FAYETTEVILLE, Arkansas, 16 February 2004 — Gail Devers captured the 60m dash and 60m hurdles crowns here Saturday at the US Golden Spike Invitational indoor athletics meet, but fellow American Allen Johnson failed in his double bid. Devers, the reigning world indoor 60m hurdles champion, captured the 60m hurdles in 7.87 seconds with Canada’s Perdita Felicien second in 7.94.
Devers, the American record holder in both events, claimed the 60m crown in 7.10 seconds with Debbie Ferguson of Bahamas second in 7.20 and Jamaica’s Veronica Campbell third in 7.23.
At 37, Devers showed solid form six months before the Athens Olympics in the third US indoor meet of the season. She won last week’s hurdles at the Millrose Games in 7.76 seconds and two weeks ago in Boston in 7.85 seconds.
Devers, the 1992 and 1996 Olympic 100m gold medalist, is a seven-time world champion indoors and outdoors.
Johnson, the 1996 Olympic hurdles champion and reigning world indoor 60m hurdles champion, won the 60m hurdles in 7.56 seconds, .04 ahead of Jamaica’s Dwight Thomas.
But his sprint bid ended with a fifth-place showing in 6.67 seconds, well back of winner Darrel Brown from Trinidad, whose 6.59-second run edged American runner-up Mickey Grimes by .02. The meet was the final tuneup for the US Indoor Championships at Boston in two weeks. Efforts there will determine qualifiers for next month’s World Indoor Championships in Budapest.
Ethiopia’s Berhanu Alemu won the men’s 800m in 1:45.85 while compatriot Meskeren Legesse took the women’s title in 2:01.03. Another Ethiopian, Sentayehu Ejigu, won the women’s 3,000m in 8:55.17.
Kenya’s Paul Korir won the mile in 3:53.26, 2.67 seconds ahead of compatriot Laban Rotich, and Kenya’s Boaz Cheboiywo won the 3,000m in 7:38.30 with Ireland’s Alistair Cragg second in 7:38.59. Gernada’s Alleyne Francique won the 400m in 45.90 while Americans captured two field event crowns, Leevan Sands taking the triple jump with a leap of 17.02m and Stacy Dragila capturing the women’s pole vault by clearing 4.71m.
