Posted: July 9, 2005

Athletics: USATF News & Notes - Vol. 6, No. 52

Americans dominate at Golden Gala

Lashinda Demus stayed in the running for a big payday while Americans won a whopping nine events Friday night at the Golden Gala in Rome, the second leg of the IAAF's 2005 TDK Golden League series. Athletes who win their events in all six Golden League meets share in a $1 million jackpot.

Demus remained undefeated in Golden League competition - and the lone American in the running for a share of the jackpot - by running 53.68 in the 400m hurdles to defeat world champion Jana Pittman of Australia (53.74) and American Sandra Glover (54.55). 2004 Olympic Trials champion Sheena Johnson was fourth (54.72).

Sanya Richards scored a second consecutive victory this week over a daunting field, which included the reigning world champion. Coming off a victory on Tuesday night over Olympic gold medalist Tonique Darling, Richards in Rome cruised to a winning time of 49.82. Her performance put her well ahead of world champion Ana Guevara of Mexico, who was a distant second in 50.62. Americans Monique Hennagan (50.63) and Dee Dee Trotter (51.40) were third and fourth, respectively.

World and Olympic champion Dwight Phillips and USA outdoor titlist Miguel Pate went 1-2 in the men's long jump. Phillips' winning mark of 8.39m/27-6.5 is the #2 mark in the world so far this year, while Pate was second with 8.04m/26-4.5.

Upsets were the order of the day in the sprint hurdles as 2001 world champion Anjanette Kirkland (12.57) toppled current world leader and U.S. champion Michelle Perry (12.66) in the women's 100 hurdles. In the men's 110 hurdles, Dominique Arnold beat Olympic gold medalist Liu Xiang for the second time in 2005, running 13.11 to Liu's 13.25. Terrence Trammell (13.35) and Ron Bramlett (13.36) were fourth and fifth, respectively.

Reigning world champs silver medalist Tyree Washington took the men's 400 meters with a time of 45.02 seconds. Now the "old man" of the 400 at age 28, Washington finished ahead of Olympic 4x400 gold medalist Andrew Rock in second (45.10). Derrick Brew (45.30), Darold Williamson (45.31) and LaShawn Merritt (45.34) were fourth through sixth.

Justin Gatlin returned to his winning ways in the men's 100 meters, easily winning in 9.96 seconds over Aziz Zakari of Ghana (10.06) and American Leonard Scott (10.11).

Olympic silver medalist Toby Stevenson won the pole vault with a clearance of 5.81m/19-0.75, with Daichi Sawano of Japan second at 5.71m/18-8.75.

James Carter, like Richards, earned his second European win of the week with a time of 48.41 in the 400m hurdles, finishing ahead of Danny McFarlane of Jamaica (48.53).

First-place Americans weren't the only winners in Rome, however. Two-time U.S. champion Daniel Lincoln put a big dent in his steeplechase PR - and in U.S. steeplechase history - placing 10th in 8:12.65. The time makes him the fastest American in 19 years (8:13.15 by Henry Marsh in 1986), the third-fastest American of all time (behind Marsh and Mark Croghan) and is a big improvement on his previous best of 8:15.02, set in winning the 2004 Olympic Trials.

USA Outdoor Championships runner-up Lauren Fleshman achieved the A standard necessary to compete at the 2005 World Outdoor Championships in the women's 5,000 meters, running a personal-best 15:02.52 to place 15th. USA champion Treniere Clement met the A standard of 4:05.80 in the women's 1,500m, running a personal-best 4:05.77 to place sixth in Rome. USA indoor champ Jen Toomey just missed the A standard with her eighth-place, personal-best time of 4:06.24.

In other results from the Golden Gala, Bernard Lagat placed third in the 1,500m in 3:31.09, and Hazel Clark ran a U.S.-leading 1:59.30 to finish fifth in the women's 800. Americans placed second through fifth in the women's 100 meters, led by Lisa Barber's second-place 11.10. Allyson Felix was third in a personal-best 11.14 seconds, followed by Rachelle Boone-Smith (11.17) and Lauryn Williams (11.26).

The next Golden League meeting is the Bislett Games, July 29 in Oslo, Norway. For complete results from Rome, visit www.iaaf.org

Three masters WRs set at National Masters Dec/Hep Championships

Three pending world records and an American record were established July 2-3 at the USATF National Masters Decathlon and Heptathlon Championships in Mayfield, Ohio.

Sixty-six-year-old Emil Pawlik of Jackson, Miss., set a M65-69 decathlon world record with his score of 7,839 points. The old record was 7,754 points by Knut Skramstad of Norway set July 2, 2003 in Puerto Rico.

Retired Ohio highway patrolman Fred Hirsimaki of Findlay, Ohio, obliterated the M80-84 decathlon mark with 6,802 points, crushing the old record of 4,977 points set on July 29, 1999 by Takuro Miura of Japan.

Seventy-year-old Christel Donley of Colorado Springs, Colo., easily broke the existing W70-74 heptathlon WR with 6,029 points. Isabel Hofmeyr of South Africa set the old record of 5,449 points on July 29, 1999, in Gateshead, England.

A new American Record in the decathlon was set by 70-year-old Phil Shipp of Sedona, Ariz. He totaled the highest score of the Championships with 8,086 points to exceed the 7,524 points of Olympian and former American record holder Richmond Morcom of New Hampshire, set July 23, 1991 in Turku, Finland.

Scoring tables for masters multi-events are age-adjusted, as are implement weights.