Gay runs 2nd fastest 200m ever
INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana: Tyson Gay ran the second fastest 200 meters of all-time, 19.62 seconds, on a wet track at the US championships on Sunday.
Only fellow American Michael Johnson's world record of 19.32 seconds at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics is faster.
"I was running scared," the 24-year-old Gay said after completing a 100-200 meters double at the meeting, the US trials for August's world championships.
"I wasn't thinking about any time. I was trying to get away from (world silver medalist) Wallace Spearmon as fast as I could."
Spearmon, Gay's training partner, finished second in 19.89 with Rodney Martin third in 20.18. Olympic and world 400m champion Jeremy Wariner took fourth in 20.35. Olympic champion Shawn Crawford was seventh and last in 20.51.
"The time was excellent. The race was excellent, too," said Gay, who ran into a slight headwind.
The win came after Xavier Carter, the previous second fastest at 19.63 seconds, crashed out in the semifinals with a dislocated knee cap problems.
Gay had taken the U.S. 100m championship in a season-leading 9.84 seconds on Friday. He will run both in the world championships and said another US sweep might be possible in the 200m.
World champion Allyson Felix won the women's 200m final in 22.34 seconds. Sanya Richards, overcoming the disappointment of missing the world championships in the 400m, finished second in 22.43 to make the US team for Osaka.
US 100m champion Torri Edwards claimed third in 22.55 and La Shauntea Moore was fourth in 22.58.
Two-time Olympic silver medalist Terrence Trammell won the men's 110m hurdles in 13.08 seconds. US record holder Dominque Arnold clocked 13.17 for second and David Oliver took the third U.S. spot in 13.18.
Allen Johnson, the 1996 Olympic gold medalist and four-time world champion, finished seventh in 13.60 seconds. He had made every US world championship team from 1995.
Agencies
(China Daily 06/26/2007 page24)
