James Dunaway for the IAAF
89 March - Fayetteville, Arkansas – Justin Gatlin is
beginning to loom as a major force in sprinting. The University of Tennessee student won
the men’s 60 metres and 200 metres at the NCAA indoor championships this weekend. Last
June he burst onto the scene with upset victories in the NCAA outdoor 100 and 200 metres
in his first year at university. He also won both sprints in the U.S. Junior
Championships.
Here, Gatlin defeated another Tennessee sprinter, Leonard Scott, in the 60 Saturday night. Gatlin’s start was poor, and 20m into the race he was fourth, a full yard back of Scott. But he managed to find an extra burst of speed and got up to edge Scott by some 20 cm, 6.59 to 6.61. The two were fastest in the heats, too, Scott winning his in 6.55 and Gatlin taking the other in 6.57. A day earlier Gatlin – who ran 20.42 on February 24 --took the 200 here rather easily in 20.63.
Miguel Tate, fourth in Edmonton last August, continued his string of excellent performances with a winning long jump of 8.34, Walter Davis taking second at 8.15. Davis, who was fifth in the Edmonton triple jump, came back next day to win his specialty and square accounts by defeating Pate, 17.23 to 16.52.
The men’s shot put was won by Britain’s Carl Myerscough, competing here for the University of Nebraska. He engaged with a titanic duel with Joachim Olsen of Denmark and the University of Idaho, Myerscough emerging the winner by only 6cm, 21.26 to 21.20. Up-and -coming American Christian Cantwell took third with 20.43. The big surprise was that three-time champion Janus Robberts of Southern Methodist could come up with only (for him) 20.22. The South African said later, “I’m having trouble with my technique. I know how to throw far, but I can’t get it out.”
Eva Goulborne of Jamaica (and Auburn University) was impressive in the women’s long jump, reaching a winning mark of 6.68. Even more impressive was Amy Linnen, a first-year student at the University Arizona, who raised her own collegiate pole vault record by 1 cm to 4.53 (she has reportedly cleared 4.62 in practice).
The women’s 60m hurdles also saw a collegiate record broken. Danielle Carruthers of the University of Indiana held the record at 7.92. She ran 7.92 again here, but Canadian Perdita Felicien of the University of Illinois edged Carruthers to win in 7.90.
