Posted: August 24, 2004

Athletics: Clay, Pappas 3-4 in decathlon after 6 events; sprinters & hurdlers advance

ATHENS - After six events in the decathlon, Americans Bryan Clay and Tom Pappas are poised for possible medals in third and fourth place, respectively, at the 2004 Olympic Games.

In action at Olympic Stadium Tuesday morning, Clay (Azusa, Calif.) had a somewhat rocky run in the 110-meter hurdles, hitting eight of 10 hurdles and hitting the fourth hurdle especially hard. Despite the technical difficulties, he finished in 14.13 seconds - faster than his run at the Olympic Trials - for 958 points, giving him 5,512 points overall for third place. Pappas (Knoxville, Tenn.) ran 14.18 in the hurdles for 951 points, moving from fifth to fourth with 5,366 points. Paul Terek (Livonia, Mich.) ran a personal-best 15.12 in the hurdles for 835 points and was in 23rd with 4,895.

Dmitriy Karpov of Kazakhstan maintained his lead, with 5,667 points. Roman Sebrle of the Czech Republic was second with 5,562. Competition in the decathlon concludes tonight.

The men's 110m hurdles first round didn't go exactly according to plan, but Allen Johnson (Irmo, S.C.), Terrence Trammell (Ellenwood, Ga.) and Duane Ross (Garner, N.C.) all will compete in Wednesday's second round. With the first four finishers in each of six heats automatically qualifying, Trammell was fifth in the second heat in 13.51 and had to wait until the end of the round to discover he had qualified on time. Saying he simply was "sluggish," the Olympic Trials champion looked forward to competing only in the evening for the remainder of the competition.

Johnson was an easy third in the fourth heat in 13.45, while Ross was second in heat 5 in 13.39 seconds.

The men's 200m first round was significantly less dramatic as world leader Shawn Crawford (Raleigh, N.C.) and teammate Bernard Williams (Gainesville, Fla.) won their heats in 20.55 and 20.29 seconds, respectively. Olympic 100m gold medalist Justin Gatlin was second in heat 7 in 20.51 to advance as well.

For complete results, visit www.iaaf.org.