July 28: Ato Boldon victorious in Oslo
Ato Boldon completed another one-day 100m/200m victory today at the Mobil Bislett Games in Oslo.
After false starting once, the athlete from Trinidad got off to a lightning start at the second attempt before pulling into the lead ahead of Brian Lewis (the winner of the event in Paris) and Tim Montgomery. Looking extremely powerful, Boldon powered to a finishing time of 10 seconds flat, with Lewis timed at 10.12 and Montgomery 10.14. Boldon later won the 200m in 20.26, beating second place finisher Ramon Clay and Obadele Thompson.
Click here for full results
British sprinter John Regis has announced his retirement from athletics due to a hamstring injury.
Regis, the former world indoor 200m champion, had been hoping to end his career with a place in the team for the
Sydney Olympics.
The 33-year-old Belgrave Harrier said the injury had come as "a complete shock".
He said "I'd shown signs of turning the corner in my form and all of a sudden a hamstring decides not to function
as normal.
"Hence I've called it a day. This was to be my last season and I wanted to go out with a bang."
Donovan Bailey will replaced injured world record holder Maurice Greene in the 100 meters at the Stockholm grand
prix meeting on August 1, organizers said on Tuesday.
Bailey will take on Trinidad's Ato Boldon and American duo John Drummond and Curtis Johnson. World champion Greene
withdrew from the race on Tuesday after he suffered a strain in his left hamstring at the United States Olympic
trials on Sunday.
"We're sorry to say that Maurice Greene is unable to compete in Stockholm but also glad that we can replace
him with Bailey,"organizers said in a statement.
July 23: John Capel wins 200m in Sacramento
Quiting college to focus on the trials payed off for John Capel today as he ran a personal best into a headwind to win the Olympic Trials over 200m. Capel, who had pushed favourite Michael Johnson to a 19.89 in a preliminary heat and who won the semi-final over Johnson and Maurice Greene ran a incredible 19.85, bettering his old PB of 19.87 set last year. The great story of John Capel winning was not the talk of the media however as Johnson and Greene both pulled up lame with left hamstring injuries on the curve.
"I didn't know what had happened until I looked up at the screen and saw Michael lying on the ground,"
Capel said. "I hope he's all right for the Olympics.
Greene was surprised that he got injured.
"I was coming up on the curve. I was running pretty good and my leg just grabbed," he said. "I'm
disappointed I couldn't put on a show here for the fans. You have to listen to your body and I couldn't finish.
Veteran Floyd Heard finished second in a personal best of 19.88 to finally send him to the Olympic Games. Auburn's Coby Miller also ran a PB of 19.95 to claim the third olympic berth.
Only two other men finished the race, Bernard Williams was fourth (20.03, a personal best) and Ken Brokenburr who was fifth. Sacramento's Brian Lewis pulled out of the final with, surprise, surprise: an injury!
Lindel Frater ran 10.10 in the final of the 100m at the Jamaican Trials on Saturday over Christopher Williams who clocked 10.11. Joining Frater and Williams in the 100m in Sydney will be Patrick Jarrett who was third in 10.14.
Olympic veterans Michael Green and Raymond Stewart of Jamaica did not advance through the semi-finals.
July 22: Favourites in men's 200 win heats
The celebrated, trash-talking showdown between Michael Johnson and Maurice Greene will come sooner than expected
in the 200 meters at the U.S. Olympic trials.
After the two won their opening-round heats Saturday, they were draw into the same heat alongside each other for
Sunday's semifinals.
Off the track, their confrontation was a draw.
Johnson, the world record-holder and Olympic gold medalist, won his opening-round heat at 19.89 seconds, the second-fastest
in the world thisyear, behind only his 19.71, despite experiencing a slight cramp.
Greene, the 200 world champion, had to struggle to win his heat at 20.29.
The two combatants exchanged stares in the warm-up area before entering Sacramento State's Hornet Stadium, but
no words were exchanged. While neither would discuss that meeting after their races, sprinter Brian Lewis did.
"Michael was walking by Maurice and Maurice stared at him and Michael stared back," Lewis said. "They
laughed at each other. They were doing it for pride, I guess.
"It was entertaining."
While the two have been bad-mouthing each other since the trials began last weekend, only Johnson had something
to say after the first round. Greene said he would not comment until after Sunday's final.
Johnson, however, did not talk about the heated rivalry that has turned into real bitterness. He only discussed
his race and the small problem he had with his right quadriceps.
He said he felt a cramp in the quad coming around the curve, "but it went away down the straightaway."
"I think it will be OK," Johnson said. "This has happened before, but it did go away.
"I was able to keep on running today. I was able to finish the race and that was encouraging. I hope it's
nothing, but we'll have to see. There's no way of knowing right now."
To protect and ease the pain, Johnson was treated with a wrap.
The first-round heats probably enforced the Nevada odds that favored Johnson in this rare track and field event
that has attracted national betting.
The two have met twice, with each winning once, Johnson in 1997 and Greene in 1998, both times at the Prefontaine
Classic in Eugene, Ore. They were heading for another showdown at the USA Championships at Eugene last year, but
Johnson withdrew at the last minute because of injury.
That's when the trash-talking truly began. Greene said Johnson was ducking him, Johnson claimed he was legitimately
hurt.
In his heat Saturday, Greene had to fend off Ramon Clay, the runner-up at 20.37.
Johnson was given a strong challenge by John Capel for the first 180 meters, before Capel slowed, finishing second
at 20.14.
HEAT ONE (Wind: 1.2) 1. Bernard Williams 20.22 2. Michael Marsh 20.26 SB 3. Kevin Little 20.32 SB 4. Rohsaan Griffin 20.46 5. Ken Brokenburr 20.56 |
HEAT TWO (Wind: 0.3) 1. Floyd Heard 20.14 SB 2. Ja'Warren Hooker 20.88 3. Milton Mallard 20.94 4. Gentry Bradley 21.29 |
HEAT THREE (Wind: -0.3) 1. Maurice Greene 20.29 2. Ramon Clay 20.37 3. Darvis Patton 20.40 4. Andre Morris 21.00 |
HEAT FOUR (Wind: 0.3) 1. Michael Johnson 19.89 2. John Capel 20.14 SB 3. Travis Grant 20.76 4. Tony McCall 20.82 5. Brandon Evans 20.94 |
HEAT FIVE(Wind: -0.5) 1. Brian Lewis 20.56 2. Marquis Davis 20.82 3. Aaron Armstrong 20.90 4. Bryan Howard 21.06 5. Corey Nelson 21.09 |
HEAT SIX(Wind: -0.6) 1. Coby Miller 20.33 2. Brandon Couts 20.75 3. Jeff Laynes 20.85 4. Paul Lewis 20.89 5. Derek Brew 21.04 6. Marcel Carter 21.45 |
HEAT SEVEN(Wind: -0.6) 1. Jon Drummond 20.50 2. Shawn Crawford 20.64 3. Leon Settle 20.92 4. LeShaunte Edwards 20.94 5. G Ellenwood 21.02 |
Last year he won a bronze medal in the 200m at the World Championships in Seville, Spain, behind Greene.
July 15: HSI sweeps 100m at Trials
At last, United States sprint superstars Maurice Greene and Marion Jones are officially headed for the Olympics.
Greene, holder of the men's 100-meter world record, erased the bitter memory of his failure to qualify for the
1996 Games with a 100-meter victory Saturday at the U.S. Olympic Trials.
Even sweeter, he was joined by his HSI clubmates, Curtis Johnson and John Drummond, who finished second and third,
separated by only four-hundredths of a second.
"I made the Olympic team! I made the Olympic team!" crowed an ebullient Greene after he recovered from
a mistake at the start to win the 100 final in 10.01 sec. Johnson was second on 10.066 and Drummond third in 10.07.
Brian Lewis, who beat Greene in Helsinki last month, had the heartbreak berth, finishing fourth and out of the
Olympic running in 10.09.
"I just feel great," Greene said. "I came here to win the 100 meters and 200 meters, and the first
half is over.
"I just want to know why I can't have a final without stumbling. But I've been in enough races now that if
I make a mistake in the beginning, I can stay calm."
In constrast, Jones made a picture-perfect start to her 100, overtaking reigning Olympic champion Gail Devers at
the 50-meter mark and winning easily in 10.88.
Devers, only the second woman to win consecutive 100 Olympic titles, faded, leaving Inger Miller and Chryste Gaines
to finish second and third.
"Crossing the finish line, I couldn't have known how emotional it would be," said Jones, who held her
arms aloft and beamed as she crossed the line.
Although Jones has hammered home her desire to win five gold medals in Sydney for more than a year, the fact that
she is now bound for Australia was slow to sink in.
"I don't think it has hit me yet," she said. "It's the culmination of a lot of hard work, and now
I'm on this team."
She'll be joined in Sydney by her husband, shot put world champion CJ Hunter, who finished second in a tightly-contested
final won by Adam Nelson with a throw of 22.12 meters - best in the world this year.
Jones found her expected victory unexpectedly emotional. But Miller and Gaines considered their performances a
vindication.
Miller, eager to disprove critics who say her 200 world title would never have come had Jones been healthy enough
to run that final, was clearly smarting over Michael Johnson's published comments doubting her commitment and focus.
"I think Michael has a lot to say," Miller said. "Maybe he should untwist those beads in his hair.
They're a little too tight."
That dig drew a guffaw from Greene, who has himself been stung by the remarks of his 200 rival.
"What can I say? Maybe he'd get some sense if he did," Greene laughed as his manager gestured to him
to keep quiet.
Miller, who has at times appeared irked by the attention focused on Jones and her five-gold campaign, said she
had no quarrel with Jones' ambitions - nor any desire to assist them.
"She wants five gold medals; I want three," she said. "That puts me in the position of trying to
stop her from doing it."
"And I'm trying to stop both of them," Gaines chimed in. "Somebody's not going home with something."
While Johnson's knack for ruffling feathers was in evidence, the man himself calmly continued his inexorable progress
with the fastest time of the 400m semifinals.
The 200 and 400 world record-holder, trying to repeat the Olympic 200-400 double he achieved in Atlanta, posted
a time of 44.63.
Johnson didn't take the lead until 80 meters from the finish. But from there,it was a stroll. As well as the intimidating
burst of speed, Johnson allowed himself an over-the-shoulder glare at his competitors for good measure.
"I wanted mainly to get through to the next round as easy as possible," he said. "I wanted to do
only what was necessary to win, so I can get a preferred lane for tomorrow."
Maurice Greene, who failed to make the 1996 team and then sobbed inconsolably while watching the Olympic final
in the stands at Atlanta, burst out of the blocks with the force of a rocket and won his heat in 9.93, only 0.02
seconds off his world-best this season.
The two-time world champion and 1999 world champion, showed no weaknesses in his heat. Charging right out from
the start, he had the field beaten easily about halfway through the race, before easing some 20 meters from the
finish.
No one else broke 10 seconds in the heats, allowing Greene to establish his early superiority and send a message
to the rest of the field.
The next-fastest time was 10.03 by Brian Lewis.
Super-sub Darren Campbell stormed to victory in the 100-meter event at the European Cup Super League here on
Saturday - despite only 30 minutes of preparation.
Campbell stepped in before the race to replace British number one Jason Gardener, who strained a hamstring while
warming up.
But Campbell sprung a surprise by rocketing away from the pack to win in a European record-equaling 10.09 seconds,
although his time will not count because of windy conditions in the north east.
Hungary's Roland Nemeth ran 10.19 to take second place ahead of the Italian Andrea Colombo, who clocked a time
of 10.23.
Campbell said: "I knew I had the race won after 40 meters. This is all about a team effort and Jason wasn't
100 percent fit.
"I only got the call to run half-an-hour before the race. But I knew I had it in me to win the race after
a little bit of a warm up."
Campbell's victory helped put Great Britain and Northern Ireland at the top of the men's standings after the first
day on 55.5 points.
July 13: Sprint Entries for US Trials
Event 1 Men's 100 Meter Dash Friday 07/14/00 at 6:00 PM RANK COMP# ATHLETE TEAM SEED TIME ==== ===== ============================= ========================= =========== 1 351 Maurice Greene Nike 9.79 2 367 Timothy Harden UNATTACHED 9.92 3 623 Coby Miller Auburn 9.98 4 992 Bernard Williams Florida 9.99 5 586 Mike Marsh Santa Monica TC 10.01 6 544 Brian Lewis Reebok 10.02 7 142 John Capel UNATTACHED 10.03 8 638 Tim Montgomery Asics 10.03 9 115 Kenneth BrokenBurr Nike 10.04 10 261 Jon Drummond Nike 10.04 11 930 Terrance Trammell South Carolina 10.04 12 188 Kaaron Conwright CP-San Luis Obispo 10.05 13 804 Gregory Saddler Nike 10.05 14 593 Tony McCall Reebok 10.06 15 469 Curtis Johnson HSI 10.09 16 633 Dennis Mitchell UNATTACHED 10.09 17 996 Gerald Williams Southern Cal. Cheetahs 10.09 18 124 Marcus Brunson Arizona State 10.10 19 345 Travis Grant Nike 10.10 20 223 Marquis Davis UNATTACHED 10.11 21 428 Bryan Howard adidas 10.11 22 570 Virgil Maddox Oral Roberts 10.12 23 276 Garfield Ellenwood Reebok 10.15 24 31 Lawrence Armstrong Texas-Austin 10.16 25 157 Chris Chandler Nebraska 10.16 26 191 Obadiah Cooper UNATTACHED 10.16 27 536 Jeff Laynes Reebok 10.16 28 145 Daymon Carroll Florida 10.17 29 40 Jerome Avery Pro-Cor Track Club 10.18 30 390 Floyd Heard Santa Monica TC 10.18 31 358 Mickey Grimes UNATTACHED 10.19 32 422 Jarmiene Holloway UNATTACHED 10.20 33 738 Ashhada Primus UNATTACHED 10.20 34 25 Justin Anderson UNATTACHED 10.21 35 396 Vince Henderson Asics 10.22 36 467 Amar Johnson Texas-Austin 10.22 37 149 Jonathan Carter Fila 10.23 38 274 LeShaunte' Edwards Akron 10.23 39 1008 Shomari Wilson UNATTACHED 10.23 40 1033 Gentry Bradley Nike NT
Event 2 Men's 200 Meter Dash Saturday 07/22/00 at 11:19 AM RANK COMP# ATHLETE TEAM SEED TIME ==== ===== ============================= ========================= =========== 1 473 Michael Johnson Nike 19.71 2 142 John Capel UNATTACHED 19.87 3 351 Maurice Greene Nike 19.90 4 115 Kenneth BrokenBurr Nike 20.04 5 623 Coby Miller Auburn 20.04 6 544 Brian Lewis Reebok 20.06 7 30 Aaron Armstrong Florida 20.08 8 203 Shawn Crawford Unattached 20.09 9 425 Ja'Warren Hooker Washington 20.09 10 556 Kevin Little U.S. West 20.10 11 356 Rohsaan Griffin Asics 20.13 12 549 Paul Lewis Reebok 20.14 13 261 Jon Drummond Nike 20.17 14 390 Floyd Heard Santa Monica TC 20.18 15 171 Ramon Clay UNATTACHED 20.26 16 223 Marquis Davis UNATTACHED 20.27 17 992 Bernard Williams Florida 20.28 18 701 Darvis Patton TCU 20.29 19 285 Brandon Evans Texas A&M 20.30 20 151 Marcel Carter Shore Athletic Club 20.34 21 573 Milton Mallard Asics 20.35 22 428 Bryan Howard adidas 20.36 23 593 Tony McCall Reebok 20.37 24 110 Derrick Brew Nike 20.42 25 124 Marcus Brunson Arizona State 20.42 26 633 Dennis Mitchell UNATTACHED 20.42 27 1033 Gentry Bradley Nike 20.44 28 274 LeShaunte' Edwards Akron 20.45 29 197 Brandon Couts Baylor 20.48 30 646 Andre' Morris Fila 20.48 31 829 Leon Settle Unattached 20.50 32 638 Tim Montgomery Asics 20.53 33 276 Garfield Ellenwood Reebok NT 34 345 Travis Grant Nike NT 35 469 Curtis Johnson HSI NT 36 536 Jeff Laynes Reebok NT 37 586 Mike Marsh Santa Monica TC NT 38 665 Corey Nelson Nike NT 39 889 Savante Stringfellow Mississippi NT
Olympic 100 meter champion Donovan Bailey's comeback bid from a ruptured Achilles tendon continued to stall,
the Canadian running third in 10.15 seconds behind Nigeria's Francis Obikwelu in 10.06 and Britain's Darren Campbell
in 10.13
It was another frustrating result for Bailey, who appeared to finally be returning to form after clocking 9.98
in Lucerne, Switzerland two weeks ago.
"I'm tired and I'm going home," said Bailey after improving on his bitterly disappointing fifth place
in Lausanne on Wednesday. "But I've done what I wanted to do this trip.
"I ran 9.98 and now I have to correct my mistakes and I made quite a few of them today.
"Today I could have ran 9.9. I was leading after 80 meters and just made mistakes. I was passed while I was
leading and that never happens.
"It won't happen again."
Is Donovan Bailey back? That seems to be the question the sprinting world is asking. Bailey tore up the track in Luzern on June 27 running a 9.98 into a headwind. Then he went to Lausanne for another 100m against Ato Boldon and seemed to be in position to accelerate past the field like we saw in Atlanta'96 but he didn't seem to have in him and and struggled accross the line in fifth with a 10.12 clocking. Very upset with his performance, Bailey had no awnsers about his performance. On Saturday, some questions may be awnsered as Bailey runs in Nice against sub10 sprinters Leonard Myles-Mills, Francis Obikwelu and Obadele Thompson. As well as indoor specialists Freddy Mayoland and Roland Nemeth. Darren Campbell of Britain is also in the field. Serious challenges could come from Obikwelu and Nemeth who beat Bailey to the wire in Lausanne. The times may not be very impressive as the stadium records are 10.00 and 20.09 in the 100 and 200, both held by Frank Fredericks. A look back at the champions of the last ten years at the Nikaia GP in Nice:
1990 | Leroy Burrell (USA) 10.21 | ||
1991 | Chidi Imoh (NGR) 10.29 | Leroy Burrell (USA) 20.50 | |
1992 | Frank Fredericks (NAM) 10.12 | ||
1993 | Frank Fredericks (NAM) 20.41 | ||
1994 | Dennis Mitchell (USA) 10.19 | ||
1995 | John Regis (GBR) 20.26 | ||
1996 | Donovan Bailey (CAN) 10.17 | ||
1997 | Geir Moen (NOR) 20.41 | ||
1998 | Frank Fredericks (NAM) 10.00 | ||
1999 | Leonard Myles-Mills (GHA) 10.12 | Frank Fredericks (NAM) 20.09 |
According to donovanbailey.com, Bruny Surin will race against two of his main rivals for Sydney 2000 on August 5 at Crystal Palace in London. Maurice Greene and Donovan Bailey will renew there rivalry over 100m, as Bailey looks like he is back in form from an achilles injury suffered in 1998. Surin's best in time this year is a respectable 10.08 clocking from mid June. Greene has the world's best time of 9.91, which he set in May in Japan while Donovan Bailey also has a sub10 this year, a 9.98 which he ran on June 27 in Switzerland.
Ato Boldon showed he was back in form on wednesday at the Annual Athletissima meet in Lausanne, Switzerland. Known for it's fast track, many of the greatest performances in the 100m were at Lausanne, such as: Leroy Burrell 9.85 in 1994, Frank Fredericks 9.86 in 1996, Maurice Greene 9.90 in 1997 and last year when Boldon ran 9.86. This year, Laussane did not feature Fredericks, Greene or Bruny Surin in the 100m but two Olympic medalists returning from injury and six yound sprinters looking for there place in history. When the gun went off, Ato Boldon took control and coasted to an easy victory in 9.95 with a hard charging Francis Obikwelu second in a personal best time of 9.97, his second sub10 of the season. Donovan Bailey was in the race until the 70m point when he started to fade while Boldon and Obikwelu looked strong.
In the 200m, which was run about an hour later Ato Boldon once again lined up against Obikwelu. As the gun fired, Boldon, Thompson
and Obikwelu looked great through the bend. On the straight, Thompson and Obikwelu had a slight lead on Boldon
who was out in lane seven. As they came to the wire, Boldon showed his strength and took the win in 19.97 becoming
the second man to sprint under 20 seconds this year.
Results
100 Metres - Final Wind Reading: 1.0 Time React 1. Ato Boldon Trinidad 9.95 SB 0.157 2. Francis Obikwelu Nigeria 9.97 PB 0.185 3. Jason Gardener Great Britain 10.09 0.151 4. Roland Nemeth Hungary 10.10 0.148 5. Donovan Bailey Canada 10.12 0.169 6. Obadele Thompson Barbados 10.12 0.186 7. Andres Da Silva Brazil 10.26 0.148 8. Dwain Chambers Great Britain 10.26 0.151
200 Metres - Final Wind Reading: 0.3 Time 1. Ato Boldon Trinidad 19.97 SB 2. Francis Obikwelu Nigeria 20.01 SB 3. Obadele Thompson Barbados 20.10 SB 4. Claudinei da Silva Brazil 20.25 5. Kevin Little United States 20.53 SB 6. Patrick Stevens Belgium 20.54 7. Andrew Maybank United States 20.71 8. Ivan Garcia Cuba 20.71
Results from the IAAF Grand Prix II in Zagreb Monday:
100 Metres - Final Wind Reading: -1.0 1. Obadele Thompson Barbados 10.17 2. Dennis Mitchell United States 10.18 3. Abdul Aziz Zakari Ghana 10.21 4. Matt Shirvington Australia 10.33 5. Roland Nemeth Hungary 10.34 6. Freddy Mayola Cuba 10.48
200 Metres - Final Wind Reading: -0.4 1. Obadele Thompson Barbados 20.16 SB 2. Claudinei da Silva Brazil 20.43 3. Dennis Mitchell United States 20.43 4. Ramon Clay United States 20.53
July 2: Greene drops 100 metres again
World champion Maurice Greene was beaten Sunday at 100 meters, questioning his readiness for the U.S. Olympic
trials in two weeks.
Britain's Jason Gardner, running into a stiff headwind, was timed at 10.40 seconds. Greene, who got a terrible
start, finished fifth at 10.54.
The U.S. won the Britain-U.S. Challenge meet, 179 1/2-170 1/2.
Greene, who won the 100 and 200 world titles a year ago, was fourth in the 100 Wednesday at Athens, Greece, but
came back to win both the 100 and 200 Friday at Rome.
Greene laughed off the loss Sunday in chilly, windy weather, blaming it on too much travel, which saw him running
last weekend in Oregon, then flying to Europe for three meets in five days.
"Of course it's a bad day, but what can you expect?" he said. "I've been running a lot lately and
a lot this week. Things like this happen. I didn't find anything. My legs are dead and sore."
American Vince Henderson was second at 10.50, followed by Britons Darren Campbell (10.52) and Dwain Chambers (10.54).
Christian Malcolm of Great Britain won the 200 in 20.65 a season best also in a stiff headwind.
Maurice Greene led off for the US relay team that clinched the meet win in 38.90. Britain was second in 39.07
In the absence of world record holder Maurice Greene, the men's 100m at the Zagreb Mladost stadium should be a race between three Americans - Brian Lewis, winner of the Golden League meeting in Paris, Greg Saddler, the new star of sprint and Dennis Mitchell, making his return to the track following a doping suspension.
In 1999, Ato Boldon was the only man to defeat Maurice Greene over 100m. That came at the Athletissima in Laussane as he equaled his personal best of 9.86. Shortly after that race, Boldon was injured and kissed his 1999 season goodbye. Boldon is now well on the road to recovery and is looking to win both the 100m and 200m in Laussane on wednesday. Boldon's best time in 2000 for the 100m is 10.00 which he ran a few days ago in Rome. Boldon's only 200m race in this olympic year was in late April in Martinique where he ran a easy wind aided 20.30. In the 100m, Boldon's challenge will come from Donovan Bailey, Dwain Chambers, Jason Gardener and Obadele Thompson. The 200m is a weaker field but does include 19.89 sprinter Claudinei da Silva of Brazil and Obadele Thompson.
Ato Boldon's best one day double was in 1997 when he tore up the Stuttgart track with a 9.9 in the 100m and a personal best of 19.77 in the 200m.
John Capel found some success on the Golden Spike Tour on Saturday. Capel won the men's 100 meter dash in a time of 10.14 seconds ahead of Terrance Trammell and Jeff Laynes at the GMC Envoy Open in Palo Alto, California. Capel's victory came at a great time for his confidence going into the US Olympic Trials which begin in two weeks in Sacramento. Capel's best time for 2000 is 10.13 which he set in Raleigh, while his all-time best is 10.03. Results can be found here