3.95; 2, Gabriella Duclos, Arizona, 3.95; 3, Ingrid Kantola, UCLA, 3.80. Only three clearances in the competition, one each.
Shot Put -- 1, Michelle Carter, University of Texas, 16.22.
Javelin Throw -- 1, Erma Gene Evans, Texas-El Paso, 50.85; Andrea Kvetova, Southern Methodist, 50.31.
MEN
Invitation Mile -- 1, Michael Stember, 4:14.26.
Invitation 110m Hurdles (wind +1.0) -- 1, Chris Thomas, 14.01.
400m Hurdles 1, Isa Phillips, Louisiana State, 50.71; 2, Justin Gaymon, Georgia, 50.85.
4x100 Relay -- 1, Louisiana State, 40.57.
4x400 Relay -- 1, Louisiana State, 3:09.93; 2, Mississippi Stste, 3:10.44; Georgia, 3:10.62.
Distance Medley Relay (1,200, 400, 800, 1,600 -- Texas, 9:48.79 (Jacob Hernandez 1:49.7).
High Jump -- 1, Andra Manson, Texas, 2.20.
Shot Put -- 1, Kyle Helf, Georgia, 18.18.
