Matt Hemingway of USA juming at the 2003 Modesto Relays meet (© Don Gosney)
In only his second competition of the year, USA high jumper Matt Hemingway travelled from his bucolic Colorado home to the dusty California central valley to unveil a most unexpected world-leading 2.34 leap and provide just one of the highlights of the 62nd Modesto Relays, yesterday Saturday 10 May.
The 2.01m-tall self-avowed basketball addict, already a winner with a first-jump 2.28, instructed that the bar to go to a personal-best 2.34, at which success came on his third trial.
After two failures at 2.37, he took one try at a would-be US record 2.41 before closing out the afternoon.
“I’ve been playing basketball, doing weights and running hills with my dog to get into shape,” said the congenial Hemingway. “After I broke my foot last fall, I had to take some time off. Now, my life is a lot more settled.”
All the more amazing about Hemingway’s performance was that it came on a facility which allows only the final three approach steps on a solid surface, after beginning the run on a grass field.
After jumping 2.38 to win the US indoor title in 2000, he was tipped as a favourite for the US Olympic team, but at that summer’s Trials, he finished in a disappointing tenth-place tie at only 2.17. With a fresh outlook on the summer season, Hemingway says, “I’m really having a great time doing this.”
Watching the action was Atlanta gold medallist Charles Austin, who placed fifth with 2.18 as he attempts to make yet another US national team for this summer’s World Championships at age 35. It was Austin’s record which Hemingway aimed for on his final attempt.
“I’m really more concerned with competing today than I am with losing my records,” Austinoffered. “Matt’s really a great jumper, and he’s been around. What he did with only three steps on an artificial surface was nothing short of amazing.”
Sandwiched between Hemingway and Austin in the final results was a trio of 2.23 jumpers—Jamie Nieto, Terrance Woods and Charles Clinger.
One of the marquee events in the pre-meeting publicity was the men’s Shot Put, and all of the attention centered on American behemoth Kevin Toth, whose 22.67 three weeks ago sent everyone scurrying for the statistics books.
Today, in his first competition since the big toss, Toth spent most of the time reaching for those same superlatives. After his lead-off 21.24, he fouled five straight times, some of them intentionally, as he looked in vain for the formula which had worked so well at the Kansas Relays.
On his final, unsuccessful attempt, he let out a loud “God . . . Bless America”, the final words being chosen rapidly to mask an expletive in this “county fair” family setting which is Modesto’s longtime tradition.
Behind Toth came Canada’s Brad Snyder (20.70) and Jamie Beyer (19.99).
For years, Modesto has been a draw for US pole vaulters because of its dependable and directional winds, and how better to showcase the event than mixing Europe’s best with the top jumpers in the US.
To this end, meeting director Gregg Miller went to Europe last summer to cultivate a relationship with potential candidates, and he came away with agreements with two of the medallists in last summer’s European Championships, Tim Lobinger and Lars Börgeling of Germany.
The world’s leading vaulter through much of the past indoor and the current outdoor season, Lobinger asserted his superiority over the rest with a 5.75 win, plus two added unsuccessful shots at 5.85, before citing jet-lag fatigue after Thursday’s flight.
“I always have difficulty flying west,” he said. “When I go from Europe to Japan, there’s very little problem.” But he had heard so much about the Modesto atmosphere from summer conversations with US vaulters, he wanted to see it for himself.
“It’s a great cozy setting here,” he said, “especially the ‘playground’ atmosphere”, in reference to the carnival “midway” with booths and exhibitions set up at the stadium entrance.
“But I really had hoped to jump 5.82 [to improve on his own 5.81 from last weekend] or 5.85 today,” he admitted.
Next up for Lobinger will be a competition in his home country in Dessau on 30 May.
Toby Stevenson, currently the US co-leader, finished second at 5.55, while Börgeling could not shake off the effects of travel and wound up third at 5.45. Still, he was more fortunate than US record holder Jeff Hartwig who came up empty, after three misses at an opening 5.45.
The demand for pole vaulting places at Modesto was so great that after six elite vaulters had been pruned away for the compact invitational section, the remaining twenty-eight were assigned to an additional runway for a four-hour, nineteen-minute marathon.
Tim Mack came away as the victor in this section at 5.70, and almost ended by upstaging the elite section with a near-miss at a would-be world-leading 5.82.
Earlier in the afternoon, the reigning World and Olympic Champion, Stacy Dragila, did what was expected and won the women’s invitational pole vault at 4.61, an puzzling height choice considering that her own 4.62 two weeks ago at the Drake Relays is the world’s top mark for the year.
For the first time in more than twenty years, a javelin competition graced the Modesto programme. And in keeping with the city’s name, it was a modest one - bearing the label “US v Canada Challenge” - and featured only three competitors.
The two “eminences grises” drew the most attention, as six-time US champion Tom Pukstys, thought to have retired after the 2001 season, returned to action with a respectable 79.31 throw, more than sufficient to qualify for the upcoming US Championships.
And lurking far behind Canadian Scott Russell’s 78.94 was Dan O’Brien, whose 62.04 shows that his nearly 37-year-old body still has some life. When asked about next month’s US Championships, O’Brien, ever the optimist, replied, “I’ll be there.”
There were also notable happenings on the track as the throwing and jumping ensued on the infield.
Larry Wade was a runaway winner in the men’s Hurdles with 13.23, just marginally inferior to the world’s best time for this season.
The women’s sprint Hurdles section was won by Miesha McKelvy (13.07).
Inger Miller was a double sprint winner, taking the 100m in 11.16 over Angela Williams (11.32) before ending the day with a come-from-behind 200m win in 23.19 ahead of Crystal Cox (23.38).
Ato Boldon ruled the men’s 100m in 10.15, barely holding off Jon Drummond (10.17), and European champion Dwain Chambers (10.19) at the close.
An impressive 800m win came from Khadevis Robinson, whose 1:46.75 clocking was the year’s fastest in the northern hemisphere. Robinson pulled away from the rest of the field over the last 250 metres and had more than a second advantage over Bryan Woodward (1:47.77), and Floyd Thompson (1:47.79) on the breezy track.
The women’s event was likewise top-drawer as Tanya Blake, now competing in Maltese colours, made the two tours of the stadium in 2:01.96, just ahead of the 2:02.30 of Jamaica’s Michelle Ballentine.
Edmonton silver medallist Bernard Lagat of Kenya was in complete control of the men’s 1500m with his 3:40.66 victory over training partner Seneca Lassiter (3:41.68), and Australia’s Youcef Abdi (3:41.91).
Another of the visiting Australian contingent, Suzy Walsham, was the women’s 1500 winner in 4:12.10.
