DES MOINES, IA - Christian Cantwell, who seems to thrive on nasty weather, won the Drake Relays Shot Put with a stunning 22.10 meters on a cold, windy, rainy day (29 April) where the temperature hovered at 11-12 degrees C. all day.

Cantwell opened with a put of 21.28m, breaking the meet record of 20.99 set by Reese Hoffa a year ago, when Hoffa ended Cantwell's three year winning streak here. On his second put the Missourian sent the shot on a high arc down the left side of the sector; it landed farther from the circle than all but 11 other men have ever thrown. It is, of course, the longest throw of the year so far.

"The first throw was a nice-and-easy, get-into-the-event type of throw," said the 2005 USATF champion. "I tried to hit it real hard at the end, and basically I missed it off my finger. So when I heard the mark (21.28m), I knew when it went off the fingers well it would go far."

He added, "Breaking the record here was way overdue. I've been within an inch, inch-and-a-half, twice. I woke up this morning thinking I was going to break the record, no matter what. Even if there was a tornado, it was going to happen."

Three others bettered 20 meters: Dan Taylor at 20.25, Sheldon Battle at 20.11, and Jamie Beyer at 20.10. But the rival Cantwell wanted the most - World Indoor champion Hoffa - wasn't here. Hoffa, as the defending Drake champion, was invited back, according to officials, but opted for the warmer climate of Senegal's Dakar IAAF Grand Prix.

"It's good here (at Drake),"said Cantwell. "I wouldn't come back here in these conditions if it weren't. I mean, you don't see Reese Hoffa here. He knew it was going to be cold and rainy, and I didn't run and hide, you know, like this."

Sprinters battle strong winds

The times in the sprints and races weren't especially impressive, but almost all were run into headwinds, which made them look quite a bit better. Jeremy Wariner didn't challenge the meet record of 20.05 set by his manager, Michael Johnson, but he ran 20.67 (w -1.1) and won by more than two metres from Jamaican Ricardo Williams.

In upset, Felix a distant third

The women's 100 was won by Tahesia Harrigan of the University of Alabama. Her time of 11.57 (w -3.7) sounds ordinary, but Track & Field News' adjustment factor brings that down to 11.19. That's good, but what Harrigan will remember a lot longer is the fact that she beat Bahamian "Golden Girl" Debbie Ferguson, second in 11.69, and 200m World champion Allyson Felix, third in 11.75.

Demi Omole of the University of Wisconsin won the men's 100 by more than two metres in 10.37 (w -1.1), but perhaps the best into-the-wind races were run over the hurdles. David Payne won a close 110m Hurdles race from Aubrey Herring, 13.66 to 13.69 (w -2.9), which adjust to 13.46 and 13.49; and Lolo Jones won the women's 100m Hurdles in 12.95 into a 3.2 headwind, which the T&FN table adjusts to 12.73.

Other noteworthy marks were turned in by Mitch Potter, who looked as if he might be running back to his 44.58 form of 2003. Potter won in 45.52, beating Aaron Buzard of the University of Minnesota (Potter's old school), who ran 46.03. Buzard also came back an hour later to post the fastest split in the 4x400, 45.5.

For safety reasons, the vertical jumps were moved out of the new Drake Stadium into an indoor facility next door. 2004 Olympic silver medallist Toby Stevenson won the men's Pole Vault from Jeff Hartwig, both jumping 5.61m. Amy Acuff won the women's High Jump, clearing 1.93 to better the 1.89 of World silver medallist Chaunte Howard. That reversed the results of an exhibition High Jump held three days earlier in downtown Des Moines, when it was Howard who jumped 1.93 to Acuff's 1.84.

The best Triple Jump of the day went almost unnoticed. 2004 U.S. Olympian Kenta Bell took only three jumps, the best one being 16.67 - into a 3.9 m/s headwind. Surely that must be worth 17 metres in still air. Another 2004 U.S. Olympic team member, A. G. Kruger, set a new stadium record with a hammer throw with a 76.08m effort.