Sprint semis… Decathlon disaster for Hardee - NCAA Champs, Day Two
Friday 9 June 2006
Sacramento, California, USA - Trey Hardee, who set a collegiate record of 8465 points in the Decathlon two months ago, finished a shocking ninth in his event on the second day of the NCAA Championships yesterday (8).
Hardee, who cleared 5.20 metres in his record ten-eventer, was cruising along Thursday with something like 8200-8300 points in view when he no-heighted at 4.80m. That dropped him to ninth, and that’s where he finished. With second favourite Hans Uldal (NOR) also pulling a zero in the Discus, the Decathlon was won by Jake Arnold with 7870.
With only four other finals yesterday, much of the excitement came from qualifying performance.
Jake Arnold, Arizona, Decathlon winner - NCAA
(Kirby Lee)
The heats and semifinals of the men’s and women’s 100 metres helped bring the newest crop of young sprinters into focus.
Kerron Stewart of Jamaica won the first women’s semi in 11.18 (+0.6), with Shalonda Solomon a close second in 11.26. The second semi was taken handily by Kelliann Baptiste (Trinidad and Tobago) in 11.24 (+0.4).
The men’s 100m semis made it clear that Walter Dix will have his hands full defending the title he won here a year. Dix was only third in his semi - in 11.26 (-0.8) - behind first-year man Travis Padgett, the winner in 10.13, and fast-finishing Churandy Martina (Netherlands Antilles), who ran 10.15.
The other men’s 100m semi was won by Demi Omole in 10.14 (+0.1), a few centimetres ahead of Xavier Carter’s 10.15. Carter, incidentally is going for an unusual double; tomorrow he’ll run in the semis of the 400 metres.
The men’s Long Jump was also close, with Arturs Abolins of Latvia edging defending champion Fabrice LaPierre (AUS), 8.00 to 7.98.
The men’s Shot Put trials were dominated by indoor champion Garrett Johnson’s 20.18m, and the women’s by Laura Gerraughty’s 18.13m.
James Dunaway for the IAAF