News13 Jun 2004


NCAA - Final Day

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Sheena Johnson on her way to winning the women's 400-metre hurdles (© Kirby Lee)

  Running with aggressive abandon from the first step to the last, Sheena Johnson won the women's 400m Hurdles in a stunning 53.54 as the NCAA championships came to a close on Saturday 12 June.

53.54 win for Sheena Johnson 

The UCLA student knocked 0.70 off her PB, and won by six metres from LaShinda Demus, who herself registered a new PB of 54.22, the fastest time in the world this year.

Johnson attacked so early and with such ferocity that the only question was "could she keep it up all the way 'round?" And she could. She didn't chop her step once, even over the final three hurdles.

400m highlights men's competition

As expected, the 400 was the most exciting of the men's races, with seven sub-45 runners in the race. Kelly Willie led most of the way (21.9, 33.4) before being caught and put away by Jeremy Wariner in the homestretch, with Wariner finishing in 44.71 to Willie's 44.85. Third was consistent Jerry Harris, in 44.95.

Baylor University, which seems to produce quality 400m runners the way Bordeaux produces fine wines, won the 4x400 in 3:01.03, with Wariner contributing a 44.1 third leg and Darold Williamson anchoring in 44.3.

In the women's 4x400, Louisiana State won in 3:25.26, perhaps aided by the fact that Texas, the collegiate record holder, dropped the baton at the first exchange and ran last most of the way.

Sanya Richards defeated!

The women's 400 provided the biggest upset of the night, as Dee Dee Trotter, third last year , turned the tables on Sanya Richards, last year's winner and the heavy favourite.

Richards went out hard and came into the homestretch three or four metres ahead, but she faltered slightly and had no answer when Trotter swept by her  to score a PB victory in 50.32 and moving her name up the list of Olympic possibles.

Monique Henderson overtook Richards at the finish to take second, 50.62 to 50.68  for Richards. It was a quality race, with none of the nine starters slower than 52.05.

Hot, humid conditions (30 C., 71%)  prevented any eye-popping distance times, but the women steeplechasers weren't having any of it! Ida Nilsson (SWE) and Briana Shook ran 1-2 and 2-1 almost the entire race, with Nilsson winning in 9:48.29 to Shook's 9:49.44. Three other broke ten minutes.

2.32 High Jump

In the field events, Texas Andra Manson won the High Jump, raising his PB by a centimetre with a 2.32 clearance, Kyle Lancaster taking second with 2.29, also a PB.

Leevan Sands (BAH), second in the NCAA a year ago (and third in the Worlds, of course) won the Triple Jump easily with 17.12 (+2.6); and Tommy Skipper, whose late brother Art was the 1992 NCAA Javelin champion, won the Pole Vault with 5.70.

Carl Myerscough (GBR) won the Shot with 20.64 and Gabriel Wallin (SWE) took the Javelin at 80.71m.The outstanding women's field event was a 68.83 Hammer Throw by defending champion Candice Scott (TRI).

Finally, two Decathletes bettered 8000: Ryan Harland , who scored 8171, and Trey Hardee with 8041.

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