100-meter dash is popular draw at Pre Classic
The quick-paced event
features some of the fastest
athletes around the world
BY BRIAN SMITH
SPORTS REPORTER
It’s not a secret that in track, Eu
gene is defined by the distance pro
gram and runners that have been a
part of the illustrious history of
Hayward Field.
But at the Nike Prefontaine Classic
on Saturday, 2004 gold medalist
Justin Gatlin and a loaded field — in
cluding the world-record holder Tim
Montgomery — showed why the
100-meter dash is just as exciting, if
not more so, than any distance event.
In addition to Gatlin, Saturday’s
heat list included the fourth-place fin
isher in Athens and gold medalist in
the 200, Shawn Crawford, and the
2003 World Champion Kim Collins.
With the assistance of the wind,
four of the eight entrants in the men’s
100-meters recorded times of under
10 seconds, one of the critical ingre
dients in the event’s popularity.
“I don’t know, maybe because it’s
so fast,” Jamaica’s Asafa Powell said.
“People are always cheering the most
(during the 100) because guys are
running some unbelievable times. ”
Gatlin and Powell both recorded a
time of 9.84, while Americans
Leonard Scott and Crawford recorded
9.94 and 9.98 seconds, respectively.
Being able to run times below
10 seconds is certainly a measuring
stick when it comes to comparing
the best sprinters in the world, and
the athletes that are able to break
that mark are most certainly the
most well known.
Names like Maurice Greene, Carl
Lewis and Montgomery, who ran a
9.78 in Paris in 2002 not only excite
the crowd, but the competitors
as well.
“This was my first time running
with Montgomery,” Powell said. “It
was a pleasure running with him,
and I always love running with Gatlin
*« 8?'
wmtiv
Nicole Barker | Photographer
Sprinters
Asafa
Powell, left,
and Justin
Gatlin cross
the finish
line during
Saturday’s
Prefontaine
Classic.
Gatlin won
the event
with a time
of 9.84.
and Crawford and all the guys.”
The field on the women’s side in
cluded a match-up of the No. 1 and
No. 2-ranked runners coming
into Saturday. In the end, the
No. 3 ranked runner, American
Lauryn Williams took home the
crown before explaining the allure
of the 100.
“Because it gives you the title of
fastest person in the world if you are
the best at it,” Williams said. “With a
two mile, you’re still the fastest in the
world at your event, but I equate it to
racing cars and really fast things. ”
Both events drew large ovations
from the crowd of 12,885.
“We’re trying to show everybody,
especially in Oregon where there
is a lot of history in the distance,
you know with Prefontaine heading
it,” Gatlin said. “Coming here I
wanted to show that sprints are
great too, and that we could put on
a good show.”
On Saturday, Gatlin and company
produced. Current No. 1 Powell,
who had run a 9.84 earlier this year
in Jamaica, Montgomery and Gatlin
brought the West Grandstand crowd
to its feet as they flew down
the track.
“I don’t think it’s the best event
on the track,” Gatlin said. “I think
it’s the most exciting; it’s fast, you
have to keep your eye on it. It can
be a head-to-head race all the way
to the end.”
Or maybe the allure is because
unlike a distance event, if you
blink, you could miss the entire
100 meters.
briansmith@ daily emerald, com
Jones: Sports staffers, thanks
for your hard work and play
Continued from page 11A
sports journalists.
As student journalists, we are often
viewed differently in the eyes of other
journalists as “newbies” or “clueless”
when it comes to professionalism
and ethics in journalism. I know this
year, with the amount of dedication
and traveling this sports desk has
done, we took a big step forward in
gaining respect.
This summer will truly be my “Sev
enth-Inning Stretch,” as I get a break
before coming back to pilot the sports
section one last term before I graduate.
Unfortunately, I’ll be losing all three
of my staffers — Dome and Roetman
to graduation and Miller to the adver
tising department.
So in parting ways with these gen
tleman (a term I use loosely), I want to
say thank you for all the dedication
you have brought to this section.
Miller, I hope advertising realizes
how lucky it is to get such a
hard worker whom I never had
to discipline.
Dome, your great columns and your
“special” personality will be missed
around the desk.
Roetman, I can’t say how bright a
future you have in this business as
long as you stay away from fast
women and the poker table. Seriously,
you’ve taught me a lot about sports
journalism, and I’ve gained a true
friend in the process.
Finally, I would like to thank all of
you who’ve taken the time to read my
columns, whether it be in class, at
lunch or on the john. I appreciate the
feedback you give.
I’ll see you all in the bottom half of
the inning this fall.
claytonjones@dailyemerald.com
Pre Classic: Event features world-class athletes
Continued from page 11A
who had owned the Hayward Field
and Prefontaine Classic records since
1995, set the previous record for this
uncommon event at 8:11.59 in 1999.
Alan Webb passed Kenyan Boaz
Cheboiywo on the final stretch to fin
ish second at 8:11.48. At the same
time, he became the fastest American
two-mile runner.
“I was trying my best to stick with
Kipchoge in that front pack, but we
went out so faot and it started hurt
ing a little bit to. -md,” Webb
said. “Any time I run acre at Hay
ward Field, I feel like I always man
age to do something special.”
Co-world record holder and 2004
Olympic champion in the 110 high
hurdles Liu Xiang of China lived up
to his reputation by rewriting the
Hayward Field and Prefontaine Clas
sic records in 13.06 — the fastest
time in the world this year.
American Terrence Trammell fin
ished second (13.12) in a replication
of the first and second-place finishes
at Athens last summer. Former
Olympic champion hurdler Allen
Johnson was disqualified after com
mitting the field’s second false start.
The wind helped push American
Justin Gatlin and Jamaican Asafa Pow
ell to equal times of 9.84 in the 100, ty
ing Powell’s season and personal best.
“I saw I was there with him, and
we were going neck and neck at it,”
said Gatlin, who finished eighth, “and
I knew that I had a little more in the
tank, so I just pushed it at the end.
“Last year, 1 did really bad here, so I
knew I had to make it up this year,”
Gatlin said. “I knew that I had to step
up; it’s my responsibility as an
Olympic champion to go out there and
show everybody that I’m the greatest. ”
Bershawn Jackson set a new Pre
fontaine Classic record in the
400 hurdles with a 47.91. Jackson,
who owns the best time in the world
this year, edged out James Carter
(47.95) as they recorded the second
and third-fastest times this year.
In the field, American Erin Aldrich
cleared 6 feet, four and 3/4 inches for
a victory in the high jump, which is
minimum qualifying height for the
2005 World Championships.
“It’s just a huge weight off my
shoulders to get that standard,”
Aldrich said. “Now I don’t have to
worry about it as much.”
Leevan Sands of the Bahamas
used a mark of 56-3 3/4 in the triple
jump to set a new Prefontaine Clas
sic meet record and stay a half inch
ahead of China’s Yanxi Lii.
At the pole vault runway, Ameri
cans Brad Walker and Toby Steven
son could get no higher than 19-4
1/4. Walker won because he cleared
19-0 1/4 meters on his first attempt.
stephenmiller@ daily emerald, com
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