SACRAMENTO, CA - Yesterday saw the fourth and last day of competition at the 2006 National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) outdoor athletics championships.

Move over, Jesse Owens. Xavier Carter (photo) has tied one of your NCAA records.

In the 1935 and 1936 NCAAs, Owens won the 100-yard-dash, the 220- yard dash and 220 Hurdles and the Long Jump.

Yesterday and today, Carter, a tall (1.90m) 21-year-old from Melbourne, Florida and Lousiana State University, ran his way into a spot in the NCAA Pantheon by winning four first-place awards of his own.

In order: yesterday, Friday, Carter ran the second leg for Louisiana State's 4x100m relay team, which won the event by four metres in 38.44.

Today, he won the 100m dash final decisively in 10.09, leaving 2005 winner Walter Dix nearly a metre back in 10.18.

Second fastest time of 2006

Half an hour after that all-out sprint, Carter blew away an all-star field in the 400 metres in the second fastest time in the world so far this year. Running the first 250 metres carefully (fifth or sixth at that point), he changed gears at the top of the turn, chased Ricardo Chambers and David Neville halfway down the stretch, and then turned it on with 50m to go and pulled away to win in 44.53. Chambers was second in 44.71, with David Neville joining the sub-45 club in third with 44.94. Carter finished hurtin', but why not?

"This one was tough," Carter said. "After the hundred, my trainer set up outside of the sign-in tent, and gave me a rub. And when it was time to go, I got my hip number and got into the blocks. The 400's a good race, but it hurts."

The concluding 4x400 relay - the final race of the four-day NCAA programme -- was almost anti-climactic. Carter's teammates had given him a 15-metre lead when he took the baton for the anchor leg, and setting a record, breaking three minutes, or tying Owens' record (he wasn't aware of it) was definitely not on his mind: he cruised around the oval in 45.6, for him virtually a victory lap.

Overall, Carter said, "I feel like I succeeded and reached the goals I set for myself. I feel honoured to be in the same sentence as Jesse Owens."

Putting it in another perspective was Bob Braman, coach of the winning men's team champions, Florida State. Braman, whose two top sprinters, Walter Dix and Ricardo Chambers, were beaten by Carter in the 100 and 400, said, "No offence to my second-place guys, but Xavier looked pretty dominant out there. He's one of the best runners in the world."

Statistician Mirko Jalava points out that - Counting heats and semis as well, Xavier Carter has won 33 straight 400m races since losing to Glenn Sharpe (pb 47.26 in 2001) at Bob Hayes Invitational in Jacksonville 17 March 2001. His streak includes 24 finals and he has won 25 out of 26 career finals and 34 out of 35 counting prelims. Besides Dix, winner of the 200 metres in 20.30, the Florida State men's team had two other outstanding performers: Rafeeq Curry, winner of the Triple Jump at 16.70m, and Garrett Johnson, who added the outdoor Shot Put championship to his indoor title with a release of 20.29m to edge Brian Robison's 20.25. Johnson won't be able to defend his championships in 2007 for an unusual reason - having been awarded a Rhodes Scholarship, he'll be studying at Oxford next year.

Other good performances were posted by 400m hurdlers Micheal Tinsley, winner of the men's in 48.25 and Markita James, who won the women's in 54.47 after putative winner (in 53.84) Melaine Walker was dq'd for a trail leg violation; and Jacquelyn Johnson, winner of the Heptathlon with 5939 points.

And a futures note: the 1-2-3-4 finishers in the women's 800 metres, who ran three rounds in four days - Rebekah Noble, 2:02.07; Heather Dorniden, 2:03.02; Alysia Johnson, 2:03.04; and Geena Gall, 2:04.35 -- are all younger than 20 years, 2 months.