GATLIN, FELIX ARE TWO OF A KIND BOTH CLAIM 200-METER TITLES AT U.S. MEET.Byline: Sean Martin Sean Martin may refer to:
CARSON - Justin Gatlin Justin Gatlin (born February 10, 1982) is an American sprinter. He is an Olympic gold medalist, with a personal best of 9.77 seconds. He is currently serving an eight-year ban from track and field for testing positive for a banned substance, which he is currently appealing. and Allyson Felix Allyson Felix (born November 18, 1985 in Los Angeles, California) is a track and field sprint athlete, competing internationally for the United States in the 200 meters. Felix, born and raised in southern California, is also a devout Christian and is the daughter of an ordained share a unique bond as world-class sprinters. On Sunday, they shared 200-meter titles at the U.S. Track and Field Championships in front of an announced crowd of 9,802 fans at Home Depot The Home Depot (NYSE: HD) is an American retailer of home improvement and construction products and services. Headquartered in Vinings, just outside Atlanta in unincorporated Cobb County, Georgia, Home Depot employs more than 355,000 people and operates 2,164 big-box Center. Felix's victory in front of her hometown fans reaffirmed her reputation as the premier woman sprinter in U.S. track. Gatlin's victory - in his second-best event - helped him further establish himself as the future of men's track in the U.S. ``I'm glad my friends and family could support me,'' Felix said. ``They can't see me run at every event, so it feels special.'' Felix's winning time of 22.13 was five-hundredths of a second faster than her time in the 2004 Olympics, where she won a silver medal. Felix said the improved time is a result of having another year of professional experience, training and maturity. ``There's also room for improvement,'' Felix said. She and coach Bob Kersee have not started speed work yet, which will be their primary focus while she trains for the Aug. 6-14 World Championships in Helsinki. Helsinki is also where Gatlin will try to become the first American First American may refer to:
``This year I had a spark,'' Gatlin said. ``I didn't want to squeak by in races, but dominate them. That's the sign of a quality champion.'' Gatlin's motivation came from watching video of his victory in the 100 at the Athens Olympics, a tape he said he has watched more than 50 times. Gatlin said he felt slighted because commentators at the championships considered him a contender, but not the favorite. Gatlin also won bronze in the 200 in Athens. His 200 victory Sunday in 20.04 seconds made Gatlin the first man to win the U.S. title in both the 100 and 200 since 1985. He beat Tyson Gay by .02 seconds. Athens gold medalist Shawn Crawford finished third at 20.12. ``This whole track meet was a disaster,'' said Crawford, who finished second in the 100 meters on Saturday. ``First of all, I lost both races - I hate losing. I'm not healthy; I'm like an actor on stage who knows he's not at his best. I'd rather be at home watching TV like the regular folks.'' World leader Michelle Perry, a 2004 Olympian in the heptathlon heptathlon: see under decathlon. heptathlon Women's athletics competition. Contestants take part in seven different track-and-field events: 100-m hurdles, shot put, high jump, long jump, javelin throw, and 200- and 800-m runs. , and Athens gold medalist Joanna Hayes have hardly been regular this year, running neck-and-neck in the 100 hurdles. Perry edged her former UCLA UCLA University of California at Los Angeles UCLA University Center for Learning Assistance (Illinois State University) UCLA University of Carrollton, TX and Lower Addison, TX teammate and current training partner by two-hundredths of a second two weeks ago in New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of . On Sunday, the two were so close they bumped each other during their race. Perry recovered to win in 12.66 while running into a headwind head·wind or head wind n. A wind blowing directly against the course of an aircraft or ship. headwind Noun a wind blowing directly against the course of an aircraft or ship . Hayes was second in 12.77. Perry insisted after her victory that she will not give up the heptathlon to focus on the hurdles. ``The heptathlon gives me the strength I need (for the hurdles),'' she said. ``I believe I can be world-class in both.'' Hayes was disappointed with her runner-up finish, but took solace that she finished second in the 2004 Olympic Trials before winning the gold. USC An abbreviation for U.S. Code. senior Virginia Powell was third in 12.87. Powell said she has received offers to turn professional, but she would not accept them unless they offered to pay for her last year of school. Kerron Clement won the men's 400-meter hurdles in 47.24. It was the fastest time in the world since 1998, and made the 19-year-old the seventh-fastest man in world history and the fifth-fastest in U.S. history. Former UCLA shot putter John Godina, a three-time World Champion, injured his right elbow on his first throw Sunday and finished a disappointing third at 68 feet, 10 1/2 inches, but still qualified for the World Championships team. Christian Cantwell threw 71 feet to win. Jesse Williams (USC) finished second in the high jump at 2.27 meters (7 feet, 5 1/4 inches). The top four finishers all cleared that height, but Matt Hemingway won with fewer misses. Williams won a jump-off to claim second. The top three finishers in each event advance to the World Championships if they have met the IAAF IAAF abbr. International Amateur Athletic Federation 'A' Qualifying Standard. - Staff writer Billy Witz contributed. Sean Martin, (818) 713-3607 sean.martin(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1 -- 2) Justin Gatlin, left and former L.A. Baptist of North Hills standout Allyson Felix both won 200-meter titles at the U.S. Track and Field Championships at Home Depot Center in Carson on Sunday to qualify for the World Championships in Helsinki. Matthew Stockman/Getty Images Robert Laberge/Getty Images |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion