BOSTON, 29 February 2004 — Allen Johnson made a cautious debut in defense of his 60m hurdles title, finishing seventh in 7.71 seconds here Friday on the first day of the United States Indoor Athletics Championships.
Johnson did not want to become the first victim of the second false start rule, eliminating runners for a second false start after the first is charged against the entire field. This is the first season that the rule is used here. Johnson finished second in his heat to Larry Wade’s 7.63-second effort. Five of the 16 semifinalists advanced from Johnson’s heat. The fastest qualifying time went to Duane Ross in 7.53.
Johnson seeks his third consecutive US indoor crown in the event and hopes to qualify for defense of his world crown at the World Indoors next week in Budapest.
But his main goals are longer term — the US Olympic trials at Sacramento in July and the Athens Olympics in August.
Saville Fights Back From Olympic Heartbreak
In Melbourne, Jane Saville won the 20 kilometers walk at the Australian Olympic selection trials in Sydney yesterday, four years after a gold medal went begging when she was disqualified near the finish line.
Saville said she would aim to win gold in Athens in August after the heartbreak of missing out in front of her home crowd in Sydney in 2000.
