Monday, 21 April 2008 Gay sizzles at Mt. SAC Relays but no showdown with slightly injured Powell
Tyson Gay brings home sizzling hot relay leg in Mt SAC (Kirby Lee)
relnews Walnut, California, USA - The 50th running of the Mt SAC Relays on Sunday (20) in suburban Los Angeles found a number of last year’s Osaka luminaries in the early stages of their trek towards Beijing.
A pair of world sprint champions from last year lent their talents to relay teams, but only one was able to bring their quartet to victory. The Team adidas 4x100 relay - composed of Trell Kimmons, Dwight Thomas, Preston Perry, and Tyson Gay - circled the stadium in a world-leading 38.51. Gay was unofficially timed in 8.8 for the final 100 metres.
The “Jamaican” team of Daryl Brown (TRI), Michael Frater, Nesta Carter and Ainsley Waugh finished second in 38.93. A highly anticipated showdown between Tyson Gay and Asafa Powell failed to materialize when the Jamaican bowed out with a shoulder strain suffered Thursday in weight training.
Gay downplayed his superior finish, saying “I just came here to have fun and run a solid race.” Asked afterwards to comment on Gay’s heroics, Powell admitted that his rival “ran a pretty good leg, quite impressive.”
Felix equally hot on anchor but Campbell-Brown’s quartet wins
Osaka 200 champion Allyson Felix also was assigned to the final relay position, and her Bob Kersee All Star team’s third-place finish drew everyone’s attention, for good reason.
At the last exchange, Felix found herself only in fifth place, more than five metres behind the leading International All Stars Team. The Los Angeles native then put on a powerful finish to bring her team into third at 43.12, with an unofficial 9.8 for the final 100. (Felix showed her great range by later running an unofficial 49.8 to bring her 4x400 relay to a second-place finish at the end of the day).
The International All Stars - Veronica Campbell-Brown, Bianca Knight, Natasha Hastings and Shalonda Solomon - held on to an early advantage to win with 42.85, fastest yet in this season, followed by USA ‘Red’ (Sani Roseby, Carmelita Jeter, Candice Davis, and Torri Edwards) in 42.92.
Rooney impressive in 400m
Two years after his bronze medal performance in the men’s 400 metres at the World Junior Championships, Britain’s Martyn Rooney came up with an impressive win against some seasoned veterans. The 21-year-old Loughborough athlete put on a powerful finish to run past two-time European indoor champion (and training partner) David Gillick of Ireland, as well as two-time Mt SAC winner Lionel Larry, for a 45.88 victory. Craig Everhart, running on the extreme outside, slipped in for second with 45.94, as Larry (46.24) and Gillick (46.39) took the next places.
David Neville won the earlier section in 46.31
Running in the “B” section of the women’s 400 metres, Carol Rodriguez of Puerto Rico posted a season best of 51.89 to upstage the 53.03 of Canada’s Kaltouma Nadjina who followed with a victory in the “elite” section.
Lashina Demus held off Britain’s Tasha Danvers, 55.45 to 55.91, to win the women’s 400m Hurdles as both ran season bests. The men’s race was won by LaRon Bennett with 49.88 ahead of the 50.12 by Osaka finalist Derrick Williams.
Only Phillips over 8m
Defending Olympic champion in the men’s Long Jump, Dwight Phillips, was the class of that event as the only competitor to surpass eight metres with 8.24. Young American decathlete Mike Morrison leaped 7.90 to take a tight second-place contest with Tony Allmond (7.89w). Jenny Adams, normally known for her hurdling prowess, won the Women’s Long Jump in a PB 6.65, as Jamaica’s Chelsea Hammond was pushed to second place at the same distance on a countback.
Kenta Bell was the only jumper over the 17-metre mark in the men’s Triple Jump as his 17.03w took that contest ahead of the 16.80 of Allen Simms.
The changing weather in the Los Angeles area - Thursday had seen temperatures as high as 33C while Sunday found relatively coolish 20C conditions - produced some variable gusty winds with which the sprinters and jumpers had to contend.
Narrow 100m victories
The “A” section of the men’s 100 metres saw a blanket finish, with Mickey Grimes getting the victory in a wind-aided 10.11, ahead of Preston Perry (10.13) and Dwight Thomas (10.14). In all, six sprinters ran 10.17 or better. Jayson Heard won the “B” section with a wind-legal 10.20.
The breeze was strong (4.1) for Alexis Weatherspoon in her narrow victory in the women’s 100 Metres. Her 11.23 edged out Ladedra Guy (11.24) and Candice Davis (11.25).
Kai Kelley rode a slightly illegal wind (2.1) to a narrow 110m Hurdles win over Rodney Watkins, 13.51 to 13.52, while Jamaica’s Bridget Foster battled a small headwind (0.5) in her 13.18 100 Hurdles victory over Sheena Tosta (née Johnson) (13.21).
Campbell-Brown holds off Jeter
The Women’s 200 metres was the property of Athens Olympic champion Veronica Campbell-Brown of Jamaica, who withstood a late challenge by Carmelita Jeter, 22.66 to 22.86, while aided by a 1.8 wind. Chris Berrian won the men’s event by a narrow margin over Chris Williams of Jamaica, 20.43 to 20.44, as a 2.3 breeze pushed them into the finish.
And elsewhere at Mt SAC…
Only three of the twelve competitors in the men’s Pole Vault cleared a height successfully with Giovanni Lanaro of Mexico emerging as the winner with 5.50m. The women’s event was taken by Becky Holliday on a countback over Erin Asay, as both ended the day with a 4.47 best.
One of the new personalities on the US athletics’ scene this season has been javelinist Corey White. The 22-year-old university student entered the year with a career best of 71.27m. Today, White scored his fourth consecutive PB improvement, surpassing the benchmark 80-metre level for the first time at 81.65.
“Too close, not good enough”, was his self-critique afterwards, referring to the Olympic “A” standard of 81.80 which suddenly has become a reachable goal.
One of day’s most international fields was assembled for the Men’s High Jump, won by Britain’s Germaine Mason with 2.25m, as American Jamie Nieto and Trevor Barry of Bahamas trailed at 2.20.
Ryan Brown was the men’s 800 metres winner with 1:47.18 over the 1:47.33 of Duane Solomon, while Miesha Marzell won the women’s race with 2:05.63.
Dylan Armstrong of Canada was the men’s Shot Put champion at 20.04, while Kristin Heaston took the women’s contest with 17.85.
The traditional Mt SAC “distance carnival” was staged on Friday night (18), with several notable results.
Sally Kipyego, a university student from Kenya, ran a personal best in the Women’s 5000 Metres to win a close, unpaced duel against veteran US internationalist Lauren Fleshman, 15:11.88 to 15:12.55.
The men’s 5000m was a clear victory for Collis Birmingham in a PB 13:21.12. Trailing the 23-year-old Australian were Mark Carroll of Ireland (13:28.09) and Britain’s Scott Overall (13:28.33 PB).
Also unchallenged in his victory in the men’s 3000m Steeplechase was Anthony Famiglietti, whose 8:26.94 was almost ten seconds ahead of runner-up Jordan Fife (8:36.69).
Ed Gordon for the IAAF
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