New York, NY (Sporting Alert) – On the fourth time of asking, Steve Mullings rocketed from the blocks to win the men’s 100m and beat his training partner Tyson Gay at the 2011 adidas Grand Prix in New York on Saturday.
After three sprinters were disqualified for false-starts, Mullings left the world-leader Gay in the blocks and then just held on for the victory, despite Gay’s late charge.
Running into a -3.4 m/s headwind, the Jamaican Mullings clocked 10.26 seconds to win, just in front of Gay, who also clocked 10.26. Bledman Keston (TRI) was third in 10.33, while Jamaica’s Nickel Ashmeade was fourth in 10.36.
Trinidad and Tobago’s Richard Thompson and Americans Rae Edwards and Travis Padgett were all dumped for jumping the gun.
American Danielle Carruthers, also battling with the wind, clocked 13.04 to win the women’s 100m hurdles over Kellie Wells, 13.06, with Britain’s Tiffany Porter running 13.11 for third, while Lolo Jones was fourth in 13.22.
Jeremy Wariner, the 2004 Olympic champion, just held on to win the men’s 400m in 45.13, over world-leader Rondell Bartholomew of Grenada, 45.16, and Jamaica’s Jermaine Gonzales, at 45.17.
Allyson Felix held on to win the women’s 200m in 22.91 (-2.8 m/s). She beat fellow countrywoman Bianca Knight (22.96), while Jamaica’s Olympic and world 100m champion Shelly Ann Fraser-Pryce was last in 23.53.
“It felt good,” Felix said. “Training has been going well so now I’m going to go back home and get ready for the trials.”
Felix still hasn’t made up her mind about running a 200/400 double as yet, but promised to decide soon.
“I’ll make a decison soon. The 200m is my favorite so I’m going to have some fun with that one. I just have to make a decision,” she added.
Javier Culson dug deep to nip American Bershawn Jackson on the line and win the men’s 400m hurdles in 48.50. Jackson was second in 48.55, while world-leader and pre-race favourite LJ Van Zyl was fourth in 49.09.
Jamaica’s Kenia Sinclair ran 4:08.06 to win the women’s 1500m with a late kick, while Alfred Kirwa Yego of Kenya won the men’s 800m with a time of 1:46.57 and Gebremeskel Dejen of Ethiopia ran 13:05.22 to win the men’s 5000m over American Bernard Lagat, who ran 13:05.46.
Germany’s Christina Obergfoll threw a meeting record of 64.43m to win the women’s Javelin Throw. The two-times World Championships silver medallist, won the competition ahead of South Africa’s Viljoen Sunette, who posted 60.39m and USA’s Rachel Yurkovich (58.43, SB).
Elsewhere, Stephanie Brown Trafton of the United States, won the women’s Discus Throw with a mark of 62.94m over fellow countrywomen Gia Lewis-Smallwood (59.89m) and Aretha D. Thurmond (59.38m), Funmi Jimoh leaped 6.48m on the windy day to win the women’s Long Jump and Blanka Vlasic beaten in the women’s High Jump, by Sweden’s Emma Green Tregaro.
Gary Smith is one of the leading writers for World-Track.org. He has over 10 years of running experience, as well as eight-years of coaching while covering several events, from the international to college level. Smith, who has covered events for publications such as Caribbean Net News, Cayman Net News, AFP and Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC), is also a frequent contributor of SportingAlert.com and TrackAlerts.com.
