Also Ran
05-11-2005, 09:44 PM
Wariner Loses to Williamson Again in 400
Apr 30, 8:24 PM (ET)
By CHUCK SCHOFFNER
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - Jeremy Wariner can beat anyone in the world at 400 meters - except his former teammate.
In a crowd-pleasing duel of Olympic gold medalists, Darold Williamson outran Wariner in the stretch Saturday to win the feature race in the Drake Relays.
Williamson also beat Wariner in a meet at Baylor a week ago and was the only runner to beat him in the 400 last year, when the lanky sprinter in the dark glasses burst onto the international scene by winning the gold medal in the Athens Olympics.
Wariner's reaction?
A shrug. It was, after all, just the second open 400 for the former Baylor runner since he turned pro after his Athens success.
"It doesn't matter at this point," said Wariner, who picked up a second Olympic gold when he joined Williamson on the winning 1,600 relay team. "I've got a lot of things to do throughout the year, a lot of things to work on.
"The last two races I've had were really a practice 400 to see exactly where I'm at, what I need to work on throughout the year."
Williamson finished in 45.24 seconds, while Wariner ran 45.42. Wariner led in the final curve, but Williamson turned it on once they hit the straightaway and Wariner couldn't match him. He let up short of the finish, knowing the chase was fruitless.
"He had a little more strength than me," Wariner said. "He's been running indoors, so he's got a lot more races under his belt. I've just got to work on a couple of things and I'll get better."
A little more than an hour later, Williamson anchored Baylor to a victory in the 1,600 relay, showing the same strength in the stretch that enabled him to beat Wariner.
http://ak.imgfarm.com/images/ap/DRAKE_RELAYS.sff_IACN108_20050430181346.jpg
Baylor's Darold Williamson (409) celebrates as he beats Team Adidas' Jeremy Wariner, right, to the finish in the men's special 400-meter dash, Saturday, April 30, 2005, at the Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
"I just had to do what I do best, and that's just muscle the last part of the race," Williamson said. "That last part is just strength, basically."
While the meet produced a pleasing double for Williamson, it brought more disappointment for world champion Perdita Felicien, who finished third in the 100 hurdles. It was just her second outdoor race since crashing on the first hurdle in the Olympic final.
Arkansas ran a world-best in the women's 3,200 relay to deny Michigan an unprecedented sweep of the meet's distance relays, and Olympic silver medalist Matt Hemingway won the high jump, though with a disappointing performance.
Felicien has won the hurdles five times at Drake, but she got out slowly, hit a hurdle and never had a chance against fast-starting Lolo Jones. Jones, a former LSU and Des Moines high school star, was never challenged while winning in a meet-record 12.93. Kasia Williams of Arkansas was second in 13.17 and Felicien ran 13.46.
"It was pretty much a sloppy race," said Felicien, who ran the world's best time this year, 12.73, two weeks ago. "Just from the start I was out of it, I felt. When you're down like that, it's so hard to get your form and rhythm back."
Jones also clipped a hurdle but never broke stride and beat Felicien for just the second time.
"There wasn't a moment I relaxed in the race," Jones said. "Because I actually hit one of the hurdles and I thought I was going to lose it. I don't know how I pulled it together and pulled out the victory."
Another hurdler with a long history of Drake Relays success, Joey Woody, also struggled. Woody, who had won the 400 hurdles five times in the last seven years, bolted to the early lead and looked strong, then faded in the final curve and finished fourth in an extremely slow 50.84.
Georgia's Bud Bennett won in 49.71.
http://ak.imgfarm.com/images/ap/DRAKE_RELAYS.sff_IACN109_20050430182146.jpg
Georgia's Bud Bennett, center, reacts as he finishes ahead of Team Adidas' Joey Woody, right, in the men's special 400-meter hurdles, Saturday, April 30, 2005, at the Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Aneita Denton, the NCAA indoor 800 champion, pulled away from Michigan's Katie Erdman in the final lap to give Arkansas its victory in the 3,200 relay in 8:29.13, a meet record. Freshmen Paige Farrell and Dacia Barr kept Arkansas close in the first two carries and senior Erica Sigmont had the Lady 'Backs right on Michigan's heels when she handed off to Denton.
http://ak.imgfarm.com/images/ap/DRAKE_RELAYS.sff_IACN107_20050430173647.jpg
Lolo Jones, of team Tiger Olympians, center, celebrates in front of Team Nike's Perdita Felicien, left, and Arkansas' Kasia Williams, while winning the women's special 100-meter hurdles, Saturday, April 30, 2005, at the Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa. Jones won the race in 12.93 seconds. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
"When Aneita took the baton, we saw that look on her face and thought, oh, it's in the bag," Farrell said.
Their faith was well placed. Denton ran the final 800 in 2:04.3, by far the best leg of the race.
Michigan's second-place finish left the Wolverines one victory short of becoming the first school to sweep the meet's longest relays - 3,200, 6,400 and distance medley - two straight years.
The 32-year-old Hemingway finally has a sponsor, Adidas, that allows him to train full time. That's why he wasn't happy clearing only 7 feet, 2½ inches.
"I should be jumping higher," he said. "That was not a banner performance for me right now."
http://ak.imgfarm.com/images/ap/DRAKE_RELAYS.sff_IACN106_20050430172516.jpg
Arkansas coach Rolondo Green greets runners, from left, Paige Farrell, Erica Sigmont, Dacia Barr and Aneita Denton as they celebrate victory in the 3,200-meter relay, Saturday, April 30, 2005, at the Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa. Arkansas won the race in 8:29.13. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Eastern Michigan's Lela Nelson had a big day, winning the university 100 hurdles and long jump and anchoring a victory in the shuttle hurdle relay.
Apr 30, 8:24 PM (ET)
By CHUCK SCHOFFNER
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - Jeremy Wariner can beat anyone in the world at 400 meters - except his former teammate.
In a crowd-pleasing duel of Olympic gold medalists, Darold Williamson outran Wariner in the stretch Saturday to win the feature race in the Drake Relays.
Williamson also beat Wariner in a meet at Baylor a week ago and was the only runner to beat him in the 400 last year, when the lanky sprinter in the dark glasses burst onto the international scene by winning the gold medal in the Athens Olympics.
Wariner's reaction?
A shrug. It was, after all, just the second open 400 for the former Baylor runner since he turned pro after his Athens success.
"It doesn't matter at this point," said Wariner, who picked up a second Olympic gold when he joined Williamson on the winning 1,600 relay team. "I've got a lot of things to do throughout the year, a lot of things to work on.
"The last two races I've had were really a practice 400 to see exactly where I'm at, what I need to work on throughout the year."
Williamson finished in 45.24 seconds, while Wariner ran 45.42. Wariner led in the final curve, but Williamson turned it on once they hit the straightaway and Wariner couldn't match him. He let up short of the finish, knowing the chase was fruitless.
"He had a little more strength than me," Wariner said. "He's been running indoors, so he's got a lot more races under his belt. I've just got to work on a couple of things and I'll get better."
A little more than an hour later, Williamson anchored Baylor to a victory in the 1,600 relay, showing the same strength in the stretch that enabled him to beat Wariner.
http://ak.imgfarm.com/images/ap/DRAKE_RELAYS.sff_IACN108_20050430181346.jpg
Baylor's Darold Williamson (409) celebrates as he beats Team Adidas' Jeremy Wariner, right, to the finish in the men's special 400-meter dash, Saturday, April 30, 2005, at the Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
"I just had to do what I do best, and that's just muscle the last part of the race," Williamson said. "That last part is just strength, basically."
While the meet produced a pleasing double for Williamson, it brought more disappointment for world champion Perdita Felicien, who finished third in the 100 hurdles. It was just her second outdoor race since crashing on the first hurdle in the Olympic final.
Arkansas ran a world-best in the women's 3,200 relay to deny Michigan an unprecedented sweep of the meet's distance relays, and Olympic silver medalist Matt Hemingway won the high jump, though with a disappointing performance.
Felicien has won the hurdles five times at Drake, but she got out slowly, hit a hurdle and never had a chance against fast-starting Lolo Jones. Jones, a former LSU and Des Moines high school star, was never challenged while winning in a meet-record 12.93. Kasia Williams of Arkansas was second in 13.17 and Felicien ran 13.46.
"It was pretty much a sloppy race," said Felicien, who ran the world's best time this year, 12.73, two weeks ago. "Just from the start I was out of it, I felt. When you're down like that, it's so hard to get your form and rhythm back."
Jones also clipped a hurdle but never broke stride and beat Felicien for just the second time.
"There wasn't a moment I relaxed in the race," Jones said. "Because I actually hit one of the hurdles and I thought I was going to lose it. I don't know how I pulled it together and pulled out the victory."
Another hurdler with a long history of Drake Relays success, Joey Woody, also struggled. Woody, who had won the 400 hurdles five times in the last seven years, bolted to the early lead and looked strong, then faded in the final curve and finished fourth in an extremely slow 50.84.
Georgia's Bud Bennett won in 49.71.
http://ak.imgfarm.com/images/ap/DRAKE_RELAYS.sff_IACN109_20050430182146.jpg
Georgia's Bud Bennett, center, reacts as he finishes ahead of Team Adidas' Joey Woody, right, in the men's special 400-meter hurdles, Saturday, April 30, 2005, at the Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Aneita Denton, the NCAA indoor 800 champion, pulled away from Michigan's Katie Erdman in the final lap to give Arkansas its victory in the 3,200 relay in 8:29.13, a meet record. Freshmen Paige Farrell and Dacia Barr kept Arkansas close in the first two carries and senior Erica Sigmont had the Lady 'Backs right on Michigan's heels when she handed off to Denton.
http://ak.imgfarm.com/images/ap/DRAKE_RELAYS.sff_IACN107_20050430173647.jpg
Lolo Jones, of team Tiger Olympians, center, celebrates in front of Team Nike's Perdita Felicien, left, and Arkansas' Kasia Williams, while winning the women's special 100-meter hurdles, Saturday, April 30, 2005, at the Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa. Jones won the race in 12.93 seconds. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
"When Aneita took the baton, we saw that look on her face and thought, oh, it's in the bag," Farrell said.
Their faith was well placed. Denton ran the final 800 in 2:04.3, by far the best leg of the race.
Michigan's second-place finish left the Wolverines one victory short of becoming the first school to sweep the meet's longest relays - 3,200, 6,400 and distance medley - two straight years.
The 32-year-old Hemingway finally has a sponsor, Adidas, that allows him to train full time. That's why he wasn't happy clearing only 7 feet, 2½ inches.
"I should be jumping higher," he said. "That was not a banner performance for me right now."
http://ak.imgfarm.com/images/ap/DRAKE_RELAYS.sff_IACN106_20050430172516.jpg
Arkansas coach Rolondo Green greets runners, from left, Paige Farrell, Erica Sigmont, Dacia Barr and Aneita Denton as they celebrate victory in the 3,200-meter relay, Saturday, April 30, 2005, at the Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa. Arkansas won the race in 8:29.13. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Eastern Michigan's Lela Nelson had a big day, winning the university 100 hurdles and long jump and anchoring a victory in the shuttle hurdle relay.