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Saturday, March 1
 
Devers sets new U.S. mark in 60-meter hurdles

Associated Press

BOSTON -- Gail Devers broke her own American record in the 60-meter hurdles Saturday, winning a qualifying heat in 7.74 seconds at the U.S. Indoor Track and Field Championships. She later won the final for her 14th national title.

Devers ran 7.85 in the final to earn a U.S. championship in her fourth different event. She will be joined at the world indoor championships in Birmingham, England, on March 14-16 by Melissa Morrison, who finished in 7.88.

Terrence Trammell qualified for worlds in the 60 and 60 hurdles, winning four qualifying races on Saturday but finishing second in both finals. He said he would run both events in Birmingham.

"I wasn't as sharp as I could be, but with six races in one day, I can't be 110 percent for all of them,'' said Trammell, who won the 2001 world title in the hurdles. "My goal was to make the team, so I'm happy with that.''

Justin Gatlin won the 60 dash in 6.45 -- the best time in the world this year -- and Allen Johnson won the hurdles in 7.39.

"I wanted to come in here and keep on reigning with national championships,'' said Gatlin, a three-time NCAA champion. "From college all the way to professional. That's my goal and I'm going to do it.''

In other finals, schoolboy phenom Alan Webb, who in 2001 broke Jim Ryun's 36-year-old high school record for the mile, finished seventh in the 1,500. Jason Lunn won in 3:42.23, and Michael Stember also qualified for worlds.

Regina Jacobs returned to the track where she became the first woman to break the four-minute barrier in the 1,500, and won the event in 4:15.81. Sarah Schwald was second in 4:17.23.

Jacobs, who is planning to run the 3,000 on Sunday, was far behind the world record of 3:59.58 she set Feb. 1.

"I feel like I accomplished what I wanted to do, which was to qualify for worlds and save something for tomorrow,'' Jacobs said.

Monique Hennagan qualified in the women's 400, and Tyree Washington and Corey Nelson will go to worlds for the men. Washington, who finished in 46.43, went to the outdoor world championships in 1998.

"I'm not really an indoor runner,'' said Washington, who took almost two years off because of a hamstring injury and because he had to testify against his sister in her first-degree murder trial. "It hasn't been an easy time.''

Defending champion Tim Rusan won the men's triple jump with the longest in the world this year, and Vanitta Kinard won the women's. Rusan's leap of 57 feet, 3 inches was a personal best, and Walter Davis was second at 56-6½.

"When you jump bad, you feel it, and when you jump good, you feel it, too,'' Rusan said. "I knew I had jumped far, but I just didn't know how far.''

Joanne Dow won the 3,000 race walk in 13 minutes, 7.68 seconds, and Michelle Rohl was second in 13:21.19.

Devers ran 7.78 last month at the Millrose Games to break Jackie Joyner-Kersee's 14-year-old record of 7.81. A three-time Olympic gold medalist and six-time world champion, Devers had won the U.S. championship outdoors in the 100 meters and 100-meter hurdles and indoors in the 60-meter dash.




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