OSAKA, Japan, Aug 26, 2007 (AFP) - The great US-Jamaica rivalry in sprints surfaced again in the women’s 100 metres at the world championships here Sunday as Torri Edwards and Veronica Campbell breezed through the first round.
The two rivals, the only women to duck the 11-second barrier this season, qualified for the second round later in the day when Tyson Gay and Asafa Powell clash for the title of fastest man on the planet.
I didn't want to run that fast but she (Damola Osayomi) pushed me a little bit. I felt easy though,'' 30-year-old Edwards said after finishing first in her heat in 11.14sec, a hundredth of a second ahead of Nigerian Osayomi. I feel pretty confident, I’ve been preparing for this all season,’’ said the US national champion, who has won seven out of eight 100m races. She only lost to Campbell in New York.
``I heard the track is fast, now I know it, but we will see how fast in the finals.’’
Edwards, the 100m champion in 2003, lowered her personal best to 10.90 in Carson, California, last May against the year’s best of 10.89 clocked by Campbell in Kingston in June.
Campbell, 25, the Olympic 200m champion, eased toward the finish to win her heat in 11.33sec, way below her personal best of 10.85sec.
Defending champion Lauryn Williams of the United States, who beat Campbell into second spot at the 2005 championships, qualified after finishing 0.11sec off Russian Yevgeniya Polyakova in a time of 11.41sec.
Other US and Jamaican sprinters also lined for the second round. They included Carmelita Jeter and Michelle Lewis of the United States and Kerron Stewart and Commonwealth champion Sheri-Ann Brooks of Jamaica.
But the morning event probably saw the last of former Jamaican superstar Merlene Ottey. She was in action as the most bemedalled athlete in the history of the championships but faded out in the first heat.
The 47-year-old, competing for Slovenia in her 59th world championship race, finished fourth in 11.64sec in a heat won by Jeter in 11.07, and failed to qualify for the second round.
Ottey has won a record 14 world championship medals including three golds since her debut in the first edition in 1983, in addition to her eight Olympic medals, but none since 1997.