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| Monday, August 6 |
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| Godina fails to reach final; Jones second in semis Associated Press | |||
EDMONTON, Alberta -- Marion Jones can be beaten in a sprint,
after all.
Jones, winner of 42 consecutive 100-meter finals starting since
1998, sustained a rare loss Monday, finishing second in her
semifinal heat at the World Championships.
She wasn't upset.
"Everything's good," she said. "I just have to get back and
rest for the final."
Jones trailed virtually all the way in placing behind Zhanna
Pintusevich-Block of Ukraine.
Pintusevich-Block, the 1997 world 200 champion, was timed in
10.94 seconds, .01 seconds ahead of Jones.
Jones didn't appear to have the fierce determination and drive
that has carried her to two world titles and the Olympic gold
medal.
Four years ago, Pintusevich-Block thought she had beaten Jones
in the 100 final and was celebrating when Jones was declared the
winner in a photo finish.
Ekaterini Thanou of Greece won the other semifinal Monday in
11.05, with Chandra Sturrup of the Bahamas second in 11.17.
The final was Monday night.
Maurice Greene and John Godina had hoped to win more than one
gold medal apiece at the championships. Those hopes were dashed
Monday.
A day after winning his third straight 100-meter title, Greene
withdrew from the rest of the meet because of injuries to his left
leg. Two days after winning his third shot put title, Godina failed
to advance to the discus final.
Greene, who ran the third-fastest time in history, 9.82 on
Sunday, limped across the finish line, then said Monday he had a
strained left thigh.
"I would not let him run," coach John Smith said. "The rest
of the season is questionable."
After the 100, Greene ruled himself out of the 200, which he won
at the last worlds in 1999, but still was considering running the
400 relay, which he anchored to a gold medal at the Sydney
Olympics. However, his condition did not improve overnight.
"If it was up to me, with how I feel, I would still go out
there and try to run, but I don't want to damage the (relay)
team," Greene said. "It's hard for me to lift, pick myself off
the ground."
Greene also has been bothered this season by tendinitis in his
left knee.
Godina still hasn't learned how to combine the shot put and
discus in a major international competition. Trying for an
unprecedented sweep of the two events, Godina finished 21st in
discus qualifying.
It was another in a series of disheartening discus performances,
after a glittering showing in the shot.
"I just have to learn to get balance between the two throws,"
Godina said. "I didn't get into a groove in the discus."
Godina said he would have preferred more time between the events
to properly prepare mentally and physically.
"(The double) is harder than people think," he said. "The two
require totally different movements."
Godina has not had difficulty combining the two on the same day.
For example, at the U.S. Open on June 9 at Palo Alto, Calif., he
had the best single-day double in the shot put and discus, winning
the shot at 72 feet, one-quarter inch, and finishing second in the
discus at 220-0. Five of his six throws in the shot were over 70
feet.
Internationally, he has not done nearly as well, because of his
discus woes.
After winning the shot put at the 1995 World Championships, he
finished 10th in the discus. At the 1996 Olympics, he won the
silver medal in the shot and failed to qualify for the discus
final. He won the world shot title again in 1997, and placed fifth
in the discus.
At the next worlds in 1999, he was seventh in the shot and again
failed to qualify for the discus final, and last year at the Sydney
Games won the bronze medal in the shot put and missed the discus
final.
Nationally, he has been more consistent, even when the two
events are on different days. In 1998, he became the first to win
the double at the USA Championships since Parry O'Brien in 1955,
throwing the shot over 71 and the discus 220-1. He also was first in
the shot and second in the discus at the 1999 and 2001 USA
Championships.
"It's hard to be disappointed after the shot, but it's
disappointing," Godina said after throwing only 187-7 and fouling
twice in the discus. "The consistency just wasn't there. ...
"(The double) isn't impossible. I just didn't do it. I was in
such good condition this year that I was counting on that and my
toughness to carry me through the qualifying round."
Andy Bloom, bothered by back, hip, and shoulder injuries, also
failed to qualify for the discus final, throwing only 184-9. Adam
Setliff was the only American to advance, throwing 204-2.
Four-time champion Lars Riedel of Germany led the qualifiers at
217-5.
Five finals were on Monday night's program, topped by Jones' bid
for her third consecutive title and world record-holder Stacy
Dragila's quest for a second straight women's pole vault title. The
other finals were the men's 400 and triple jump, and the women's
javelin.
 Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories | |
ALSO SEE Monday's World Athletics Championships results Greene done for Worlds, pulls out with thigh injury Boldon joins Greene on sidelines at Worlds U.S. 800 champ Jacobs withdraws from Worlds Male athlete at Worlds seeking refugee status | |
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