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News20 Mar 1999


Explosive starts to season in South Africa for MJ and MJ

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Explosive starts to season in South Africa for MJ and MJ
19 March, Johannesburg - World champion Marion Jones stole the spotlight with an impressive 200 metres win at the high altitude city of Roodepoort on Friday.

Jones, the second fastest woman of all time, highlighted a meeting marked by world class performances when she clocked 21.84 seconds. Jones came strongly out of the blocks and totally dominated the race: "Everybody always says that it looks like I slow up at the end of a race, but 200m is a long way," said Jones. "I have only been in the country about a week and I felt the altitude a bit, but the track surface here is superb. I feel in 10.8 shape at the moment. To people who keep asking me  when am l going to break a world record, the only thing l can say is that if l remain healthy over the next eight or nine years, l am sure there is a possibilty of setting world records in both the 100m and 200m".

Compatriot Michael Johnson also ran an impressive 20.10 in the men's 200m, while world championship 400m hurdles silver medallist Llewellyn Herbert of South Africa served notice of his form by setting a national record of 47.83 seconds.

But Jones was the star of the show. "I just came to see what sort of shape I'm in," Jones said. "Suffice to say I'm pretty pleased." Jones, who aims to win five gold medals at next year's Sydney Olympics, will compete in the 100m at the Grand Prix final in Cape Town next Friday.

Johnson, the world record holder over 200m, was making a rare appearance in that discipline after hamstring injuries forced him to concentrate on the longer 400m for almost two years. "I'm very pleased," the double Olympic champion said after his emphatic victory. "It's great to run a time like this so early in the season. This was my first outing of the season and after such a long break you never know what to expect. Although l did not feel very comfortable on the bend, l made up for it on the home straight. On the possibility of a sub 20 seconds next Friday the Waco Express said: "I hope to do better in Cape Town. If l run a sub 20 seconds that will be fine. However, that is not my goal at this point. After Cape town, l go back home to analyse my physical condition and competition fitness before l decide whether to compete in the 400m or 200m at the World Championships. This year l will not run both events in Seville. It will be either one or the other".

Herbert, who battled with sinus trouble in 1998, ran magnificently to beat Zambian World Cup champion Samuel Matete and Olympic champion Derrick Adkins with a trademark finishing burst to slice three hundreths of a second of his South African record. "This is incredible," Herbert said. "Adkins pushed me really hard and I knew that if I could keep up with them for the first half I could run a good time."

Intense competition in the men's 400m pushed Arnaud Malherbe to improve his South African record from 44.81 to 44.59 seconds. The race was won by Antonio Pettigrew (USA) in 44.54. World Cup silver medalist Jerome Young was third in 44.81 ahead of South Africa's new kid on the block Jopie van Oudtshoorn (44.96). "I knew it was going to be a hard race with Jopie and the Americans drawn in lanes behind me. That is why l went out hard from the 250 metres mark," said Malherbe who was drawn in lane six while Pettigrew, Van Oudtshoorn and Young were drawn in lanes three, four and five respectively.

For the fifth time this year, Chris Harmse (RSA) set a continental record in the men's hammer throw. "The Roodepoort meeting is of special significance to me because it is at this same meeting last year that l first set an African record. I came determined to surpass the 76 metres mark, so I was really satisfied with my 76.09m" said Harmse.

Britain's Johnathan Edwards was all smiles after easily winning the men's triple jump in 17.01m. "It was a wonderful competition with great support from the 15,000 spectators. What was most important to me tonight was feeling no pain in my left ankle" Edwards said.

There were also impressive wins for South Africans Frantz Kruger in the discus (66.52m) and world javelin champion Marius Corbett (80.02m).

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