Gay wins 200, closes in on Johnson’s record
Tyson Gay joined exclusive company Sunday when he won the 200 meters at the World Athletics Final, in Stuttgart, Germany, in 19.68 seconds. Only two men have run faster times: the 19.63 clocked by fellow American Xavier Carter earlier this year and the decade-old 19.32 mark Michael Johnson set in winning at the Atlanta Olympics.
In the 400, Jeremy Wariner has been steadily closing in on the seven-year-old mark held by Johnson, who is also his manager.
Johnson set the mark of 43.18 to win the world title in 1999 and Wariner set a personal best in July, coming within 0.34 seconds.
Yelena Isinbayeva won the women’s pole vault clearing 15ft,7in, but failed at 15-11.
Tatyana Lebedeva became the only double-winner of the two-day event, adding the triple jump to her long jump title from Saturday.
In the concluding women’s 100, Jamaica’s Sherone Simpson kept a near-perfect season going with a win in 10.89.
In the 400 hurdles, Periklis Iakovakis of Greece surged past Bernshawn Jackson on the finishing straight to finish in 47.92 seconds
Olympic champion Koji Murofushi of Japan kept his season-long unbeaten streak in the hammer throw, winning with 267-1.
Panama’s Irving Saladino won the long jump with a leap of 27-7 1/4.
World champion Zulia Calatayud won the 800 in 1:59.02.
Christine Amertil of Bahamas, and formerly of North Idaho College, finished fifth in the 400 meters with 50.79.
Bernard Lagat, formerly of Washington State University, finished second in the 1500 at 3:32.29.
“World Anti-Doping Agency chairman Dick Pound wants to investigate why Marion Jones’ backup sample came up negative, clearing her of a positive doping test.
The “B” sample from the 30-year-old sprinter did not detect the banned endurance enhancer EPO, her attorneys said Wednesday. That means her initial positive result is thrown out. She was tested after winning the 100 meters at the U.S. track and field championships on June 23.
Pound said he found the inconsistent tests “disturbing.”
“Emilie Mondor, a 5,000-meter runner for Canada at the Athens Olympics, was killed in a car accident near Hawkesbury, Ontario. The cause of the accident remains unknown.
Endurance
Aussies take Triathlon
Olympian Greg Bennett led a 1-2-3 Australian sweep of the seventh Annual Los Angeles Triathlon.
Bennett finished in 1 hour, 47 minutes, 12 seconds to win the Olympic distance race.
Craig Alexander, an Australian who won the Los Angeles Triathlon in 2004, finished second in 1:48:26, followed by Stephen Hackett in 1:49:44.
World champion Emma Snowsill of Australia won the women’s competition in 1:57:23, beating American Mary Beth Ellis of Boulder, Colo., who finished in 2:06:54.