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News28 Apr 2001


Johnson says farewell in style at Penn Relays

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Johnson says farewell in style at Penn Relays
Jack Pfeifer for IAAF

28 April 2001 – Philadelphia - Michael Johnson closed out his domestic career today with a flourish, overcoming a plucky team from Jamaica in a fast 4x400 on the final day of the Penn Relays.

An all-star U.S. team ran the season's fastest time in the world, 2:58.60, turning back a Jamaican unit that ran 2:59.78. Johnson passed Michael Blackwood with less than 200 metres to go, while a big crowd of 48,922 Americans and Jamaicans roared.

The U.S. team was comprised of Leonard Byrd (45.4), Angelo Taylor (44.2), Jerome Young (44.8) and Johnson (44.2), while Jamaica countered with Michael McDonald (45.2), Davian Clarke (44.4), Danny McFarlane (45.1) and Blackwood (45.1).

In a women's open 4x4, the U.S. also posted a world-leading time, as Monique Hennagan (50.8), Michelle Collins (51.4), Latasha Colander-Richardson (49.7) and Marion Jones (49.4) ran 3:21.34. Jamaica, which held the lead off and on in the middle of the race, ran 3:25.33, using Deon Hemmings, Catherine Scott, Sandie Richards and Celena Clarke.

In 3rd, a Jamaican all-star Junior team just missed the World Junior record, running 3:29.66 to become only the 2nd Junior squad ever to dip under 3:30.0. The record is East Germany's 3:28.39 from 1988.

A Nigerian team was 4th in the race, in 3:33.14 Americans also won two fast 4x100s. In the men's, a team of Jon Drummond, Bernard Williams, Curtis Johnson and Maurice Greene ran 38.03, ahead of Jamaica (38.68) and Germany (39.43). In the women's race, the U.S. edged Jamaica, 43.12-43.16, as Chryste Gaines passed Tayna Lawrence 5 metres from the finish.

"Redemption was on our minds," Gaines said. "''We knew we could have beaten them at the Olympics and it was good to come from behind and beat them here." Jamaica got the silver and the U.S. the bronze in Sydney.

Gaines was joined by Torri Edwards, Nanceen Perry and Inger Miller.

But Jamaica did win the women's 4x2, running 1:30.23 to 1:30.85 for the U.S. team, setting a Jamaican national record. In a men's 4x2, the U.S. ran 1:19.39, ahead of Jamaica (1:21.63) and Germany (1:23.07).

In the open men's 100, Jamaican Patrick Jarrett ran 10.12 to defeat Mark Lewis by .01. The college women's 100 was won by a rising star, Muna Lee, who ran 11.24 for her school, Louisiana State. LSU, with Lee on anchor, also won the college 4x2 in 1:31.24.

The men's college sprint relays were won by Texas Christian. With Kim Collins of St. Kitts on the anchor, TCU ran 38.68, a meet record, in the 4x1, and 1:19.99 in the 4x2.

Eliud Njubi, a Kenyan attending TCU, won the open mile in 3:56.84, defeating countryman Leonard Mucheru (3:58.88), while American Sarah Schwald took the women's race in 4:34.02.

In the field, Dawn Ellerbe set an American record in the hammer, throwing 70.62 to best Anna Norgren (66.84). Tiombe Hurd won the triple jump at 14.07, defeating Jamaican Trecia Smith (13.95).

The college women's hurdles were won by Ghana's Vida Nsiah, 13.02, as favorite Donica Meriman of the U.S. crashed a hurdle and ran just 14.47.

The college 4x4s were won by South Carolina, which won the women's race in 3:28.34, a meet record, ahead of Texas's 3:30.50, while Florida edged Auburn in the men's race, 3:04.22-3:04.27, despite a 43.8 anchor by Auburn's Avard Moncur.

Moncur was outleaned in a furious finish by Rickey Harris, a freshman at Florida. Earlier in the day, Harris broke 50 for the first time, running 49.83 to win the 400H.

The meet was again held in sunny conditions, which helped produce a record three-day attendance of 108,638.

 

Photo by Kim Spir

 

 

 

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