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United States reaffirm sprint power at Penn Relays

27.04.2009 World

At least for one afternoon, the United States is once again the global sprint power.

USA teams swept the men’s and women’s 4 x 100m and 4 x 400m Relays in the featured USA vs. The World competition in the 115th Penn Relays before a crowd of 47,904 at Franklin Field on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania on Saturday (25 April).

The six race session was highlighted by a women’s Sprint Medley Relay world best of 3:34.54 by Jamaican team of Sheri-Ann Brooks (200m), Rosemarie Whyte (200m), Moya Thompson (400m) and Kenia Sinclair (1:57.43).

Redemption for Beijing failures in the 4 x 100m Relay

The victories in the men’s and women’s 4 x 100m Relays on a warm afternoon went a long ways toward erasing the U.S. disappointment of the Beijing Olympics where both teams dropped the baton in the preliminaries.

In the men’s 4 x 100m, the USA notched a 1-2 finish with a Blue team of Walter Dix, Travis Padgett, Shawn Crawford and Darvis Patton beating a Red team of Terrence Trammell, Mark Jelks, Ivory Williams and Mike Rodgers, 37.92 to 38.36 sec; Patton gestured to the USA letters across the chest with his right hand after crossing the line.

It was the first sub-38 clocking in the 4 x 100m at the Penn Relays and Franklin Field. Patton said he was optimistic about the possibility of a meet record after a productive handoff practice on Friday.

“I think it was a confidence booster going into today,” Patton said. “We knew if we duplicated what we did yesterday, we would have a pretty good time.”

Dix believes the USA can go much faster by the World Championships in Berlin in August. “For meeting up one day before coming out and practicing, the chemistry is as good as it’s going to get,” Dix said. “Regarding the (meet) record, with those guys, nobody’s in peak performance yet and that says something.”

Trinidad & Tobago, anchored by 2008 Olympic silver 100m medallist Richard Thompson, was third at 38.37.

Powell runs injured

A Jamaica team featuring three of its four runners from its World record setting quartet from Beijing finished ninth in 41.24 after former 100m World record holder Asafa Powell slowed midway down the homestretch running gingerly on his left leg. Powell is carrying an ankle injury.

“We’re the U.S. We’re on U.S. turf so I felt like its war,” Crawford said. “We can’t let anybody else come in here and take this victory from us. Nothing against anybody else but this is our land and we’ve got to defend it.”

USA women top Jamaicans in 4 x 100m

The USA women’s squad held its ground against Jamaica in the 4 x 100m Relay. A Red team of Lauryn Williams, Allyson Felix, Mechelle Lewis and Carmelita Jeter won in 42.40.

Jeter, the current world yearly leader in the 100m and 200m powered away from Jamaica’s 2008 Olympic 100m champion Shelly Ann-Fraser on the anchor leg and clenched her right fist as she crossed the finish line and continued around the bend in celebration.

Jamaica finished second in 42.77 with a team of Brigitte Foster-Hylton, Sheri-Ann Brooks, Kerron Stewart and Fraser.

For Williams, the triumph provided comfort from the U.S. women’s miscue in Beijing. Williams said that she had received a barrage of bitter and obscenity-filled emails following the Olympics via the contact link on her personal web site.

“I came out here to accomplish a mission… I love my home turf on American soil,” Williams said. “There was definitely a chip on my shoulder that said we got to come out here and we got to represent…. It was a different, sort of anxiety or pressure or something that I was adding to myself today.”

Jamaica’s Fraser wasn’t disappointed about Saturday’s setback against the Americans. Fraser ran the anchor in place of her normal position on the first leg, and said the squad’s run was not a representation of her country’s talent.

“You win some and you lose some,” said Fraser, who indicated that she has been slowed because of “medical issues” for the past three to four weeks. “USA was the best on the day. I’m used to coming in second, third and also winning, so it just shows me I need to go back to the drawing board.”

Kirby Lee for the IAAF


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