CARSON, California, 27 June 2005 — Olympic champions Jeremy Wariner and Justin Gatlin shook off a stumble and a smack in the face on Saturday to win the men’s 400 and 100 meters and make the US team for the August Helsinki world championships.
Wariner ran the year’s fastest 400 meters, 44.20 seconds, after stumbling badly at the start, to lead a US team that is aiming for a world championship sweep.
Gatlin, who a day earlier thought he was out of the race with a false start, won the 100 meters in 10.08 seconds after taking a blow to the face from Maurice Greene, who crashed out 70 meters into the race with a hamstring injury.
Training partner and Olympic 200 meters gold medalist Shawn Crawford took second in 10.17 seconds and Leonard Scott placed third in 10.18 seconds in the race, which was run into a headwind of 2.3 meters per second.
Greene flailed as he went down, hitting Gatlin in the face and breaking his concentration, Gatlin said. Gatlin and Crawford also cruised through the preliminaries of the 200 meters with Gatlin running 20.53 seconds and Crawford 20.77.
Darold Williamson finished behind training partner Wariner in 44.62 seconds in the men’s 400 meters with Andrew Rock taking third in 44.70 seconds.
World junior champion LaShawn Merritt ran 44.73 seconds for fourth but did not make the US team in the event. Only the top three finishers comprise the American squad. Merritt, however, should be on a very fast 4x400 meters relay.The US women were equally impressive. Richards won the women’s 400 meters in the year’s fastest time, 49.28 seconds, the third fastest ever by a US woman. Three American women dipped under 50 seconds for the first time in the same race. Dee Dee Trotter claimed second in 49.88 seconds and Monique Henderson taking third in 49.96 seconds.
Lisa Barber won the 100 meters after a three-year absence from the event. Barber, who trains with Gatlin and Crawford and is coached by Trevor Graham, Marion Jones’ former coach, clocked 11.10 seconds into a headwind.
Olympian Muna Lee was second in 11.28 seconds with Olympic silver medalist Lauryn Williams barely making the US team in 11.29 seconds. Former Olympic champion Stacy Dragila, who has been injured much of the season, won the women’s pole vault in an unimpressive 4.45 meters. It was her seventh consecutive US outdoor title.
