Montgomery off to quick start at Penn Relays

Tim Montgomery doesn’t seemed to have lost a step of speed in the 100m. In his first competition since setting the 100m World record last September in the IAAF Grand Prix Final, Montgomery anchored a USA 4x100m relay team of Jon Drummond, Justin Gatlin and Coby Miller to victory in 38.62 at the 109th Penn Relays at the University of Pennsylvania’s Franklin Field, yesterday 26 April.

Before Saturday’s competition, the biggest news regarding Montgomery had come off the track with his relationship with five-time Olympic medallist Marion Jones and the child they are expecting in July.

“After this race, there is a whole different light out there,” Montgomery said. “When I walked out there, it felt like everybody’s eyes were burning my skin because they were staring so hard. I wanted to lift that burden. I just wanted to get this out of the way also. It makes me feel much better to have everything out and I can go on.”

Montgomery predicts a sub-9.90 clocking in his 100 debut in the altitude of Mexico City next weekend. Montgomery will also run the 100m in the IAAF meets in Osaka (JAP), the Prefontaine Classic (USA) and Milan (ITA) before the USA Track & Field championships in June.

“Comparing times with what I did last year (in workouts) and comparing to what  I am doing lately, today was a great race,” Montgomery said. “You can practice all day long. You can say that you’re mentally ready but until you get out there and run and feel your body. This race told me that its OK.”

Montgomery was unofficially hand-timed at 9.7 despite a hesitant start on his anchor leg that was run partially around a curve on Franklin Field’s short homestretch. Montgomery said he was caught off guard by a live national television interview on the track moments before the race that caused him to lose focus and Miller to run up on him.

“You wouldn’t do an interview before the 100 is run,” Montgomery said. “It is going to take a little away from you. They were trying something new I am not blaming them for anything. I should have been smarter than that and concentrated. Before I knew it, the gun had went off.”

The 4x100m relay was part of a USA vs World competition that highlighted the final day of three-day competition that drew 39,783 spectators on a blustery overcast day with scattered showers. The US won all six races in the made for television event that included teams from Jamaica, Canada, Russia, Germany and Britain.

Noticeably absent in the men’s 4x100m relay, however, was a repeat of the 2002 meet duel on the anchor between Montgomery and three-time World 100m champion Maurice Greene. Montgomery overtook Greene, and went on to break his compatriots’ World record later in the season with a 9.78 clocking.

Greene skipped the Penn Relays in favour of the Conseil General de la Martinique IAAF Grand Prix II meet where he won the 200m. Montgomery, however, said the absence of Greene had no effect on his performance.

“Maurice wants to be there when he wants to be there,” Montgomery said. “And when he’s not ready to be there, he’s not going to come. I treat him as if he’s not there. If you’re mind is on what Maurice is going to do, then you are going to lose a couple of seconds. When you become the World record holder, you step up because you know it’s expected of you. That’s the confidence that you bring to the table.”

Even without Greene, the U.S. swept the first three places and ran 38.86 or better.

The 4 x 200m relay lost some of its flair when Montgomery and 2000 U.S. Olympic Trials 200m champion John Capel pulled out to avoid risking injury in the chilly weather.

Shawn Crawford, Ramon Clay, Darvis Patton and Gatlin posted a run away win in 1:19.16 victory in a 1-2 U.S. finish.

The Americans also took 1-2 in the men’s 4 x 400m relay after Jamaica’s Davian Clarke and Danny McFarlane bobbled the exchange on the first handoff. A U.S. team of Derrick Brew, Jerome Young, Corey Nelson and James Davis clocked 2:58.40, powered by a 43.6 second leg by Young.

The U.S. women took the first two places in all three relays. In the 4x100, Angela Williams, Kelli White, Inger Miller and Chryste Gaines combined for a 43.10 victory. In the 4x200, White joined LaTasha Colander-Richardson, Donica Merriman and Crystal Cox to win in 1:31.41.

Jearl Miles-Clark, the 1993 World 400m champion, turned in the fastest leg in the 4x400 with a 50.4 split in teaming with Donna Howard-Arnett, Crystal Cox and Demetria Washington for a 3:26.65 effort.

The Louisiana State women, paced by junior Muna Lee, the female relay athlete of the meet, became only the second team to win four relays in the same season to equal the feat of Texas in 1989.

Lee, who won the 100 for the third consecutive year, anchored LSU to victories to meet records in the 4x100 (42.73) and a 4x200 (1:29.78).

In the 4x200, Lee, Nadia Davy, Monique Hall and Stephanie Durst broke their collegiate record (set in the Texas Relays three weeks ago) to become the first American college team to break 1:30. LSU also won the sprint medley and shuttle hurdle relays.

Ohio State’s Dan Taylor, the winner of the college championship Shot Put (19.82m) and Hammer Throw (63.92), was named the male athlete of individual events. North Carolina sophomore Laura Gerraughty was named the outstanding individual female athlete with a meet-record throw 18.44m in the Shot Put.

Michigan freshman Nick Willis was the male relay athlete of the meet after running 2:49.7 for 1200 metres, the fastest split in Penn Relays history, on the opening leg of his team’s victorious distance medley.

In the high school competition, Long Beach Poly juniors Shalonda Solomon and Derrick Jones swept the girls and boys relay athlete of the meet honours.

Solomon anchored Poly to a national record 3:35.55 in the 4x400m relay with a 51.4 leg for the fastest split at the Penn Relays by a high school girl. She also ran the final leg of the 4x100m relay that was won in 44.96 by the No. 3 U.S. high school performance of all-time.

Jones ran a 45.7 anchor in the boys 4x400 to lead Poly to a national yearly leading 3:11.22.

The 5000m featured a third-place finish by American record holder Bob Kennedy in 13:46.96, who is attempting to make a comeback after a two-year layoff because of injuries. Shadrack Kosgei of Kenya won in a meet record 13:16.47.

Kirby Lee for the IAAF

Results

Penn Relays 

USA vs. THE WORLD

Men
4 x 100
1. USA Red (Jon Drummond, Justin Gatlin, Coby Miller, Tim Montgomery) 38.62; 2. USA Blue (Mickey Grimes, Bernard Williams, Kaaron Conwright, J.J. Johnson) 38.67; 3. USA High Performance (Shawn Crawford, Terrence Trammell, Darvis
Patton, Kenneth Brokenburr) 38.86; 4. Jamaica (Lindel Frater, Ricardo Williams, Lancford Davis, Dwight Thomas) 39.13; 5. Great Britain (Jonathan Barbour, Julian Golding, Dwayne Grant, Mark Lewis-Francis) 39.59; 6. Canada (Hank Palmer, Anson Henry, Okiki Akinremi, Nicolas Macrozonaris) 40.06; 7. Germany (Holger Blume, Marc Blume, Alex Kosenkow, Jan Schulbe) 40.42; 8. Liberia (Kouty Mawenh, Sultan Tucker, Joseph Brent, Sayon Cooper) 41.06.

4x200
1. USA Red (Shawn Crawford, Ramon Clay, Darvis Patton, Justin Gatlin) 1:19.16; 2. USA Blue (Coby Miller, Ken Brokenburr, Bernard Williams, J.J. Johnson), 1:21.43; 3. Jamaica (Garth Robinson, Ricardo Williams, Lanford Davis, Usian Bolt) 1:22.11; 4. Caribbean All-Stars (Dominic Demeritte, Chris Brown, Dion Crabbe, Kim Collins) 1:22.61; 5. Canada (Okiki Akinremi, Anson
Henry, Shane Niemi, Tyler Christopher) 1:24.05; 6. German (Holger Blume, Mark Blume, Ale Kosenkow, Jan Schulbe) 1:26.09; 7. Shore AC (Aarom Johnson, Matt Shreibman, Dameon Johnson, Jonathan Carter) 1:29.01.

4 x 400
1. USA Blue (Derrick Brew, Jerome Young, Corey Nelson, James Davis) 2:58.40; 2. USA High Performance (Milton Campbell, Jerome Davis, Anthuan Maybank, Bershawn Jackson) 3:00.72; 3. Caribbean All-Stars (Chris Brown, Dominic Demmeritte, Arvad Moncur, Alleyne Francique) 3:01.09; 4. USA Red (James Carter, Tyree Washington, Alvin Harrison, Calvin Harrison) 3:01.68; 5. Canada (Tyler Christopher, Shane Niami, Monte Raymond, Lawrence Ringwald) 3:04.58; dq: Jamaica (Davian Clarke, Danny McFarlane, Michael Blackwood, Gregory Haughton (3:05.22).

Women
4x100      
1. USA Red (Angela Williams, Kelli White, Inger Miller, Chryste Gaines) 43.10; 2. USA Blue (Angela Daigle, LaTasha Jenkins, LaTasha Colander-Richardson, Gail Devers) 43.42; 3. Jamaica (Tayna Lawrence, Astia Walker, Kerro Stewart, Brigette Foster) 43.56; 4. Canada (Danielle Carrington, Erica Witter, Adriene Power, Asha James) 45.13; 5. USA High Performance (Debbie Dunn, Donica Merriman, Kia Davis, Crystal Cox) 45.59; 6. Germany (Anja-marie Lehmann, Julia Lerre, Theresia Strecker, Lisa Ende) 47.83.

4x200
1. USA Red (Kelli White, LaTasha Colander-Richardson, Donica Merriman, Crystal Cox) 1:31.41; 2. USA Blue (Angela Daigle, Debbie Dunn, Tia Trent, LaTasha Jenkins) 1:33.02; 3. Canada (Lindsay Lockheed, Mortine Cloutier, Daniella Carrington, Asha James) 1:36.05; 4. Germany (Anja-Marie Lehmann, Julia Lerre, Ann-Kabhrin Elbe, Lisa Ende) 1:40.91.

4x400
1. USA Red (Donna Howard-Arnett, Jearl Miles-Clark, Crystal Cos, Demetria Washington) 3:26.65; 2. USA Blue (Me’Lisa Barber, Debbie Dunn, Mary Danner, Tia Trent) 3:28.47; 3. Jamaica (Ronetta Smith, Catherine Scott, Sandie Richards, Sheryl Morgan) 3:28.69; 4. Irina Rossihkina, Tatiana Levina, Anastasia Kapachinskia, Natalie Nazarova) 3:29.19; 5. Germany (Claudia Marx, Ulrike Urbansky, Karinna Fink, Eileen Muller) 2:37.67; 6. Canada (Lindsay Lockheed, Erica Witter, Martine Cloutier, Adrienne Power) 3:43.17.