American sprinter Tyson Gay competes in the 100m on day one of the 2013 USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships at Drake Stadium in Des Moines, Iowa, yesterday. RIGHT: London Olympic Games bronze winner Justin Gatlin in action in the 100m trials.
DES MOINES, Iowa: Tyson Gay and Justin Gatlin made it safely into the semi-finals of the men’s 100m yesterday at the US Athletics Championships, a first step to a possible world title showdown with Usain Bolt.
On a windy evening on the Drake University track, Gay and Gatlin focused on getting through to the next round.
Gay clocked 10.28 seconds running into a headwind of 1.6m/sec for the fourth-fastest time in the first round, while Gatlin settled for the ninth-fastest time of 10.37 in a heat run into a headwind of 2.9m/sec.
Dentarius Locke, of Florida State University, notched the fastest time, winning his heat in 10.19sec, with Jeff Demps clocked in the same time in finishing second in that heat.
“I feel good,” said Gay, who won three gold medals at the 2007 World Championships in Osaka but hasn’t claimed gold in a major international competition since as he battled a series of injuries.
“I didn’t really have a great start. I wanted to get the kinks out, get the nerves out.”
Gay’s 9.86sec in the 100m at Kingston on May 4 is the fastest time in the world this year and the US veteran is hoping now that he’s finally healthy he can challenge six-time Olympic gold medallist Bolt and Bolt’s fellow Jamaican sprinters at the World Championships in Moscow on August 10-18.
Gatlin, who handed Bolt a rare defeat in the 100m at the Rome Diamond League meeting on June 6, has the same goal in mind.
He, too, said making it safely into today’s semi-finals -- to be followed later by the final -- was the priority. The top three from the final book world championship berths.
“It felt good to come out here, shake the legs out a little bit and get ready for the next race,” said Gatlin, who has served a drugs ban since winning Olympic 100m gold in 2004.
Carmelita Jeter, the reigning women’s 100m world champion, opted out of the meet entirely as she nurses a right thigh injury, although she’ll still be eligible to defend her world title thanks to her IAAF bye, a USA Track and Field spokesperson said.
In her absence, Barbara Pierre led the way into the semi-finals, winning her heat in 11.18sec with a headwind of 1.9m/sec. Octavius Freeman was second-fastest, followed by Jessica Young, Charonda Williams, Muna Lee and Jeneba Tarmoh.
Among the finals on the opening day, 2012 Olympic silver medallist Galen Rupp won the men’s 10,000m in 28:47.32. Dathan Ritzenhein was second in 28:49.66 and Chris Derrick third in 27:31.38.
Shalane Flanagan won the women’s 10,000m in 32:43.20. Jordan Hasay was second in 32:17.34 and Tara Erdmann third in 32:24.16.
Omar Craddock pulled off an upset in the men’s triple jump, winning with a leap of 17.15m ahead of double Olympic medallist Will Claye.
Claye, who won triple jump silver and long jump bronze at the London Olympic Games last year in August, was second in 17.04m.
REUTERS
Bolt, Powell cruise to semis at Jamaican trials
KINGSTON: World record holder and Olympic champion Usain Bolt made easy progress into today’s semi-finals of the men’s 100 metres at the Jamaican trials for the world championships.
Bolt got off to a decent start and took control of heat one by the 40-metre mark before cruising across the finish line in 10.00 seconds yesterday.
Asafa Powell, who had previously failed to complete a competitive race all season due to hamstring problems, enters the semi-finals with the second fastest time after winning heat four in 10.02 seconds.
“Happy to complete my first race in a year,” Powell, who had been battling hamstring problems, said after completing his first competitive race of the season. “It was quite easy.”
World champion Yohan Blake, who has a wild-card entry to the August 10-18 world championships in Moscow, is not competing in the Jamaican trials.
The other top qualifiers are Kemar Bailey-Cole, who recovered from a poor star to take heat two in 10.04, while Sheldon Mitchell won heat three in 10.11.
The Jamaican women, minus Olympic champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, who has a wild-card entry, will begin competing for spots on Jamaica’s team to Moscow today. REUTERS
