Osaka 2007 - Day 7 Highlights - USA sweeps men’s 400, Felix has historic win
Posted Friday, 31 August, 2007
OSAKA, Japan - Jeremy Wariner led the first-ever sweep of the men's 400 and Allyson Felix defended her world 200m title with the largest margin of victory in World Championships history Friday night at the 2007 IAAF World Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Adding a pair of medals in the men's 110m hurdles, Team USA picked up six medals at Nagai Stadium to bring its overall total to 19.
The defending Olympic and World Champion, Wariner (Waco, Texas) entered Osaka heavily favored in the 400, with the U.S. expected to sweep. Wariner and his compatriots LaShawn Merritt (Suffolk, Va.) and Angelo Taylor (Decatur, Ga.) came through in speedy fashion.
Merritt got out well, appearing to hold a very slight lead at 200 meters, with Wariner and Chris Brown of the Bahamas relatively even. Wariner then took over and gradually extended his lead over the final straight, winning in a world-leading, personal-best time 43.46 seconds, with Merritt second in 43.96. It was the first time Merritt has dipped under 44 seconds and it made him only the second man to do so since world record holder Michael Johnson. The 2000 Olympic 400m hurdles champion, Taylor got out slowly, rallied on the turn and held off Brown for third, running 44.32 to Brown's Bahamian national record 44.45.
Felix sends a message
Standing a willow 5-6 and 115 pounds, 2005 women's 200m gold medalist Felix demonstrated not only her fitness but her fierce determination to win and her utter, global domination of the 200. A showdown between Felix, 2006 IAAF World Athlete of the Year Sanya Richards and Olympic gold medalist Veronica Campbell of Jamaica had been anticipated weeks before the Championships, but the race was no contest.
Campbell bolted out of the blocks, but Felix began closing on her on the turn. With 75 meters remaining, Felix simply took off, striding to the gold medal and a huge personal best of 21.81 seconds (1.7 mps wind), the fastest time run by a woman this century. The time improved Felix's previous best by .30 and defeated Campbell in second (22.34) by an astounding .53, the biggest margin of victory in World Championships history. (Inger Miller ran 21.77 to 22.22 for Beverly McDonald of Jamaica in 1999; Felix's time is the fastest in any race since Miller in '99.) It was also the largest margin of victory in a major championship since legendary Fanny Blankers-Koen of the Netherlands won the 1948 Olympic title by .8 seconds in a hand-timed 24.4.
In the race for bronze, Susanthika Jayasinghe of Sri Lanka finished third in 22.63, inching out 2003 World Outdoor silver medalist Torri Edwards (Corona, Calif.) in fourth in 22.65. Richards (Austin, Texas) was fifth in 22.70 and LaShaunte'a Moore (Akron, Ohio) seventh in 22.97.
Felix, who also has set personal bests at 100m (11.01) and 400m (49.70) this year, is not done in Osaka: she has plans to compete in Team USA's relays on Saturday and Sunday.
Double medals in 110m hurdles
Terrence Trammell (Ellenwood, Ga.) and David Payne (Cincinnati, Ohio) capped off a tremendous showing in the men's 110m hurdles by going 2-3 in Friday's last event.
Payne got out of the blocks well and was among the first to reach the first hurdle, while Trammell got left in the blocks with the slowest reaction time of .205. A two-time Olympic silver medalist and the 2003 World Outdoor silver medalist, Trammell quickly rallied and was in control of the race by the fifth hurdle. But world record holder and Olympic champion Liu Xiang of China ran alone in Lane 9, and he began his move late in the race. He took the lead over the penultimate barrier and went on to win in 12.95, with Trammell second in 12.99 and Payne third in a personal-best time of 13.02. It was a breakthrough performance for Payne, who is apparently immune to the affects of jet lag, having arrived in Osaka on Tuesday night.
Moving on ...
After five events in the decathlon, 2003 World Outdoor Champion Tom Pappas (Knoxville, Tenn.) was in fifth place with 4,147 points, posting marks of 10.96 in the 100 (870 points), 7.44m/24-5 in the long jump (920), 16.31m/53-6.25 in the shot put (870), 2.03m/6-8 in the high jump (831) and 49.22 (851) in the 400. Paul Terek (San Luis Obispo, Calif.) was in 10th with 4,174 points and marks of 10.95 (872), 7.26m/23-10 (876), 14.81m/48-7.25 (778), 2.0m/6-6.75 (803) and 49.34 (845). Jake Arnold (Santa Rosa, Calif.) was in 14th with 4,103 points and marks of 11.14 (830), 6.86m/22-6.25 (781), 14.73m/48-4 (773), 2.06m/6-9 (859) and 49.02 (860).
Defending gold medalist Bryan Clay (Glendora, Calif.) was in second place heading into the high jump, but he suffered an apparent pull of his right quadriceps while attempting to clear 2.0m and withdrew. Although he was in third place after the high jump with 3,558 points, with marks of 10.62 (947), 7.65m/25-1.75 (972), 15.51m/50-10.75 (933), 1.97m/6-5.5 (776), he could not continue.
The American men's 4x100m relay lineup of Rodney Martin (Los Angeles, Calif.), Wallace Spearmon (Fayetteville, Ark.), Darvis Patton (Fort Worth, Texas) and LeRoy Dixon (Los Angeles, Calif.) combined to get Team USA to Saturday's final, running 38.10 to place second in Heat 2 behind Jamaica (38.02).
In the women's 1,500m semifinals, Erin Donohue (Haddenfield, N.J.) was ninth in Heat 1 in 4:16.14, and Treniere Clement (Knoxville, Tenn.) was ninth in Heat 2 in 4:08.32. Neither made the final. Team USA's men's 800m duo of Khadevis Robinson (Santa Monica, Calif.) and Nick Symmonds (Springfield, Ore.) also fell short in the men's 800m semis, with Robinson placing fourth in Heat 1 in 1:45.45 and Symmonds sixth in Heat 2 in 1:46.41.
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Team USA Medal Table
Gold (8)
Tyson Gay (Fayetteville, Ark.), M100m, 9.85
Tyson Gay (Fayetteville, Ark.), M200m, 19.76 CR
Jeremy Wariner (Waco, Texas), M400m, 43.46WL
Bernard Lagat (Tucson, Ariz.), M1,500m, 3:34.77
Kerron Clement (Gainesville, Fla.), M400H, 47.61WL
Reese Hoffa (Athens, Ga.), MSP, 22.04m/72-3.75
Allyson Felix (Santa Clarita, ,Calif.), W200, 21.81WL
Michelle Perry (Santa Clarita, Calif.), W100H, 12.46
Silver (4)
LaShawn Merritt (Suffolk, Va.), M400m, 43.96
Terrence Trammell (Ellenwood, Ga.), M110mH, 12.95
Adam Nelson (Charlottesville, Va.), MSP, 21.61m/70-10.75
Lauryn Williams (Miami, Fla.), W100m, 11.01
Bronze (7)
Wallace Spearmon (Fayetteville, Ark.), M200m, 20.05
Angelo Taylor (Decatur, Ga.), M400m, 44.32
David Payne (Cincinnati, Ohio), M110H, 13.02
Dwight Phillips (Snellville, Ga.), MLJ, 8.30m/27-2.75
Walter Davis (Baton Rouge, La.), MTJ, 17.33m/56-10.75
Carmelita Jeter (Long Beach, Calif.), W100, 11.02
Kara Goucher (Portland, Ore), W10,000m, 32:02.05
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Fans can watch Team USA on national television broadcasts on NBC and Versus, or online via live, daily webcast at www.wcsn.com. For complete TV listings, visit http://www.usatf.org/events/2007/IAAFWorldOutdoorChampionships/TVSchedule.asp
For more information on Team USA at the World Outdoor Championships, visit www.usatf.org/events/2007/IAAFWorldOutdoorChampionships/
Contact:
Jill Geer
Director of Communications
USA Track & Field
317-713-4663
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