Team USA flexed its competitive muscle a pre-Olympic "Team
Challenge" with France and Germany on Sunday in Munich, posting
three world leaders in relay competition and sweeping several events.Team USA's women's 4x100 and 4x400m relays and the men's 4x400
all ran world-leading times, while the men's 4x400 also had a strong
win. The women's relays both went 1-2 in their races, as the Team USA
"I" team of Angela Williams, Marion Jones, Lauryn Williams and Latasha
Colander executed perfect handoffs to win in 41.67 seconds. USA "II" -
Angela Daigle, Allyson Felix, Stephanie Durst and LaShaunte'a Moore -
was second in 42.65. In the 4x400m, the USA II Team of Moushaumi
Robinson, 400m hurdlers LaShinda Demus and Sheena Johnson and
NCAA runner-up Monique Henderson staged an upset of sorts, their
time of 3:20.88 surpassing the "I" team of NCAA champion DeDee
Trotter, Olympic Trials champion Monique Hennagan, two-time Olympic
relay gold medalist Jearl Miles-Clark and Olympic Trials runner-up
Sanya Richards (3:20.91), as Henderson overtook Richards in the final
meters.
The men's relays also provided USA sweeps. The USA I team of
Olympic Trials 200m champion Shawn Crawford, 100m runner-up Justin
Gatlin, relay pool member Coby Miller and Trials champion and Olympic
gold medalist Maurice Greene turned in an impressive win in 37.92
seconds. USA II (John Capel, Leonard Scott, Darvis Patton, Terrence
Trammell) was second in 38.33. In the 4x400, Team USA I's lineup of
Andrew Rock, Otis Harris, Jeremy Wariner and Darold Williamson ran
3:00.58 to win easily over Team USA II (James Carter, Angelo Taylor,
Bennie Brazell, Bershawn Jackson - 3:04.96).
In individual events, 1-2 finishes were the order of the day for Team
USA. Shawn Crawford led a 1-2 finish in the men's 100 meters with a
wind-aided time of 10.14, with John Capel second at 10.16. NCAA and
Olympic Trials champion Jeremy Wariner ran his sixth sub-45-second
clocking of the year in the men's 400 meters, running 44.91 to win over
fellow Olympian Otis Harris (45.86). Relay pool member Kelly Willie won
the B race in 45.29. Olympic Trials runner-up Charlie Gruber (3:43.89)
and Rob Myers (3:44.02) took the top two spots in the 1,500 meters.
Also winning their men's events were 2003 world indoor and outdoor
gold medalist Dwight Phillips, who leaped 8.20m/26-11 to win the men's
long jump; Olympic Trials runner-up Reese Hoffa in the shot put
(21.17m/69-5.5); Ron Bramlett in the 110m hurdles (13.36); and Phil
McMullen in the three-event competition (discus, 110mhurdles, 200m -
1,752 points).
In women's competition, Jones won the long jump with a mark of 6.82m/
22-4.5 into a 1.6 mps wind, with Team USA's Grace Upshaw second at
6.74/22-1.5. Amy Acuff had her best effort of the year, winning the high
jump with a clearance at 2.00m/6-6.75 - just one centimeter off her
personal best - followed by fellow Olympian Chaunte Howard at 1.93m/
6-4. Suziann Reid (50.79) and Crystal Cox (51.00) went 1-2 in the 400.
Also posting individual wins were Hazel Clark in the 800m (2:02.55) and
Joanna Hayes in the 100m hurdles (12.61)
For a complete meet report and results, visit
www.iaaf.org/OLY04/news/Kind=2/newsId=26537.html