U.S. sprinter Tyson Gay on
Saturday won the gold medal of the 100m race in 9,88 seconds at the 10th IAAF
World Cup in Athens, and his fellow Sanya Richards broke the 22-year-old
American 400m record.
Thanks to the the absence of the world record co-holder Asafa Powell, who
chose to run only in the relay, Gay ran very close to his personal best of 9,85.
The world record is 9,77.
The 24-year-old's time of 9.88 into a 1.1 meter per second headwind was
enough to see off European champion Francis Obikwelu and Trinidadian Mark Burns,
who was the Americas's replacement for world record holder Asafa Powell.
Powell almost saw some action in the 4x100 meters relay but his Americas team
mates dropped the baton before it reached him.
The World Cup brings together teams from Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe,
Oceania and the U.S. plus three European nations -- Russia (men and women),
France (men), and Poland (women) who qualified via the European Cup -- plus
hosts Greece.
Another American, LaShawn Merrit, reversed last weekend's result in Stuttgart
when he beat African champion Gary Kikaya in the 400 meters, while Kerron
Clement took advantage of the absence of European champion Pericles Iakovakis -
absent with a hamstring injury -- to win the 400 meters hurdles.
The U.S. completed a sweep of the day's sprint events by taking the short
relay with Gay running the final leg.
However, they still finished the first day -- the halfway point in the
competition -- two points behind Europe who benefited from Ralf Bartel's win in
the shot put and Tomas Janku's victory in the high jump.
Kenyan Alex Kipchircher helped Africa into third place by adding the 1500
meters to a long list of successes in 2006.
He won gold medals at last week's World Athletics final in Stuttgart at 1500,
the African Championships at 800 and 1500 and the Commonwealth Games in the 800
meters.
Saif Saaeed Shaheen, running for Asia, took the 5000 meters.
The women's competition is evenly balanced with Russia and the Americas level
on 65 points, five ahead of Europe.
The Americas had a great day on the track with sprinter Sherone Simpson
running 10.97 in the 100 meters to hold off Torri Edwards, the U.S. replacement
for Marion Jones who had decided she was not fit enough to run in Athens.
Cuban Zulia Calatayud came home ahead of the Kenyan Janeth Jepkosgei in the
800 metres for the second time in a week.
Sanya Richards set a U.S. record in the 400 meters. Her time of 48.70 seconds
broke Valerie Brisco's national record set when she took gold in Los Angeles in
1984.
"I was just overwhelmed. I can't believe it is a national record.I am so
happy," said Richards whose time was the fastest in the world since the 1996
Olympics in Atlanta.
Russia's Yelena Isinbayeva had arguably the most comfortable evening, needing
just one jump to win the women's pole vault at a height of 4.60 meters.
Isinbayeva, however, looked extremely disappointed at not being able to raise
the bar immediately to five meters and failed three times at 4.80 as she
challenged her world record.
Fellow Russian Tatyana Lebedeva edged Greece's Hrysopiyi Devetzi in the
triple jump as both cleared 15 meters.
