Greene powers away to the 100m win - US Trials (© Getty Images)
Sacramento, California, USAA convincing Trials title defence by Maurice Greene and world-leading marks in both 400 Hurdle races were the highlights of the third day of the US Olympic Trials (Sunday 11 July), as the previous cooler days gave way to afternoon temperatures reaching 37C at the Alex G. Spanos Sports Complex.
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Greene - 9.91 Trials record - first four go sub-10!
Although his nightmarish 2003 season has long been forgotten, Greene came to Sacramento perhaps not with the same confidence he had in 2000. Also in town were at least three other solid rivals for the Olympic Trials title in the men’s 100 metres.
After an even start, Greene and Justin Gatlin pulled slightly ahead of the pack midway, with world leader Shawn Crawford staying close. As the remaining metres continued to disappear, Greene pushed harder and hit the finish in a US Trials record 9.91 to repeat his 2000 Trials win.
“Today, I got my start together,” said Greene, “but I didn’t get out as good as I’d like. Four years ago, it was going good. Then, the next two years were bad. I had a tough time coming back, but I didn’t give up.”
Gatlin 9.92 and Crawford 9.93
Finishing behind the defending Olympic champion, Gatlin was ever so close in a PB 9.92, with Shawn Crawford rounding out the high-quality Athens-bound trio with a 9.93. Like Greene with his Trials record, the performances of Gatlin and Crawford also represented the fastest-ever Trials times for their respective placings.
Gatlin predicted that “it’ll be a coin toss who wins in Athens”, but in achieving his spot on the team, he added that “these two people (Greene and training partner Crawford) motivated me to be the best I could.”
Crawford, too, was grateful to have been in the top three. “It felt great to win at Prefontaine (world-leading 9.88), but I knew this would be different. I’m ready to bring the gold home in August.”
Miller misses out despite running 9.99!
Coby Miller, in fourth, came up empty handed with his otherwise excellent 9.99, ahead of John Capel’s 10.02. World-record holder Tim Montgomery finished seventh in 10.13.
Four men sub-10 with a legal wind! Altogether the greatest 100m final in Trials history.
Johnson reclaims world season lead with 52.95!
For much of June, Sheena Johnson sat atop the world list in the Women’s 400 Hurdles before finally being displaced last weekend by another 21-year-old, Paris World champion Jana Pittman.
Today, Johnson reclaimed the spot with a brilliant 52.95 clocking in a most dramatic race.
After Johnson led for the first pair of hurdles, Lashina Demus, the top qualifier from yesterday, took over the lead by the third hurdle and blazed away from the others for what appeared would be an easy win. Then came the penultimate barrier, which Demus crashed significantly, destroying her tempo. This allowed Johnson, Brenda Taylor and Paris silver medallist Sandra Glover the opening they needed to move back into contention.
While Demus’ step was still out of synch on the final barrier, Johnson and Taylor sprinted by and into the wire for the first two spots. Johnson’s winning 52.95 - making her the tenth-fastest hurdler of all-time - lowered the world season best by more than a half second, and Taylor’s runner-up clocking of 53.36 was also a personal best.
Tight for third
Meanwhile, Demus looked in danger of losing out on the Olympics completely as Glover closed in. It was all the current World junior champion could do to stagger in with a 53.43, still a PB, with Glover ending up in 53.64.
Johnson recalled afterwards, “The plan was to go out fast for the first 200 and then go all out at the eighth hurdle. I knew we would probably all have to run PBs to make the team. I have dreamed of this ever since high school. To actually do it is really something special.”
Of her near failure, Demus admitted that she “busted up the ninth hurdle pretty good. I screamed ‘oh, no’, but luckily I was still able to maintain my balance and finish it off.”
Carter – 47.68 for men’s hurdles
The Men’s 400 Hurdles final was almost as exciting, as James Carter earned a chance to improve on the fourth place he registered four years ago at the Sydney Games by winning today with a world-leading 47.68.
Carter moved out quickly, but defending Olympic champion Angelo Taylor was in charge by the fifth hurdle, with Bennie Brazell running just behind.
Brazell took over in the curve and moved into the straight still in the lead, but Taylor and world junior champion Bershawn Jackson, running on either side of Brazell, were bearing down hard.
After the ninth hurdle, Carter made his final strong move, and it brought him the victory in a world-leading 47.68, as Taylor followed in 48.03. Brazell barely held on for the final Olympic place with PB 48.05, as Jackson’s PB 48.11 fell short of an Athens ticket.
Mack takes 5.90m Pole Vault win
The ignominious qualifying round of the Men’s Pole Vault on Friday, with its vexing winds, was all but forgotten today as Tim Mack equalled his PB with a 5.90 win. A finalist at the last two World Championships, the Cleveland native took three unsuccessful attempts at a would-be American record 6.04 to conclude the competition.
Toby Stevenson, coming to Sacramento as the favorite on the basis of a strong season highlighted by a 6.00 two months ago, was more than content as the runner-up at 5.85, if his helmet-slamming antics in the pit were an accurate indication.
Third place at 5.80 was taken by Paris finalist and Sacramento native Derek Miles, who nudged out his training partner, former world indoor silver medallist Tye Harvey, at the same height.
Sydney champion Nick Hysong finished fifth at 5.75.
Phillips’ 8.28m stands out
In the Men’s Long Jump, the qualifying round presaged a much better final competition than the one which materialized. Paris world champion Dwight Phillips was able to make an 8.28 effort stand up as the Trials winner. One must go back to the 1980 “lame duck” Trials and Larry Myricks’ 8.28 to find such an inferior winning performance. Still, the effort sends Phillips to Athens.
Tony Allmond moved into second-place with a fifth-round 8.10, but without the A-standard, his Olympic nomination is not yet sealed.
John Moffitt, third with 8.07, has a confirmed place on the Athens team, and should Allmond not achieve the required 8.19 by August 9, Walter Davis would take the final spot, based on his fourth-place finish today at 7.91.
14.45 American Triple Jump record
Not normally a banner event in US competitions, the women’s Triple Jump grabbed a headline today, thanks to Tiombé Hurd’s national record.
Hurd’s return to Sacramento, where she placed third in the 2000 Trials, turned into a memorable one, as the 30-year-old leaped 14.45 to break an eight-year-old American record. The old record of 14.41 was established by Sheila Hudson in 1996.
Hurd will be experiencing the Olympics for the first time, despite her third-place finish in 2000, because at that time she lacked the A-qualifying mark. Today, that was not a problem.
The next two placers, Shakeema Walker at 14.06 and Vanitta Kinard with 13.73, lack the A-norm and at the moment will not have an Olympic nomination.
Resting in sixth place was the US champion the last two years, Yuliana Perez, with a jump of 13.47. Perez has a provisional Olympic spot since she has previously met the A-standard.
Low key spear
American record holder Kim Kreiner threw 55.65 on her second attempt in the women’s Javelin and captured the 2004 title, after placing second in 2000, when her trip to Sydney was prevented by the lack of an A-qualifying mark.
Sarah Malone took second at 54.22, and Denise O’Connell finished third in 54.05. Atlanta Olympian Erica Wheeler finished fourth with 53.61.
Because only Kreiner has the A-standard among the finalists, she will be the lone US representative in the event in Athens, unless other finalists achieve 60.50.
400m qualifiers
The only qualifying rounds contested today were in the men’s 400 metres.
In the first of five races, Mitch Potter and Calvin Harrison came out of the final curve virtually even, with Jason Barton trailing by a metre. The two frontrunners maintained their advantage into the wire, with Harrison (45.22) clipping Potter (45.23) at the end. Barton held third with 45.39, as Jamel Ashley, who had led at 200, faded to fourth with 46.01.
Kelly Willie and Jerome Young were out in front at the 200 mark of the second section, and Willie had forged a slight advantage as the field entered the final straight. The LSU student powered resolutely into the finish to win in 44.63. Meanwhile, Young was tiring noticeably and seemingly did not notice Jerry Harris at the final moment. Harris (44.79) took second ahead of Young (44.93), as Alvin Harrison was a distant fourth (45.43).
Heat three saw US leader Jeremy Wariner holding the lead over Paris silver medallist Tyree Washington coming off the final curve, and the Baylor student, sensing no nearby challenger, slowed noticeably as he hit the tape in 45.39. Washington appeared to fade in the final meters, as Derrick Brew, running in the outside lane, won the race for second, 45.49 to 45.63. Fourth place was claimed by Leonard Byrd in 46.11.
After Milton Campbell spent 300 meters forging a lead in the fourth race, Otis Harris and Darold Williamson accelerated well on the final straight and passed Campbell, with Harris winning the tight battle as both were timed in 45.45. Campbell held third at 45.62, while David Neville finished closely in fourth with 45.69.
The final section saw Andrew Rock and Craig Everhart leading the race through the final curve. That pair ran together the rest of the way, with Everhart taking the win in 45.46 to Rock’s 45.53. James Davis, running in the outside lane, led the rest of the runners with his third-place 46.01.
Ed Gordon for the IAAF
