Richards crushes AR at World Cup; U.S. men poised in second
09-16-2006
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Jill Geer
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USA Track & Field
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ATHENS - She had knocked on the door of the American record all season. Yet at the end of a long year, it was listening to her father’s advice that helped 21-year-old Sanya Richards (Austin, Texas) crush the American record in the women’s 400 meters on Saturday at the 10th IAAF World Cup in Athens’ Olympic Stadium.
Richards’ time of 48.70 seconds obliterated Valerie Brisco’s American record of 48.83, set at the 1984 Olympic Games, where Brisco won three gold medals. It also gave Richards a victory in Athens by nearly 2.5 seconds - Vania Stambolova of Bulgaria was a distant second in 50.09 - and put her #7 on the all-time world list.
“Before the race today, I talked to my dad [Archie]. He said, you’re in lane seven, so there is nobody in front of you and you can focus on running your own race,” said Richards, who will also compete in the 200 meters and 4x400m relay on Sunday. “So I focused, got into my blocks and said, ‘I can break the American record.’ … My dad kept telling me I was watching the clock all year during races and that was slowing me down, so I didn’t look at the clock today. Everything he said came true.”
At the end of the first day of competition in Athens, Team USA’s men were second in team scoring with 74 points, just behind Europe with 76. Team USA’s women were fifth with 49 points, behind the Americas’ 65. A points-based format of team competition, the World Cup pits Team USA against continental squads from Asia, Africa, the Americas, Europe and Oceania. Greece, Russia, Poland’s women and France’s men also field teams. Team points are awarded ranging from nine points for a first-place finish down to one point.
Winning on the oval
Team USA enjoyed strong finishes across the board at Olympic Stadium, literally and figuratively, led by double winner Tyson Gay (Fayetteville, Ark.).The former NCAA champion ran a brilliant final 60 meters in the 100 to win the race in 9.88, well clear of Olympic silver medalist Francis Obikwelu (POR) of Team Europe, who was second in 10.09. Gay then ran third leg on the 4x100m relay team of Kaaron Conwright, Wallace Spearmon and Jason Smoots on anchor. The quartet ran a championship record of 37.59 seconds, the fastest time by an American team since winning the 1999 World Championships (also 37.59), the fifth-fastest time in history, and well ahead of Team Europe in second (38.45).
In the men’s 400 meters, LaShawn Merritt (Portsmouth, Va.) took the track immediately after Richards. Running out of lane 1, Merritt came off the final curve and ran down Gary Kikaya [Congo] of Team Africa. Looking as if he were running a form drill, Merritt moved ahead to win in 44.54, with Kikaya second in 44.66.
Kerron Clement (Gainesville, Fla.) likewise used a strong stretch run to take the men’s 400-meter hurdles. The world record holder indoors at 400 meters, Clement was in a dead head with L.J. Van Zyl (RSA) of Team Africa in the final stretch. Clement’s superior speed came through in the end, giving him the win in 48.12 to Van Zyl’s 48.35.
A few surprises
While those victories came as no surprise, several athletes turned in better-than-expected performances. Capping off a tremendous season, Matt Tegenkamp (Madison, Wis.) did what few Americans are known for in distance races: the 2005 University of Wisconsin grad took the lead in the men’s 5,000 meters with 1,000m to go, leading Said Saeed Shaheen (QAT) of Africa and Mike Kipruto Kigen (KEN) of Africa until they surged ahead with 500 meters remaining. Tegenkamp stayed on Kigen’s shoulder and nearly passed him in the final straight, finishing third (13:36.83) behind Shaheen (13:35.30) and Kigen (13:36.19).
Kara Goucher (Portland, Ore.), who of late considers herself to be a 10,000-meter runner, ran with the lead pack throughout the women’s 3,000 meters, then kicked from fifth to third place and posted a huge personal best of 8:44.42. Tirunesh Dibaba (ETH) of Africa broke the meet record with her win in 8:33.78. Also on the women’s side, team captain Aretha Thurmond (Seattle, Wash.) placed a strong second in the women’s discus with a best mark of 61.83m/202-10 on her second throw of the competition.
Competing in a Team USA jersey for the first time since winning the 2003 world title, Torri Edwards turned a mishap into a runner-up finish in the women’s 100 meters. Running neck-and-neck with Via Anim (GHA) of Africa in lanes 5 and 6, respectively, the two bumped arms just a few strides from the finish. Anim’s arm gave Edwards a bit of a push, propelling her to second place in 11.19 behind Sherone Simpson (JAM) of the Americas (10.97). Anim finished third in 11.21.
More top finishes
The world indoor champion, Reese Hoffa (Athens, Ga.) led the men’s shot put competition from the second round on with his throw of 20.60m, but in the fourth and final round, Ralf Bartels (GER) of Europe popped the winning throw of 20.67m/67-9.75.
Lashinda Demus was less than pleased with her runner-up finish in the women’s 400m hurdles. The 2006 world leader with a best time of 53.05, Demus ran out of lane 1. Despite running tight turns, she still led the race until the ninth hurdle, when she clipped the barrier. World record holder Yuliana Pechonkina of Russia went on to win in 53.88, with Demus second in 54.06.
National champion Tora Harris (Chula Vista, Calif.) hit the medal stand with a third-place finish in the men’s high jump. His second-attempt clearance at 2.24m/7-4.24 put him in third due to his first-attempt miss; also a near miss was his final attempt at 2.28m/7-5.75.
A.G. Kruger (Ashland, Ohio) capped off his season with a solid fourth-place finish in the men’s hammer throw. His best toss of 75.53m/247-7 came on his fourth and final attempt, vaulting him from seventh into fourth.
The men’s 1,500 and women’s 800 followed similar game plans as both races had very slow starts. In the men’s 1,500 the lead pack, which included American Gabe Jennings (Mendocino, Calif.), hit the bell lap in a leisurely 3:02. In an all-out sprint for the finish, Jennings placed fourth in 3:55.09 as Alex Kipchirchir (KEN) of Africa won in 3:52.60. The women’s 800 cruised through 400 in 62 seconds, a tactic which worked to Hazel Clark’s disadvantage. In a sprinter’s race, Clark was sixth in 2:01.83, with Zulia Calatayud (CUB) of the Americas first in 2:00.06.
In other field events, Brian Johnson (Baton Rouge, La.) was seventh in the men’s long jump (7.88m/25-10.75), Shani Marks (Brooklyn Park, Minn.) was seventh in the women’s triple jump (13.79m/45-3), Kim Kreiner (Fresno, Calif.) was eighth in the women’s javelin (54.34m/178-3), and Jenn Stuczynski (Churchville, N.Y.) did not clear a height in the women’s pole vault. The women’s 4x100m relay team was disqualified for a lane violation, but a protest was quickly filed and was pending.
Competition in the 10th IAAF World Cup in Athletics concludes Sunday. For complete results and event reports, visit www.iaaf.org
ATHLETE QUOTES, Team USA
Sanya Richards (women’s 400): “Before the race today, I talked to my dad [Archie]. He said, you’re in lane seven, so there is nobody in front of you and you can focus on running your own race. So I focused, got into my blocks and said, ‘I can break the American record.’ And that’s what I did … I usually come out before the race and put marks on the track, but we didn’t get to do that here, so I had no idea how fast I was going. I was hoping I could go 48.80, so to go 48.70, I’m overwhelmed. … My dad kept telling me I was watching the clock all year during races and that was slowing me down, so I didn’t look at the clock today. Everything he said came true.”
Tyson Gay: (men’s 100) The track was definitely fast. I really didn’t expect to run that fast. I was feeling sluggish before the race, and once I got to 60 meters, my body felt better, and I just ran to the line. I eased up a little bit, but I felt it was a great time.
(on the 4 x 100)–The second to third leg (Wallace Spearmon Jr to Gay) is something we’ve been doing for the last three years (at the University of Arkansas), and I got confidence that he’s going to bring the stick in first, and that’s what he did. I knew our first leg got out good, and once I brought the stick into Jason Smoots, I didn’t think we’d be caught.
Kerron Clement (men’s 400m hurdles: “I was just trying to get my steps down because that has been my biggest problem this season. I wasn’t not really worked that he was close to me. I was relaxed the first 200 and I kicked it in the last 150.”
LaShawn Merritt (men’s 400m): “I did a little work on the backstretch because the curves are so tight [in lane 1] and I’m not a curve runner. I’ve been working on my form all season. The worst part of my race is coming home, so I just kept my composure. I knew if I got off the curve, I had the best foot speed.”
Aretha Thurmond (discus): “I knew that I could throw farther because I felt really good today, but I had some problems with my technique. But, it is fine for me and I am very satisfied with my performance here in the World Cup. It was an amazing crowd!”
Torri Edwards (women’s 100m): “I got a horrible start, and I had to catch up in the middle. I said, ‘you have to get second to get points for the team.’ It feels really good to be running for Team USA again. Coming into this year, I wasn’t expecting to get that opportunity.”
Lashinda Demus (women’s 400 hurdles): “It went fine until I stumbled over the ninth hurdle. That’s why I’m upset, and that’s why I lost the race. Lane 1 was not a problem. I was in the lead and I was supposed to win. I haven’t run 54 seconds all year. It was a slow race.”
Reese Hoffa (men’s shot put): “It’s been a long season. I’ve had lots of ups and downs this year. I knew I had to throw near 21 meters to win. I think I just threw too much this year. I wanted first, but I still consider it a very successful season.”
Kara Goucher (women’s 3,000m): “I don’t run the 3k that often. I ran a 1,500 three weeks ago. I felt strong because I run the 10,000 now, but I have speed and made the World A standard in the 1,500. With 800 to go in the race I started to feel bad for myself, because I was tired and it was a long year. Then I caught a couple of people and felt great. This is a huge PR.”
Matt Tegenkamp (men’s 5,000m): “It was hard to tell what was going to happen. I really didn’t have a game plan going in. I just wanted to compete. It was a great race. I wish I could have passed [Kigen] at the end. … I noticed a [pace] pick-up on lap 7. Nobody was able to go with it except me. I knew if I took the lead, only the other two guys would be able to keep up.”
Tora Harris (men’s high jump): “When I’m in San Diego training, the wind is always at my back. So I was always far back from the bar today. But I’m pretty proud with what I’ve done. I did much better than I did at the Olympics. The first jump, I was just super-duper nervous.”
Gabe Jennings (men’s 1,500m): “The race went perfect for me in terms of going out slow. I’ve been training to sprint, but I just didn’t have the courage today. I built the race up in my mind so much that I put pressure on myself. When the time came to pull the trigger, I just didn’t have it. I got crazy yesterday and pulled a couple of 23-second 200s. I should have saved that for today.”
A.G. Kruger (men’s hammer throw): “I wish I could have done it [had his best throw] a little earlier. It’s kind of hard in a four-throw competition. You try to go a little harder, and that can throw you off. I’m still getting used to it. I’m OK with fourth place. I was hoping to get third, but in an international competition, the last meet of the year, I’ll take it.”
Kim Kreiner (women’s javelin):“I didn’t do so well. I’ve been nursing an injury from having so many meets and throwing so hard. It’s been a long season. At least all my body parts are attached, but my (right) foot is really sore, and I couldn’t quite get through the pain. Every time that foot comes down, it’s shooting pain. I tried to manage it the best I could, but I just couldn’t pull it out.”
Shani Marks (women’s triple jump): My left knee is hurt, but I felt pretty good. It was really exciting. It was an amazing experience."
Brian Johnson (men’s long jump): “My run was fine, I just wasn’t staying on top of my form. I got on the board, but just couldn’t pop off.”