| | Associated Press
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Shades of Florence Griffith Joyner and
Carl Lewis.
That's how well Marion Jones and Maurice Greene performed
Saturday night in winning the women's and men's 100-meter dashes in
the U.S. Olympic track and field trials.
|  | | Adam Nelson had the longest throw in the world this year and won the shot put competition. |
While their winning times don't appear spectacular compared to
their career bests -- Jones finished at 10.88 seconds and Greene at
10.01 -- there were extenuating circumstances.
Jones, the second-fastest women's sprinter in history, behind
only FloJo, ran into a headwind of 2.24 mph, making her time one of
the fastest under those conditions and the second-fastest in the
world this year, behind her 10.84. Her lifetime best is 10.65.
Greene, the world record-holder at 9.79 and hoping to eventually
surpass Lewis' accomplishments, ran into an even stronger headwind
-- 3.80 mph -- making his performance the best under such adverse
conditions.
Jones, who qualified for the 1992 Olympic team as a relay
alternate while in high school but turned down the opportunity
because she wanted to run an individual race, now will have that
golden opportunity at Sydney.
"Crossing the finish line I didn't know how emotional it would
be," Jones said. "This was the culmination of a lot of years, the
quest I've been dreaming about a long time.
"When I was 9-years old I had a dream of making the Olympic
team. Finally, the dream has come true and I don't plan to stop
there."
This was Jones' first step in her quest to win a record five
Olympic golds. Her next event will be Sunday night in the long jump
final, her most vulnerable event. She will then run the 200 next
weekend, and if she makes the team in all three events, she also is
virtually certain to run on the 400 and 1,600 relays.
Inger Miller, who finished second to Jones in the 100 in last
year's World Championships and won the 200 after Jones was injured
in the semifinals, again finished second at 11.05.
Gail Devers, the two-time Olympic gold medalist, led for about
half the race, before Jones caught her and then passed her at 60
meters. As Jones crossed the finish line, she threw both hands into
the air, then took a leisurely victory lap, collecting gifts as she
circled the track.
The third member of the 100 team will be Chryste Gaines.
Devers failed to make the team, finishing fifth.
"That opportunity to make history is now gone," Devers said of
her chance to become the first three-time Olympic 100 champion.
In the men's 100, Greene was out of the blocks
uncharacteristically slow and didn't get the lead until 20 meters
remained.
Unheralded Curtis Johnson was second at 10.07, beating Jon
Drummond, who had the same time.
"Ever since I started running track, ever since I started
paying attention, I would watch on TV and see the Olympics,"
Greene said. "I would say I can do that, I will be there some day.
"Finally, the time is here. It's nice to finish what I've always dreamed of."
Some of the greatest sprinters in history were in attendance to
watch today's heroes.
After the women sprinters competed in the semifinals, the
sellout crowd of about 23,000 at Sacramento State's Hornet Stadium
was introduced to Edith McGwire, the 1964 Olympic 200 gold medalist
and 100 silver medalist, and Wyomia Tyus, the 1964 and 1968 Olympic
100 champion.
Before the men ran, two more greats were introduced -- Bobby
Morrow, the 100, 200 and 400 relay gold medalist in the 1956
Olympics, and Jim Hines, the first man to break 10 seconds in the
100, the 1968 100 gold medalist and a member of the 400 relay team
that broke the world record.
The men's shot put competition turned into one of the best ever.
Adam Nelson, the 1997 NCAA champion while at Dartmouth and the
1994 world junior champion, uncorked the world's longest throw this
year and his career best, 72 feet, 7 inches, on his final attempt.
C.J. Hunter, Jones' husband and the 1999 world champion,
finished second at 71-9, also a personal best and also on his final
attempt, and Andy Bloom took third at 70-10¾, another career best,
also on his final try.
Only eight others in history have thrown farther than Nelson,
including three Americans -- world record-holder Randy Barnes, Brian
Oldfield and John Brenner.
"I'm so fired up, I don't believe what just happened," the
elated Nelson said.
"I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up and I felt
the rhythm (on his final attempt). Everything felt slow motion, so
I knew it was going to be a good throw."
Hunter, who bumped chests with Bloom after the competition, said
the solid American performances would send a message to the world's
other top throwers.
"This scares the hell out of everybody in Europe," the
330-pound Hunter said.
Bloom didn't think he would compete in the trials as late as 10
days ago, because he had three displaced vertebrae and three
displaced ribs.
"I couldn't walk," he said. "I was a mess."
The brilliant efforts by the top three meant that John Godina,
Olympic silver medalist and two-time world champion, failed to make
the U.S. team. Godina finished fourth at 69-2½.
Michael Johnson, seeking a second consecutive 200-400 double in
the Olympics, strolled through his semifinal heat in the 400 and
still ran 44.63. Johnson, who generally barges into the lead
quickly, waited until about 80 meters before surging to the front.
With about 50 meters to go, he began looking to both sides, and
nobody was close.
Dawn Ellerbe, the American record-holder, led a 1-2-3 finish by
New York Athletic Club athletes onto the first women's hammer throw
team.
Ellerbe, who holds the U.S. best of 231-2, had the four-longest
throws in the competition, all over 220-0, with her best at 227-0.
"The Olympics are very important to me," Ellerbe said. "It's
one of the things that kept me going all season.
"I've been chasing and chasing and chasing after it. I finally
caught my dream."
Joining Ellerbe on the Olympic team for the first women's hammer
throw at the games were Amy Palmer (217-70 and Jesseca Cross
(217-2).
DeDee Nathan, the fourth-place finisher in the heptathlon at the
1992 and 1996 Olympic trials, finally made her first U.S. team,
winning with 6,343 points, four ahead of Shelia Burrell, last
year's national champion. Kelly Blair-Lobounty was third with
6,180.
| |
ALSO SEE
U.S. Track & Field Trials results, Day 2
Jones, Greene win 100m heats at Olympic trials
Hartwig stunned by failed vault attempts
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