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Start Lists (updated 6/20) Jim Spier's Junior Lists (eligibles for Beijing; updated 6/20) Previous Years |
Double Helping of MayoGabby Joins All-Time Greats with Stunning 11.16/22.88 Double By SteveU All that time striding around in her house, looking goofy practicing that sprint form, has paid off for Gabby Mayo. In a big way.
Just Thursday afternoon, Bianca Knight MS was presented (along with David Klech CA) with the Gatorade Athlete of the Year award for a long season of quality performances. Yet after Knight’s signature event Friday, and despite a PR for her in that event, Mayo has suddenly forced anyone with Athlete of the Year honors still to-be-named to rethink their vote. In the space of a week, she has turned the prep track world upside down. Start with Thursday’s 100, where early in the day she gave an indication of things to come with a US#1 11.30 (in her prelim, 2nd only to U. of Texas freshman Alexandria Anderson’s 11.26. But in the final a few hours later, she really opened eyes as she lowered that US leader to 11.16 in the final. Again, she trailed Anderson (11.12), but in the year’s best prep race tagged a great field that included Knight (4th – 11.26), Californians Jeneba Tarmoh (3rd – 11.24) and Elizabeth Olear (5th – 11.33), and Arizonian Kiki Wilson (6th – 11.37). PRs for all, with a legal 0.9 wind. Mayo had run 11.14 before, aided by a big breeze in her NC state meet. Now she was a legit sub-11.20 sprinter and the 5th best in history. Tarmoh and Knight even moved to No. 8 and No. 9 all-time. But Gabby wasn’t done. Far from it. Friday morning’s prelims set up what was going to be, arguably, history’s greatest prep 200 race ever. In a field that was light on top collegians, but heavy on the season’s best high schoolers, Knight started things off with a 23.24 qualifier, with Shayla Mahan MI hitting a PR 23.66 for the No. 2 spot. Mayo won the next heat in a PR 23.43, followed by Olear. And so it went, with 7 of the 8 spots for the final being taken by the prep set. Tarmoh would be back, and Sa’de Williams would make it a trio of Golden Staters. Porscha Lucas, with a fine 23.37, added Texas flavor. Still, Knight had to be the favorite, didn’t she? She had blitzed the field at NON, finally matching her 23.06 PR from 2004. She simply hadn’t been touched in a furlong race all year, indoors and out. Mayo had been a distant X in the NON race, but it came after a fall in the 100 hurdles, which was just one event earlier. But Mayo’s PR was “just” 23.60 coming into the meet. Bianca got a good start and ran her usual powerful curve. She led down the straight. But here, unbelievably, came Mayo. She passed Knight in the final 20 meters. Knight had run a PR 22.94, finally getting under 23 after two years of trying. But the time listed above her that stunned the track world was Mayo’s 22.88 – 22.88!!! And, aided by a 0.9 wind, it was legal. Mayo was now the 6th best 200 sprinter ever (Knight #9), to go with her No. 5 in the 100. Much attention was paid to the fact that a Marion Jones meet record came down with Mayo’s 200 effort. “I guess I believed I could do it all year, but my coaches really helped me peak at the right time,” she said afterward, referring to Track Eastern club coaches Treshelle Herndon and Smiley Haynes. The 200 was almost like gravy to Gabby, as the first race was the one she was really focused on. “I was so happy after the 100. “A lot of people thought I couldn’t do anything like this, and I proved them wrong.” In Friday’s final, she was nervous at first, but “I got out there and as soon as I hit the straightaway, I just focused on staying on my toes, staying straight, and not worrying about anyone.” Technique, Gabby said, is what has helped her make the big leap to this level. “We’ve been doing a lot of drills, a lot of high knees, and working on relaxing. Even at home, I’m walking around doing my arms and my knees.” Now she can take her arms and knees to China. |
