Posted: May 8, 2007

Athletics: USATF News & Notes, Volume 8, Number 41

Wariner wins in Osaka Olympic and World champion Jeremy Wariner won the men's 400m with a world leading time Saturday at the 2007 Osaka Grand Prix in Japan, which is a stop on the 2007 IAAF World Athletics Tour. Wariner dominated his fellow competitors at Nagai Stadium in finishing in 44.02 seconds, while easing up towards the finish line. Wariner's training partner Darold Williamson was the runner-up, crossing the line in 44.68. Wariner's performance was a Japanese all-comer's record and the fastest ever recorded in the month of May. "I love the track here," said Wariner, which will be the site of the 11th IAAF World Championships in Athletics this summer from August 25 to September 2. "I've never seen this type of surface. It has a very nice spring to it. I hope to come back in August and set a new world record." Also in Osaka, reigning World Outdoor men's 400m hurdles champion Bershawn Jackson felt a problem in his left hamstring by the third hurdle but forged ahead to win in the world leading time of 48.13 seconds. The top-three finishers mirrored the medal stand at the 2005 World Outdoor Championships in Helsinki, as James Carter finished as the runner-up in 48.22, with Japan's Dai Tamesue third in 48.73. For more information on the 2007 Osaka Grand Prix, including the complete results, visit IAAF.org. Moore steals the show at Modesto Hurdler Anwar Moore posted a career best performance and the fastest time in the world this year Saturday at the 66th Coca-Cola Modesto Relays in Modesto, Calif. A 28-year-old graduate of St. Augustine College, Moore won the race in 13.12 seconds, which betters the previous fastest time in the world this year by world record holder Xiang Lui of China, who clocked 13.14 earlier Saturday at the Osaka Grand Prix. Moore's previous career best time of 13.23 was set at Modesto in 2005. In the women's 100m hurdles, 2001 World Outdoor champion Anjanette Kirkland posted the fifth-fastest time in the world this year with her winning time of 12.85 seconds. Also at Modesto, Suzy Powell continued her winning ways this season in the women's discus. Powell won the competition Saturday with a best throw of 213 feet, 10 inches after setting the U.S. record in that event three weeks ago. Other field event winners included world and Olympic champion Dwight Phillips in the men's long jump (8.28 meters/27 feet 2 inches, wind-aided). During that competition, Phillips soared to a wind legal distance of 8.20 meters/26-11 inches, which is the third best performance in the world this outdoor season. Other winners included 2004 World Indoor champion Christian Cantwell in the men's shot put (21.30m/69 feet 10.75 inches) and Olympic silver medalist Toby Stevenson in the men's pole vault (5.50m/18 feet .50 inch). For more information on the 2007 Coca-Cola Modesto Relays, including the complete results, visit ModestoRelays.org. Gay, Merritts win in Jamaica Tyson Gay, LaShawn Merritt and Aries Merritt each dominated their events Saturday at the 2007 Jamaica International Invitational at the National Stadium in Kingston. Gay, who recorded the fourth-fastest 200m time in history last year of 19.68 seconds, crossed the finish line in the new meet record time of 19.97 seconds, which is the fastest time in the world this season. Jamaica's Chris Williams, who won the silver medal at the 2001 World Outdoor Championships, was the runner-up in 20.67 seconds. Also at Kingston, 2006 USA Outdoor and Indoor runner-up LaShawn Merritt was victorious in the men's 400 meters in 44.95 seconds, and 2004 World Junior champion Aries Merritt won the men's 110m hurdles in 13.33 seconds. For more information on the 2007 Jamaica International Invitational, including the complete results, visit: IAAF.org. Terek wins Combined Events Challenge 2004 Olympian Paul Terek led the men's decathlon at the halfway point and went on to win the event convincingly over the weekend at the 20th edition of the Multistars IAAF Combined Events Challenge meeting in Desenzano, Italy. Terek tallied 8,134 points in distancing himself from runner-up and former Asian champion Vitaliy Smirnov from Uzbekistan, who completed the event with 7,825 points. This marked Terek's best performance since setting his personal best score of 8,312 points in 2004. Terek, who has battled injury problems the last two years, will return to California to begin training for the 2007 AT&T USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Indianapolis, June 20-24. For more information on the Multistars IAAF Combined Events Challenge in Italy, visit IAAF.org. Daprano, Hinton set Masters world records Jeanne Daprano and John Hinton each set world records during a memorable weekend of Masters track and field in the U.S. Daprano became the first 70-year-old woman in history to crack the sub-7 minute barrier in the mile at the 37th annual Bob Boal Masters meet at Duke University in Durham, N.C. Her time of 6 minutes 47.75 seconds, bettered the previous record of 7:15.87 by Canada's Helly Visser set in 2004. Later this summer Daprano is entered in the 100m, 200m, 400m, and 1,500m at the 2007 World Masters Championships in Riccione, Italy. Also in Durham on Sunday, John Hinton set the M45 world record for 1,500 meters with his time of 3 minutes 56.39 seconds. Hinton's performance betters the previous world record of Great Britian's Peter Molloy of 3:58.3 from August 9, 1995.