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News15 Sep 2001


Golden-heeled Johnson ends career on a high note

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Goldenheeled Johnson ends career on a high note
AFP

15 September 2001 – Yokohama, Japan - Double world record holder Michael Johnson ended his glittering career here Saturday by anchoring a relay every bit as unique as his achievements on the athletics track.

The five-time Olympic champion, who turned 34 Thursday, ran 400 metres in the final stage of the “Sweden relay”, whose first three sections cover 100, 200 and 300 metres respectively.

Despite the occasion, the sprint legend was characteristically ice cool to the last.

“I think people don’t understand that their feelings about my last race and my feelings about my last race are different,” said Johnson after winning the race.

“Everyone else is able to get into the fact that ‘this is the last time I’ll see Michael run’. I have to still go out there and execute strategy and make sure to win the race. There’s no emotion out there.”

Johnson, also a nine time world champion, was to have re-formed “Team MJ” for the Yokohama meet, south of Tokyo.

But his teammates Marcus Brunson, Derrick Brew and Jerome Davis were prevented from coming by the suspension of US air services after this week’s devastating terror attack.

Johnson arrived in Tokyo on Tuesday, the day of the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

Frankie Fredericks of Namibia and fellow Americans Terrence Trammell and Shawn Crawford replaced them to help Johnson win the race in one minute 47.93 seconds, beating Japan into second place and Australia into third.

Johnson paraded on a car around the track and threw balls to the crowd, which spectators could exchange for an autograph later.

He then threw bunches of flowers, and one very lucky punter was on the receiving end of his lobbed shoes.

“I’m very fortunate to have had a long career,” said Johnson, who burst onto the scene by winning the 200m at the 1991 world championships in Tokyo.

“I’m proud of the fact that I had a long career and I was able to be consistent over those years, that’s just the result of very hard work.”

Johnson set the 200m world record of 19.32s in claiming a 200-400m double at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. His 400m world record of 43.18 was set at the 1999 world championships in Seville, Spain.

Earlier in the day, Fredericks, running his third race after coming back from a foot injury, managed to clock only 10.23 to finish third in the men’s 100m.

Crawford timed 10.17 to win and Japan’s Nobuharu Asahara was second in 10.18.

Sydney Olympic champion Anier Garcia of Cuba beat American Allen Johnson, the Atlanta Olympic champion, in the men’s 100m hurdles in 13.19. Johnson timed 13.54, ahead of world record holder Colin Jackson of Britain in 13.61.

Swedish world silver medallist Christian Ohlsson upset world champion and world record holder Jonathan Edwards of Britain to win the triple jump in 17.16m.

The best local hope, world hammer throw silver medallist Koji Murofushi, defeated world and Olympic champion Szymon Ziolkowski of Poland into second with a meet record of 82.08m.

Other favourites stayed in form with Javier Sotomayor of Cuba winning the high jump and his compatriot Ivan Pedroso winning the long jump.

American John Godina easily won the shot put with a 20.92m throw, and Olga Yegorova of Russia coasted to a two-second victory in the women’s 5,000m in 15:21.99.

Selected results from the Yokohama track and field meet here Saturday:

  

   Men

   100m

   1. Shawn Crawford (USA) 10.17sec, 2. Nobuharu Asahara (Jpn)

10.18, 3. Frankie Fredericks (Nam) 10.23  

   400m

   1. Gregory Haughton (Jam) 45.21sec, 2. Antonio Pettigrew (USA) 45.46, 3. Jun Osakada (Jpn) 45.49

1500m

   1. Kevin Sullivan (Can) 3min 42.44sec, 2. Kazuyoshi Tokumoto (Jpn) 3:44.20, 3. Fumikazu Kobayashi (Jpn) 3:45.26  

   5000m

   1. Julius Gitahi (Ken) 13:33.68, 2. Zakayo Ngatho (Ken) 13:33.74, 3. Alene Emere (Eth) 13:34.77

   110m hurdles

   1. Anier Garcia (Cub) 13.19sec, 2. Allen Johnson (USA) 13.54, 3. Colin Jackson (Gbr) 13.61  

   400m hurdles

   1. Felix Sanchez (Dom) 48.68sec, 2. Fabrizio Mori (Ita) 48.77,  3. Dai Tamesue (Jpn) 48.92  

   Swedish relay

   1. Dream Team 1min 47.93sec (Frankie Fredericks, Terrence Trammell, Shawn Crawford, Michael Johnson), 2. Japan 1:48.27 (Shingo Kawabata, Nobuharu Asahara, Kenji Tabata, Jun Osakada), 3. Australia 1:48.36 (Adam Basil, Steve Brimacombe, Paul Pearce, Clinton Hill)  

   High jump

   1. Javier Sotomajor (Cub) 2.31m, 2. Nathan Leeper (USA) 2.25, 3. Viacheslav Voronin (Rus) 2.25  

   Long jump

   1. Ivan Pedoroso (Cub) 8.29m, 2. Savante Stringfellow (USA)  8.15, 3. Masaki Morinaga (Jpn) 7.76  

   Hammer throw

   1. Koji Murofushi (Jpn) 82.08m, 2. Szymon Ziolkowski (Pol) 81.82, 3. Balazs Kiss (Hun) 78.35  

   Triple jump

   1. Christian Ohlsson (Swe) 17.16m, 2. Jonathan Edwards (Gbr) 17.14, 3. Rostislav Dimitrov (Bul) 16.57  

   Shot put

   1. John Godina (USA) 20.92m, 2. Zhong Fengzhu (Chn) 17.89, 3. Yasutada Noguchi (Jpn) 17.51  

   Women

   100m

   1. Glory Alozie (Spa) 11.26sec, 2. Leonie Mani (Cmr) 11.28, 3. Kaori Sakagami (Jpn) 11.58  

    400m

   1. Falilat Ogunkoya (Ngr) 51.85sec, 2. Mirelle Nguimbo (Cmr) 52.19, 3. Kazue Kakinuma (Jpn) 53.01  

   1500m

   1. Jolanda Ceplak (Slo) 4min 13.19sec, 2. Yulia Kosenkova (Rus) 4:13.45, 3. Ikuko Tamura (Jpn) 4:13.66  

   5000m

   1. Olga Yegorova (Rus) 15min 21.99sec, 2. Leah Malot (Ken) 15:23.12, 3. Kayoko Fukushi (Jpn) 15:25.65  

   100m hurdles

   1. Glory Alozie (Spa) 12.78sec, 2. Olga Shishigina (Kaz) 12.82, 3. Aliuska Lopez (Cub) 13.03  

   Long jump

    1. Fiona May (Ita) 6.54m, 2. Ludmila Galkina (Rus) 6.53, 3. Kumiko Ikeda (Jpn) 6.37  

   Pole vault

   1. Tatiana Grigorieva (Aus) 4.56m, 2. Gao Shuying (Chn) 4.20, 3. Masumi Ono (Jpn) 4.10

   Discus

   1. Yuka Murofushi (Jpn) 53.55m, 2. Miyoko Nakanishi (Jpn) 53.28, 3. Tomoko Yamaguchi (Jpn) 51.04

   High jump

   1. Inga Babakova (Ukr) 1.96m, 2. Miki Imai (Jpn) 1.96, 3. Amy Acuff (USA) 1.85

 

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