Lagat sets Mt. SAC record in first race as a U.S. Citizen

In his first race as a United States citizen, Bernard Lagat emerged with a meet record Friday night at the Distance Carnival of the Mt. San Antonio College Relays in Walnut, Calif.

Lagat, 30, who officially became an American on March 29, broke his own meet record in the Invitational 5,000 meters with a time of 13 minutes 14.71 seconds, which also put him in the U.S. top ten all-time performances.

Due to Lagat's recent change in citizenship, international track rules require a three-year wait, making him ineligible to represent the U.S. at this year's World Championships. However, Kenya's national athletics federation may grant an early release making him eligible to represent the U.S. in 2006.

Spearmon, Greer win at Mt. SAC Relays

Wallace Spearmon Jr. set a world leader in the 200 meters and Breaux Greer threatened the American men's record in the javelin Sunday at the Mt. SAC Relays in Walnut, Calif.

A sophomore at the University of Arkansas, Spearmon ran a personal best in winning the men's invitational 200 meters in 19.97 seconds, which bettered the UA school record of 20.07, previously held by Tyson Gay. His performance also set a new stadium and meet record replacing the previous standard of 20.02 by Jamaica's Chris Williams.

The American indoor 200m record holder (20.10), Spearmon beat a talented field that included former Tennessee standout Leonard Scott (20.48) and four-time 110m hurdles world-outdoor champion Allen Johnson (20.89). Spearmon's previous best outdoor time was 20.25 from the 2004 Olympic Trials.

After successful shoulder and knee surgery in the off-season, Breaux Greer competed at Mt. SAC as a late entry and won the javelin with a world's best throw this season of 87.65 meters/287 feet, 6 inches, a mark just two inches shy of his American record. Greer said his performance was a surprise to him. "I didn't expect any real consistency today, but it worked out well," he said. "I just wanted to see what I could do at this point after my winter training."

U.S. high jumpers also fared well at Mt. SAC with 2004 Olympian Jamie Nieto winning the men's competition with a clearance of 2.25 meters/7 feet, 4.50 inches, and three-time Olympian Amy Acuff winning the women's HJ on a countback over Chaunte Howard, as both cleared a world-leading 1.93 meters/6 feet, 4 inches.

On the track, Olympian Jonathan Johnson scored an impressive wire-to- wire 1:46.67 win in the men's 800 meters, and Dominique Arnold prevailed in the men's 110m hurdles winning in 13.35 seconds, with Ron Bramlett the runner-up in13.40.

In the women's 400 meters, Lashinda Demus was streaking to an apparent win down the final straight when she was overtaken by Jamaica's Novlene Williams, who captured the race in the final meters in 51.49 seconds. Demus was second in 51.79, with five-time Olympic medalist Marion Jones finishing sixth in 55.03.

Anchored by three-time world outdoor 100m champion and 2000 Olympic gold medalist Maurice Greene, the HSI International team of Allen Johnson, Leonard Scott and Kaaron Conwright won the men's invitational 4x100m relay in 38.73 seconds. In the women's 4x100m, the USA High Performance women's team of Nichole Denby, Angela Daigle, Inger Miller and Allyson Felix had a 1.6-second victory margin with their world-leading time of 43.21.