Meritt, Cherry run world leaders
2007 World Outdoor 400m silver medalist LaShawn Merritt won the men’s 400 meters in convincing fashion Thursday night in Baie Mahault, Guadeloupe over 2000 Olympic 400m hurdles gold medalist Angelo Taylor and 2008 World Indoor team member David Neville, crossing the finish line in a world-leading 44.34 seconds. Taylor was the runner-up in 45.06 and Neville was third in 45.08.
In the women’s 100m hurdles, 2006 USA Indoor and Outdoor runner-up Damu Cherry edged out Kelly Wells to win in a world-leading 12.70 to Wells’ 12.71. Two-time U.S. Indoor champion Danielle Carruthers was fourth in 12.94.
Also in Baie Mahault, 2003 World Outdoor champion Torri Edwards won the women’s 100m dash in 11.10, and two-time World Junior 4x100m gold medalist Ivory Williams won the men’s 100m in 10.09. 2006 U.S. Outdoor champion Brian Johnson won the men’s long jump with the third best mark in the world this year of 8.30 meters/27 feet 2.75 inches.
Gay, Spearmon headline Saturday in Jamaica
Two of the world’s finest sprinters, Tyson Gay and Wallace Spearmon, will be the featured attractions Saturday at the fifth Jamaica International Invitational in Kingston.
The Jamaica International is one of a select group of Area meets where points are acquired by athletes qualifying them for the IAAF/VTBBank World Athletics Final, September 13-14 in Stuttgart, Germany.
Gay, the reigning world 100m and 200m champion, who will compete in the 200 meters, ran at this event last year posting a time of 19.97 seconds. He’ll do battle with Jamaicans Marvin Anderson, a finalist at the 2007 World Championships in Osaka, Japan, and Chris Williams, the 2001 World Championships silver medalist.
Two-time World Outdoor Championships 200m medalist Wallace Spearmon will face Jamaica’s Usain Bolt, who placed second in the 200 meters at the 2007 World Championships.
Reigning world champion Kerron Clement will take on countryman and Osaka World Championships finalist Derrick Williams in the men’s 400m hurdles, along with Jamaicans Danny McFarlane, Isa Phillips and Adrian Findlay.
Also look for 2004 Olympic gold medalist Joanna Hayes in the women’s 100m hurdles, where she’ll face Jamaican standouts Delloreen Ennis-London and Lacena Golding-Clarke.
Carter, Clement, Hayes added to adidas Track Classic
Hurdlers Kerron Clementand Joanna Hayes and sprint sensation Xavier Carter are slated to compete in the adidas Track Classicon May 18, organizers announced Thursday.
Clement earned gold at Osaka in the 400-meter hurdles. A two-time US Outdoor Champion and two-time NCAA Champion, he is also the World Indoor Record-holder over 400 meters.
Also watch for Joanna Hayes, the 2004 Olympic gold medalist in the 100-meter hurdles. Hayes, who competed for John W. North High School in Riverside and then UCLA, broke the Olympic Record in her victory in Athens.
Rising star Xavier Carter, the 2006 NCAA outdoor 100-meter, 400-meter, 4x100-meter and 4x400-meter champion, has also been added to the lineup. He is the third-fastest 200-meter runner in history, thanks to a personal best set in 2006 of 19.63 seconds.
Also entered is Veronica Campbell-Brown, of Jamaica. The 2004 Olympic gold medalist at 200 meters, Campbell-Brown’s three medals made her the winningest female track athlete in Athens. Last summer at the World Championships, she tallied three more medals, including gold at 100 meters.
They join TysonGay, Jeremy Wariner, Allyson Felix, Bernard Lagat and Jana Rawlinson, bringing the total of reigning World Champions set for the event so far to seven. All expect to vie for gold medals at the Olympics later this summer.
The adidas Track Classic will begin at 12:30 p.m. on May 18 at The Home Depot Center, on the campus of California State University, Dominguez Hills, and will be broadcast live on ESPN from 1 p.m.-3 p.m. PDT (4 p.m.-6 p.m. EDT).
Produced by Global Athletics & Marketing, Inc., the adidasTrack Classic is the second stop of USA Track & Field’s Visa Championship Series. Tickets, from $40 (finish line) down to $10, are now available by calling Ticketmaster at 213-480-3232 or visiting www.Ticketmaster.com. For group sales, call 1-877-AEG-TICKETS. USATF welcomes you to pay with your Visa. Visit the event website at www.adidasTrackClassic.com for updates and more information.