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Detailed Results on Event Pages
Stories
Men's 100 medals
Burns, Brown, Hordge |
Women's 100 medals
Simone, Williams, and Hooker |
photos by Joy Kamani, NSSF team |
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Highlights
Evening Session
 M
100 METRES FINAL -World #1 Darrel Brown
of Trinidad & Tobago 10.09
lives up to the favorite's billing and teammate Marc Burns
is second in 10.18, way ahead of Willie Hordge USA
10.36.
- 19:20 W 100
METRES FINAL - Lauryn Williams USA
11.33 -0.2 wins gold, Marshevet Hooker USA 11.48
third.
- 17:20 M HAMMER
THROW (6Kg) FINAL - Werner Smit RSA dominates
with 76.43 250-9 and four throws better than anyone else.
- 17:30 W 100
METRES SEMI-FINAL - Team USA wins two of
three heats: Marshevet Hooker 11.43 +0.7 and
Lauryn Williams 11.46 +0.3. Third heat is won
by Kerron Stewart of Jamaica in 11.46 +0.9.
- 17:50 M 100
METRES SEMI-FINAL - Trinidad & Tobago sweeps with
the "wrong" runner fastest: Marc Burns 10.18
+1.4 and world #1 Darrel Brown 10.21 +1.9. Team
USA gets Willie Hordge 10.35 and Rashaad
Allen 10.37 into finals. Brendan Christian ANT
also 10.35 behind Hordge. Finals 2 hours from now.
- 18:00 M HIGH
JUMP QUALIFICATION - Team USA's Andra Manson and
Jesse Williams advanced to the finals with 12
others, all clearing 2.18 7-1.75. Manson was perfect through 2.18,
along with Wijesekara Kumara Manjula SRI, Siarhei
Ivanov BLR and Jermaine Mason JAM. Williams
missed once at 2.08 and once at 2.18.
- 18:10 W 400
METRES SEMI-FINAL - Monique Henderson 52.31
and Sanya Richards 52.72 sweep semis for Team
USA.
- 18:25 M 400
METRES SEMI-FINAL - Jonathan Fortenberry
46.16 and Darold Williamson 46.31 win two heats
for Team USA, but Talkmore Young Nyongani
ZIM 46.15 is fastest of semis, with Jermaine
Gonzales JAM 46.17.
- 18:30 W TRIPLE
JUMP FINAL - world leader Mabel Gay of Cuba
expanded a narrow lead over teammate Arianna Martinez
with a huge 14.09 46-2.75 last jump. After the fifth
round they were only 2 centimeters apart, Gay 13.76 45-1.75 and
Martinez 13.74 45-1.
- 18:45 W 800
METRES HEATS - Janeth Jepkosgei KEN 2:04.51
leads six qualifiers to finals. No USA runners entered. Stacey
Ann Livingston JAM (and Boys & Girls HS New York)
collapsed 100 meters from the finish and was carried off the track.
- 19:05 M 800
METRES SEMI-FINAL - Team USA is shut out of finals as it takes
1:48.46 to advance. Richard Smith 1:50.29 and
Frank Francois 1:53.67. Fastest in semis is Ahmed
Ismail Ismail of the Sudan in 1:46.36.
- 19:50 M
10000 METRES WALK FINAL - Vladimir Kanaykin of
Russia wins in 41:41.40.
- 20:30 W JAVELIN
THROW FINAL - Latvia finished 1-2 with Linda Brivule
55.35 181-7 and Ilze Gribule 54.16 177-8.
Lindsay Johnson USA was 7th with a throw of
50.99 167-3.
- 20:50 M 1500
METRES DECATHLON -Leonid Andreev of Uzbekistan held off the
challenge of France's Nadir El Fassi, 7693 to 7677. Although only
15th in the closing 1500 and 30 seconds behind El Fassi's 2nd,
it was a personal best for Andreev and sealed the gold medal.
Third was Finland's Mikko Halvari 7587.
- 21:05 M 400
METRES HURDLES SEMI-FINAL - Team USA's Bershawn Jackson
and Kenneth Ferguson marched on toward
a rematch of their USA Jr Nationals showdown by winning two of
the three heats with the fastest times of the finalists, Jackson
in 50.77 and Ferguson 50.90.
- 21:25 W 400
METRES HURDLES HEATS - World junior record holder Lashinda
Demus USA advanced to the finals with the fastest time
of the heats, 57.38, and was joined by USA and U. of South Carolina
teammate Tiffany Ross 59.54. But local favorite
and Penn Relays champion Melanie Walker looms
after her 57.39 win in the third heat.
Morning Session
- 8:30 M LONG
JUMP QUALIFICATION - Quinley Trevell USA (Arizona
State) advanced to the finals with a jump of 7.41 24-3.75 -1.5.
Best of 12 qualifiers was Petr Lampart CZE 7.69
25-2.75 +0.9.
- 9:00 M 110
METRES HURDLES DECATHLON - Donovan Kilmartin USA
won his heat in 15.06, third fastest of the group. For the 5th
event out of six, Kilmartin improved on his USA Jr Nationals winning
performance.
- 9:45 M DISCUS
THROW (1,750kg) DECATHLON - USA's Donovan Kilmartin's
medal hopes vanished when he got no mark, but he continued to
the end and finished 12th with 6,930 points after being third
going into the discus. If Kilmartin had matched his USA Jr Nationals
score of 657 points in the discus, he would have tied for third
overall.
- 11:25 M DISCUS
THROW (1,750kg) QUALIFICATION - Sean Shields USA advanced
to the finals with a throw of 57.74 189-5. Michael Robertson
USA 53.58 175-9 did not advance. Vikas Gowda,
of Frederick MD and U-North Carolina, competing for India, threw
56.93 186-9 to make the finals. Best qualifier was Tao
Wu of China at 61.03 200-2.
Jim Spier's Event by Event Analysis
Men
100m - Semi-Final (First 4 in each heat advance to the final)
Heat 1 A great start by Marc Burns (Trinidad) afforded him the lead
from start to finish as he won in 10.18, a personal best for him.
The three other qualifiers, certainly not accustomed being in a
secondary position, were Tamunosiki Atorudibo (Nigeria, 10.32),
Willie Hordge (USA, 10.35) and Brendan Christian (Antigua, 10.35).
Heat 2 Gold medal favorite Darrel Brown (Trinidad) cruised to an
effortless 10.21 victory (+1.9). Rashad Allen of the US took second
in 10.37.
100m - FINAL
Darrel Brown (Trinidad) finally decided to run. His 10.09 (-0.6!!)
was a new competition record. In fact, his time is the only time
10.10 or better with a negative wind. Teammate Marc Burns was second
in 10.18, equaling his time run in the semis. Willie Hordge (USA)
had a very poor start and ran last for 60 meters. At that point
he began an incredible charge to capture the bronze medal from lane
8, running 10.36. Brendan Christian, with the worst start of the
finalists (.158 reaction time), could manage only 6th.
400m - Semi-Final (First 2 in each heat and those
with next 2 fastest times advance to the final)
Heat 1 Jermaine Gonzales of Jamaica came on strong off the final
turn to move from fifth to second (46.17) and qualify automatcally
along with Young Talkmore Nyongani (Zimbabwe - 46.15).
Heat 2 Jonathan Fortenberry (USA), in "trouble" early,
sprinted down the home stretch to win over early leader Wilan Louis
(Barbados) 46.16 to 46.26.
Heat 3 Darold Williamson (USA) decided to run about halfway through
the race. He ran the third hundred at full speed, then shut it down
for the last hundred, jogging to a 46.17 win.
800m - Semi-Final (First 3 in each heat and those
with next 2 fastest times advance to the final)
Heat 1 Alex Kipchirchir (Kenya), held off the charge by Adam Abdu
Adam Ali (Qatar) as 4 athletes came across the finish within .44
of each other. Kipchirchir ran 1:49.55 with Adam Ali just behind
him in 1:49.61.
Heat 2 Given the 55.46 first 400 of heat 1, resulting in a relatively
slow qualifying time, these guys went out fast (25.70, 51.63). In
fact, five of the eight qualifiers for the final came out of this
heat, with four of them under 1:47.00. Both Ismail Ahmed Ismail
(Sudan - 1:46.36) and Salem Amer Al-Badri (Qatar - 1:46.82) got
national junior records. Jose Manuel Cortes (Spain) ran a PB 1:46.92
in fourth, and David Fiegen of Luxemburg (who has been under 1:46
this year) was second in 1:46.40.
400m Hurdles - Semi-Final (First 2 in each heat
and those with next 2 fastest times advance to the final)
Heat 1 Bershawn Jackson (USA) was out like a rocket through 5 hurdles.
At that point he cleared it, but lost his balance coming off that
hurdle, almost falling. He regained his balance, but chopped his
steps for hurdle 6, finally recapturing his form for the rest of
the race and winning in 50.77. Steven Green of Great Britain was
second in 51.12.
Heat 2 Louis Van Zyl (South Africa) and Gregory Little (Jamaica)
ran together for 7 hurdles, with Van Zyl pulling away decisively
at that point. He won easily in 51.05 with Little second in 51.63.
Heat 3 Kenneth Ferguson dominated the race through 8 hurdles, cleanly
clearing the first 7. He hit (and knocked down hurdle 8), slowing
him down slightly. He still won with both Julius Bungei KEN 51.10
and Shibao Zhang CHN 51.23 gaining on him at the end.
High Jump - Qualifying
Fourteen met the automatic qualifying standard of 7-1.75, including
both Americans, Andra Manson and Jesse Williams. Here are the qualifiers
(all at 7-1.75):
Siarhei Ivanov Belarus
Wijesekara Manjula Kumara Sri Lanka
Andra Manson USA
Jermaine Mason Jamaica
Michal Bieniek Poland
Peter Horak Slovakia
Jaroslav Baba Czech Republic
Jesse Williams USA
Wannan Zhu China
Martyn Bernard Great Britain
Thomas Bipella Sweden
Aliaksandr Plisko Belarus
Pavel Chetvertakov Russia
Aleksey Dmitrik Russia
Long Jump - Qualifying
The leader Petr Lampart of the Czech Republic (25-2.75). American
Trevell Quinley qualified 9th in 24-3.75 and his teammate Marvin
Lucas fouled on his first attempt and withdrew from the competition.
The qualifiers:
1. Petr Lampart Czech Republic 25-2.75
2. Al-Waleed Ibrahim Abdulla Qatar 25-0.75
3. Ahmed Al-Dossary Saudi Arabia 25-0.75
4. Peter Rapp Germany 25-0.75
5. John Thornell Australia 24-9.75
6. Godfrey Mokoena South Africa 24-6.25
7. Fabrice Lapierre Australia 24-5.5
8. Amrit Pal Singh India 24-5.5
9. Trevell Quinley USA 24-3.75
10. Sedain Mc Donald Jamaica 24-3.5
11. Jairo Guibert Cuba 24-3
12. Povilas Mykolaitis Lithuania 24-2.5
Discus - Qualifying
Tao Wu of China led the qualifiers with a throw of 200-2. Shot put
silver medallist Sean Shields of the USA was the 8th qualifier (189-5).
The other American entrant, Michael Robertson, could manage only
175-10 and did not advance. The qualifiers:
1. Tao Wu China 200-2
2. Michal Hodun Poland 199-7
3. Khalid Habash Al-Suwaidi Qatar 196-6
4. Omar Ahmed El Ghazaly Egypt 192-11
5. Daniel Vanek Slovakia 191-11
6. Dmitriy Sivakov Belarus 190-6
7. Bertrand Vili France 189-8
8. Sean Shields USA 189-5
9. Kris Coene Belgium 188-0
10. Piotr Malachowski Poland 187-7
11. Vikas Gowda India 186-9
12. Mart Israel Estonia 185-3
Hammer (6kg) - FINAL
Werner Smit of South Africa actually won the competition on his
first throw, tossing the 12+ pound implement 244-10. He improved
to 250-9 on his third throw, the ultimate winning performance. The
top finishers:
1. Werner Smit South Africa 250-9
2. Ali Mohamed Al-Zinkawi Kuwait 241-9
3. Aliaksandr Kazulka Belarus 238-7
4. Fabian Di Paolo Argentina 234-6
5. Kirill Ikonnikov Russia 233-9
6. Mohamed Faraj Al-Kaabi Qatar 233-8
7. Lasse Luotonen Finland 231-2
8. Frederic Pouzy France 231-0
Decathlon - Day 2
It was a rough day for US medal hope Donovan Kilmartin. He failed
to get a mark in the discus and essentially took himself out of
the hunt. He stayed in the competition to the end, however. Three
athletes separated themselves from the field: Leonid Andreev (Uzbekistan),
Mikko Halvari (Finland) and Nadir El Fassi (France). That was the
order after nine events. El Fassi ran a great 1500 meters, almost
catching Andreev, and moving past Halvari into second.
Women
100m - Semi-Final (First 2 in each heat and those
with next 2 fastest times advance to the final)
Heat 1 Lauryn Williams took the lead at 20 meters and never relinquished
it, winning in a relaxed 11.46 (+0.3).
Heat 2 Marshevet Hooker (USA) got out first and was passed at 25
meters by Simone Facey of Jamaica. Facey held a slight lead for
another 50 meters when Hooker caught up with her. They ran together
until the "tape", with Hooker getting the win on a better
lean, 11.43 (+0.7) to 11.44. It was almost a full second PB for
Hooker and made her the #3 U.S. high schooler for the year.
Heat 3 A great start for one of yesterday's heat winners, Olga Fyodorova
of Russia. But the lead lasted for about 30 meters at which point
she "pulled" and jogged in. That opened the door for Kerron
Stewart of Jamaica, who won in 11.46.
100m - FINAL
It was Jamaica-USA-Jamaica-USA in lanes 3-4-5-6. American Lauryn
Williams had the slowest start (.195 reaction time) but quickly
recovered, taking over the lead at 20 meters. The two Jamaicans,
Kerron Stewart and Simone Facey were very close. American Marshevet
Hooker also had a bad start, but accelerated well over the last
30 meters. It was not enough to catch Williams or Facey, but she
managed to capture the bronze, with Williams the winner for the
US in 11.33, a yearly U.S. junior leader.
400m - Semi-Final (First 4 in each heat advance
to the final)
Heat 1 Another classic Sanya Richards race: take the lead early,
maintain, then cruise down the home stretch (with the advantage
of watching oneself on the video screen down for the last 80 meters).
She won easily in 52.72 with Tatyana Popova of Russia closing fast
to take second in 52.94.
Heat 2 Monique Henderson ran a similar race to Sanya Richards and
she, too, won easily in 52.31, almost a second in front of Jamaican
Sheryl Morgan.
800m - Round 1 (First 2 in each heat and those
with next 2 fastest times advance to the final)
Heat 1 All tactics, of course. The race began at 600 meters after
the pack of four (Lucia Klocova - Slovakia, Simona Barcau - Romania,
Yuneisis Santiusty - Cuba, Juliana Paula De Azevedo - Brazil). They
crossed the line with Klocova and De Azevedo the "auto"
qualifiers. Only .77 separated first and fourth.
Heat 2 This pack had all six competitors vying for the top 2 (automatic)
positions, with Stacy Livingston (Jamaica, Brooklyn Boys and Girls
H.S.) dropping from exhaustion with 100 meters to go. She was carried
off the track. Janeth Jepkosgei of Kenya was the winner (2:04.51)
overe Natalya Panteleyeva (Russia - 2:05.18).
Heat 3 A pack of 6 until 500m, when Najla Jaber of the Netherlands
charged into the lead. She held it until 700 meters when she was
passed by the ultimate winner, Berhane Herpassa (Ethiopia - 2:06.76)
and 30 meters later by Kathrin Trauth of Germany who finished second
(2:07.11).
400m Hurdles - Round 1 (First 2 in each heat and
those with next 2 fastest times advance to the final)
Heat 1 World Junior record holder Leshinda Demus (USA) ran a consistent
race despite a slight scare by Jamaican Camille Robinson. Demus,
seemingly able to have a limitless ability to change gears, ran
57.36 to 57. for Robinson.
Heat 2 Tiffany Ross of the US started slow but eventually prevailed,
despite having difficulty with the last hurdle. She won in 59.54.
Heat 3 Melanie Walker of Jamaica will not make it especially easy
for the Americans in the final. Her flawless win at 57.39 sets the
stage for a battle with Lashinda Demus, with Walker obviously having
the home town advantage.
Triple Jump - FINAL
Current World Junior leader and favorite Mabel Gay (Cuba) performed
as expected and won with a jump of 46-2.75. She held the lead from
round 1 on, jumping 44-4 on her first attempt. She fouled on her
second jump, then extended her lead to 45-0.5 in round 3. Improving
again on her fifth jump to 45-1.75, she was challenged by countrywomen
Arianna Martinez in that round, with Martinez jumping 45-1. That
jump would ultimately reward Martinez with the silver medal. Gay
got her big jump on her final attempt. The top placers:
1. Mabel Gay Cuba 46-2.75
2. Arianna Martinez Cuba 45-1
3. Keila da Silva Costa Brazil 44-11.5
4. Shaohua Yu China 43-8
5. Olga Saladukha Ukraine 43-2.5
6. Tatyana Bocharova Kazakhstan 42-6.75
7. Katja Demut Germany 42-5.5
8. Simona La Mantia Italy 42-4.25
The Vital Importance of the Start
by Mike Byrnes
I once wrote a piece for Runner’s World pertaining to the
Start. Few people have any comprehension as to the utterly vital
importance of the first 4-5m of a 100m dash. At the beginning of
the piece I asked the reader to get a stopwatch and see how fast
they could start and stop it. You know, click-click. Few people
can do it under .2, two tenths of a second. The usual time was about
.24 or so. What’s the relevance of this bit of technical trivia?
Tonight I saw a young man who may be the next great American sprinter.
His name is Willie Hordge. He attends Forest Brook HS in Houston.
Hordge took third here, not a particularly impressive performance
by any standards. His time a mediocre 10.36 especially when you
consider the 10.25 he ran in his quarterfinal race. Now look at
Hordges’ reaction times in his three races; 1.48 – 10.25;
1.51 - 10.35; 1.59 – 10.59. Now check out some of the other
reaction times for the gold and silver medallists; .128 –
10.09; .137 – 10.21; that’s Darrel Brown the gold medalist.
Hordge consistently had the slowest reaction time out of the blocks.
He may have the best pure speed of any of the runners. At 60m the
youngster was dead last and had no chance at a medal. I’d
already started to reach for my wallet to get out $5 to pay off
a bet I’d made. Then Hordge came alive.
His power and sheer speed burst forth as he surged past the field
and took third. After the race Hordge was angry, with himself. He
knew he’d gotten a bad start and he knew it had cost him the
race. But a start can be learned. No less an expert than former
World Record holder Leroy Burrell waxes passionate when he speaks
of Hordge. “He’s got the most talent of anybody out
there. Did you see the middle of his race? But he needs to learn
how to run. For pure speed he’s far and away the best kid
I’ve seen.” Quite a statement coming from such a source.
So all of you young sprinters reading this spend at least 20-30
minutes a day working on your start. And make sure you practice
the right things, form is everything and it can be learned. If your
coach is distance oriented and doesn’t know too much about
the start, get a good book and teach yourself. Remember, .2 means
EVERYTHING to a sprinter. It cost Willie Hordge a gold medal in
Jamaica.
Contrast the above with comments made by Lauryn Williams, winner
of the Women’s 100m. “All I thought about was getting
out, getting out. I’ve worked really hard on my start and
it paid off today. Every race I’ve lost this year was because
of my start. Tonight I think I ran a perfect race and I achieved
my goal of being the World (Junior) Champion.”
Lauryn Williams is golden
USATF release
KINGSTON – Lauryn Williams (Miami) ran a personal best time
of 11.33 to win
the first gold medal for Team USA in the women’s 100m dash
at the IAAF World
Junior Track & Field Championships in Kingston, Jamaica. Williams,
the 2002
U.S. Junior 100m champion, edged out home crowd favorite Simone
Facey (JAM)
and USA teammate Marshevet Hooker (Southwest (TX) HS) for the gold.
Hooker,
only 17-years old, won the bronze medal in 11.48.
Team USA added three medals on day two, including bronze in the
men’s 100m
dash. 2002 U.S. Junior 100m runner-up Willie Hordge (Forest Brook
(TX) HS)
ran 10.36 for the third place performance. Teammate Rashaad Allen
(CSU-Northridge) finished fifth in the men’s final with a
time of 10.39.
In other finals on Wednesday, Lindsey Johnson (BYU) finished 7th
overall in
the final of the women’s javelin. Johnson’s best mark
of 50.99m/167-3 came
on her fourth attempt. 2002 U.S. Junior 10k RW champion Ben Shorey
(Wisconsin-Parkside) finished 17th in the men’s 10k race walk
in 45.22.42.
World Junior 400H record holder Lashinda Demus (South Carolina)
won her heat
easily in the qualifying rounds of the women’s 400H. Demus,
the 2002 U.S.
Junior 400H champion, ran 57.38 to advance to Friday’s final.
Teammate
Tiffany Ross (South Carolina) ran 59.54 to win her heat in the 400H
and
advance to the finals. On the men’s side, Bershawn Jackson
(Central (FL) HS)
and Kenneth Ferguson (Mumford (MI) HS) won their semi final heats
and
advanced to Friday’s final. Jackson ran 50.77 to win his semi
final heat,
while Ferguson won in 50.90.
At 400 meters, all four U.S. athletes advanced to Thursday’s
final. For the
ladies, former American Junior 400m record holder Monique Henderson
(UCLA)
ran the fastest time for the second straight day in the qualifying
heats in
52.31. Henderson was followed by current American Junior 400m record
holder
Sanya Richards (St. Thomas Aquinas (FL) HS), who ran 52.72. For
the men,
Darold Williamson (Baylor) won his semi final heat in 46.31, while
Jonathan
Fortenberry (South Carolina) finished second in his semi final with
a time
of 46.16.
Donovan Kilmartin (Eagle (ID) HS) struggled in the discus event
of the men’s
decathlon, fouling on all three attempts. Kilmartin, who was in
third place
heading into the discus, finished the 10-event competition in 12th
place
with 6,930 points. Kilmartin won his section of the 110H (15.06),
finished
2nd in his group of the pole vault (4.60m/15-1) and was 16th in
his flight
for the javelin (45.51m/149-3). He finished the night strong with
a 5th
place finish in the 1500m in 4:34.48.
Also advancing in their preliminary heats on Wednesday were Andra
Manson
(Brenham (TX) HS) and Jesse Williams (Broughton (NC) HS), who qualified
in
the men’s high jump. Both athletes cleared 2.18 meters (7
feet, 1.75
inches). The finals of the men’s high jump will be on Thursday.
In the men’s
long jump, Trevell Quinley (Arizona State) advanced to Thursday’s
final with
a mark of 7.41m/24-3.75, which he did on his second attempt. Teammate
Marvin
Lucas (Southern Mississippi) injuried his hamstring during Wednesday’s
qualifier on his first attempt and did not get a mark.
2002 World Junior Shot Put silver medalist Sean Shields (Arizona)
advanced
to final in the men’s discus. Shields finished fifth in his
flight with a
best throw of 57.74m/189-5. Teammate Michael Robertson, 2002 U.S.
Junior DT
champion did not advance to the final. He finished the day with
a mark of
53.58m/175-9. In the men’s 800m semi finals, Team USA’s
Richard Smith (South
Lakes (VA) HS) and Frank Francois (Tennessee) did not advance to
the finals.
Smith finished 6th in his heat with a time of 1:50.29, while Francois
finished 8th in his heat in 1:53.67.
With four total medals after two days of competition, including
3 on
Wednesday, Team USA tops the medal count and leads the point standings.
Thursday’s finals include the women’s pole vault (Janson),
men’s high jump
(Manson and Williams), men’s discus (Shields), men’s
long jump (Quinley),
women’s 10k RW (Stevens) and will cap off with the men’s
and women’s 400m
finals (Williamson, Fortenberry, Richards and Henderson).
For all the latest news on the 2002 IAAF World Junior Track &
Field
Championships, visit the USATF Web site at www.usatf.org. For complete
results from the World Junior Championships, visit
www.iaaf.org/WJC02/Results/Byevent.html.
Gold goes to favourite Brown
David Martin (PA) for the IAAF
17th July 2002 - Living up to the high expectations placed upon
his teenage shoulders, Darrel Brown proved a convincing winner of
the World Junior Championships 100 metres title tonight in Kingston.
Running a perfectly controlled sprint race, Brown the odds-on pre-event
favourite, was fastest from his blocks winning in a new championship
record time of 10.09.
Making it a magnificent double for Trindad, Marc Burns blew away
the challenge of Willie Hordge. Again matching the personal best
of 10.18 he ran in his semi final he had 0.18 to spare ahead of
the American at the finishing line.
But the night belonged to 17-year-old Brown. Ten years after fellow
countryman Ato Boldon took the title in Seoul, Brown gave a preview
that in the future, he himself also possesses the raw talent to
improve on the outstanding record of his mentor. It was a victory
Brown had been planning since finishing fourth on his Championship
debut in Santiago de Chile in 2000. In the build-up, last year the
precocious talent finished runner-up in the Pan-American Juniors
when beaten by teammate Burns. However also in 2001 at the World
Youth Championships, Brown had a first taste of gold at international
level. In Debrecen he made a massive impression when relegating
Hordge to the runner-up position.
Since then Brown has just got better and better. In this year's
Carifta Games he smashed Boldon's national junior record and constantly
improved as the season progressed.
Brown refused to admit his domination from gun-to-tape, He said:
"My start wasn't one of my best," even though it left
all of his rivals at an immediate disadvantage. When putting his
foot fully on the throttle with 30 metres remaining, there was only
going to be one gold medallist. The winner added: "At one stage
I realised we were all locked up in the last five metres. I had
to work real hard for the victory."
Although there was talk of Brown smashing the 10 seconds barrier
if the conditions were perfect, there was a slight headwind of 0.06
metres-per-second. But lowering his own Trinidad record he also
took 0.03 off the 10.12 championship mark the Briton Christian Malcolm,
set in Annecy in 1998.
"My main aim coming here was to win the race," said Brown.
"Breaking records can wait until next year when I will still
be a junior. I've time on my hands." Brown who plans to follow
runner-up Burns into Auburn University in the USA next January,
admits they are great friends and rivals. He insisted: "Between
us it didn't matter which one of us won tonight."
There was drama even before the women's 100m final got underway.
Olga Fyodorova one of the favourites, started the race with her
left thigh heavily bandaged. After 60m the Russian champion's luck
ran out when she shot into the air when suffering a hamstring tear
from the injury.
Even without her, the final promised to be a corker. Six of the
starters produced their fastest ever times in their semi finals.
But when it mattered most, Lauryn Williams produced the best race
of her life. Despite being last to come out of blocks, the US champion
had taken charge of the race at the halfway stage. Maintaining her
form she edged away to win in a personal best 11.33.
Runner-up Simone Facey matched the silver medal she captured in
last year's World Youth Championships. The Jamaican's personal best
time of 11.43 separated Williams from her fellow American Marshevette
Hooker who ran 10.48.
There was an upset in the hammer, a surprise victory going to Werner
Smit. A mighty 76.43m effort from the South African - he was already
leading with an opening throw of 74.63m - earned him an easy win.
Of the pre-event favourites, only runner-up Ali Mohamed Al-Zinkawi
justified his billing with a best of 73.69m. The bronze medal behind
the Kuwaiti went to Aliaksandr Kazulka of Belarusia with a throw
of 72.72m.
Vladimir Kanaykin the fastest performer in the world this year,
won the 10K Walk in 41:41:40. The Russian kept his nerve to outpace
the Chinese pair of Xu Xingde (41:44:00) and Lu Ronghua (41:46.07).
Cuba showed its in-depth triple jump strength. Victory went to
Mabel Gay, leader out the end of each round. She lifted herself
out to 14.09m with her final attempt. Team mate Arianna Martinez
was runner-up clearing 13.74m. Third place went to Brazil's Kella
da Silva Costa who jumped 13.70.
There was a close finish to the decathlon. Only 16 points seperated
gold medallist Leonid Andreyev. The Uzbekistan star held off the
challenge of France's Nadir El Fassi with a core of 7693 points.
Third was Finland's Mikko Halvari who over the two days competition
accumulated 7587 points.
Lauryn Williams wins first US gold
IATF release
17 July 2002 - Lauryn Williams was the shortest of the eighth 100m
finalists today but she was also the fastest. She was the fastest
out of the blocks and the fastest at the finish line, which she
crossed in a new personal best of 10.33.
“I am very excited about what I have done today. This was
my last race of the season and I am very excited to finish on such
a great note. I won the World Junior championships gold and set
a new personal best. What else could I ask for?”
A very powerful sprinter who physically reminds us of her homonym
Angela Williams - second at these same Championships in 1998 - Lauryn
had a poor reaction time but an excellent couple of first strides,
which helped put her in front by the 50 metres mark, despite the
attack of Jamaican local favourite Simon Facey who eventually clocked
a new personal best of 11.43.
“It was good, the atmosphere was great. All the competitors
were fast and this certainly gave me an extra boost.”
Lauryn who frankly admitted she was aiming at a sub 11.2 performance
tonight had no doubt about who her role model would be.
“Oh, I liked Flo-Jo, the way she ran. But I mainly admire
Gail Devers. Overcoming the difficulties, injuries and illnesses
she suffered and still running at the top as she is doing is amazing.”
Lauryn who explained how the mental preparation for this race was
draining but essential, actually met Gail Devers three years ago.
“She was great! She told me never to give up, to remain focus
all the time. She told me that dreams can come true and that if
I remain healthy and injury-free I can do great things. From then
on I started believing in myself.”
Under the eye of Amy Deen, her coach at the university of Miami
and despite her very young age, Lauryn is already on a very busy
training schedule. She goes to the track six days a week and she
goes to the gym for some weight training three times a week.
“Recently though, I have reduced my schedule. I have had
a very busy schedule and with the Championships approaching I needed
to save some energy.”
Ready for a six weeks break - at last she says! - she is all smiles
when revealing that she will now be able to eat ice creams and potato
chips to her heart’s content.
Self made Smit wins hammer gold
IATF release
17 July 2002 - South Africa’s Werner Smit outclassed the
whole World Junior Championships hammer field with an impressive
of 76.43m. He so much dominated tonight’s final that no less
than four of his five legal throws bettered the performance of second
finisher Al Mohamed Al-Zinkawi (KUW) who took silver with 73.69m.
“I am very happy that I won the gold medal today. I felt very
good and had a great contest.”
The youngest of four brothers, Smit had won silver at last year’s
World Youth Championships in Debrecen and had set higher goals for
himself this year. With an opening mark of 74.63 which was accompanied
by a loud approval of the local crowd, Smit had the medal in his
pocket but did not lose concentration. His series of 76.43, 73.74,
73.39 and 76.03 after a second round foul was maybe even more than
what he expected. “I prepared for this competition training
twice a week. I alternate every throwing session with either a weight
lifting session or running session.” But surprisingly for
an 18-year old who only came to the sport four years ago, he doesn’t
have a coach.
“I train by myself. I live 120 kilometres away from the nearest
coach and it would be too expensive for me to travel so often.”
So the question is how does such a young athlete prepare his training
programmes in such a technical and demanding discipline? “Oh,
I do get advices from someone. Chris Harmse gives me advices and
tells me what to do every now and then. That is where I learn what
is best for my preparation.”
With a smile on his face and a South African flag on his shoulders,
Smit was not shy in explaining his main goals for the future. “This
World Junior Championships medal is very important to me. I have
been preparing hard for it. I will now aim at qualifying for the
World Championships in Paris next year and obviously the 2004 Olympics.”
Smit elected the hammer as his favourite event after competing in
the shot put and the discus throw.
“When I started I used to do all three events. But then Chris
Harmse told me that the hammer would be the best discipline for
me and from then on I concentrate on it.”
And it certainly paid off for this big guy from Cape Town who will
wait to be back home in South Africa to celebrate his gold medal
with his three elder brothers.
World Junior Championships
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