News22 Apr 2007


Wariner begins individual race season with 20.81 / 44.66

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Jeremy Wariner running at the Michael Johnson Classic in Waco (© Errol Anderson, The Sporting Image)

Waco, Texas, USAWorld and Olympic champion Jeremy Wariner (USA) began his individual race campaign of the outdoor season with a 200m double at the Michael Johnson Classic at the Hart / Patterson track & field complex at Baylor University (Sat 21).

While not as quick as last season’s opener at the same meet and venue - 400m in 44.12 on 22 April 2006 - Wariner, who had been a part of a 3:03.54 4x400m relay win in Houston on 24 March, got his individual 2007 season off in easy style yesterday.

He won the 400m (second of two section races) in a world season leading time of 44.66, ahead of Jamaican-national Sanjay Ayre 45.37 and Darold Williamson 45.42, and then won the third of three 200m section races in 20.81 (wind +1.5m/s). Darvis Patton was second (20.81).

The quickest 200m race of the day came from Courtney Thomas 20.63 (+1.0m/s) in the other section.

Times at this time of the year can be deceptive with some runners beginning their seasons cautiously and Wariner was an example of this yesterday as in the 400m he was cruising with some ease with about 180m of the race run. In the 200m he had a terrible start.

It was a busy day for Wariner because he also ran the second leg for the Waco All-Stars in the Mile Relay (4x440yds). He took over in second place from Ayre and ran a split of 44.90 to give the lead back to the All-Stars.

By the end of the third leg Baylor University held a slight advantage over the All-Stars but Williamson, the anchor leg on the 2004 Olympic gold medal relay team, battled through the final turn for a 45.2 split and a winning time of 3:05.14. Baylor were second in 3:05.30. 

On the women side, World Athlete of the Year Sanya Richards did not compete having been “really sick, with a bad flu like virus during the week”, the World silver medallist confirmed to the IAAF this week.

In the women’s 400m Hurdles, Sandra Glover, the World Championships bronze medallist, was another prominent ‘scratch’. In the race, 2006 Asian Games 2006 gold medallist Huang Xiaoxiao from China clocked 55.81, the current world season lead.

Errol Anderson and IAAF

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