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 | March 12, 2006 - Landover MD - Nike Indoor Nationals
Fantastic Francena! 51.93 USR on a flat track!
"greatest HS performance ever"
by John Dye
Ever since the Nike Indoor Nationals started in 1999, the meet promoters had to defend their flat track sprint times against rival NSIC times on super fast banked tracks at Reggie Lewis Center or the New York Armory. Not this year.
 Bethel VA sr Francena McCorory set a new national indoor record for 400 meters -- on a flat track! The previous record holder -- Sanya Richards 52.10 in 2002 -- got her time at NSIC on the New York Armory's ultra-fast Mondo banked oval.
I took my photo of Francena on the last turn and chased her down the stretch jumping and screaming and no one noticed because the whole place was bedlam.
Francena McCorory ends banked track envy
of NIN meet managers.
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DyeStat news editor Steve Underwood described the moments waiting for the clock to show the official time:
“Oh, no!”
“Oh, YES!”
“Oh my God!”
“Wooo-Hooooooooo!”
“Oh no she didn’t!”
"Oh yes. She did.
"Sanya Richard’s HSR of 52.10 had been destroyed on a flat track.
"Yours truly practically leapt into the air yelling and screaming. If you ever read how famous horseracing writer William Nack threw decorum to the wind in celebration during the great Secretariat’s victories, it was like that, and I know I wasn’t alone. When a truly special athlete does something like this, exceeding even the high expectations of them, you can’t help but go nuts for them. Everyone feels like his or her special coach. Everyone wants to be part of a moment that makes history, which transcends the sport into that realm of a great human being achieving what was thought to be impossible."
SteveU asked me if I had ever had a more magic moment with DyeStat. I had to remind him of the New York Armory and the Webbmaster's sub-4 in 2001, but this might have been second by a small margin.
Bethel VA sr Francena McCorory outclassed the 2005 outdoor US#1 Sade Williams. McCorory beat Williams on the break and poured it on until the finish, with Williams second in 55.43. . It was the second US record this season for McCorory (36.96 300m at Virginia Tech).
"Greatest ever"
Interviewing Francena after the race, NSSF chairman emeritus Mike Byrnes told the crowd, "This was the greatest high school performance I have ever seen."
Links
Marc Davis video of the race http://dyestat.com/?pg=videosarchives&vid=20929B0EADD17E49
DyeStat coverage http://www.dyestat.com/3us/6in/NIN/fantasticfrancena.html
An Appreciation, by SteveU http://www.dyestat.com/3us/6in/NIN/fantasticfrancena.html#steveu
Marc Davis video http://www.dyestat.com/?pg=videosarchives&vid=20929B0EADD17E49
Magic Moments index |
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