Gatlin disqualified, protests, then reinstated in 100
http://www.dailycamera.com/bdc/other_sports/article/0,1713,BDC_2416_3882638,00.html
By Associated Press
June 25, 2005
CARSON, Calif. — Marion Jones grabbed her warmup clothes and walked
off the track moments before the start of the 100-meter preliminaries
at the U.S. track and field championships Friday, a stunning exit for
the woman who once dominated the event.
Moments later, Olympic gold medalist Justin Gatlin was disqualified
from the men's 100 for a false start. However, Gatlin protested and
was reinstated into the semifinals on a referee's decision.
It was a strange evening on Day 2 of the four-day meet that will
determine the U.S. team at the world championships in Helsinki on Aug.
6-14.
There was some actual racing, though. Allen Johnson won his fifth U.S.
110-meter hurdle championship in 12.99 seconds, followed by Dominique
Arnold in 13.01 and two-time Olympic silver medalist Terrence Trammell
in 13.02.
They were the three fastest times in the world this year, and all
three hurdlers were thinking sweep at the worlds.
"Get out the brooms for Helsinki," Johnson said.
It was the 10th sub-13-second clocking of Johnson's remarkable career.
"The old man just won't go away," Trammell said. "He's going to run
until he just can't do it anymore."
Jones was considered a long shot to qualify for the worlds, but she
never even gave it a go.
Jones' agent, Charles Wells, said that she had a hip flexor injury and
would not compete in the 200 meters, either. The injury, he said,
occurred two weeks ago during training.
"It was something that was very minor," Wells said. "She worked out
and thought she was ready to go. She got to the track and it started
bothering her, and she decided not to risk it."
Jones, a two-time world champion and 2000 Olympic gold medalist in the
100, has been dogged by doping suspicion for two seasons, even though
she never has tested positive for performance enhancing drugs and has
vehemently denied ever taking them.
Jones was once the charismatic darling of the sport, winner of an
unprecedented five track medals at the Sydney Games. She took 2003 off
to have a baby, and never returned to her old form. Meanwhile, through
associations and accusations by her ex-husband and the founder of the
Bay Area Laboratory Cooperative, doping suspicions grew.
BALCO founder Victor Conte, facing criminal charges, has said Jones
had used steroids, and Jones has filed a defamation lawsuit in
response.
She needed only to have a better time than two of the 20 runners in
the preliminaries at the U.S. championships to advance to today's
semifinals.
Jones, running in the third and final heat, took one warmup run out of
the blocks, then walked up and down her lane before going to pick up
her clothes from a plastic bucket behind her starting blocks. She
walked briskly off the track and left Home Depot Center.
"I looked around and she wasn't there," said Shalonda Solomon, also
running in the heat. "And the officials were like 'Marion's gone.'"
Jones' abrupt departure came hours after her boyfriend, former world
record holder Tim Montgomery, withdrew from the men's 100, ending his
chances of qualifying for Helsinki.
"Considering everything that's going on, he just can't concentrate on
track and field," Wells said.
Gatlin, who had talked at length about his budding rivalry with new
world record holder Asafa Powell of Jamaica, was called for a false
start based on computer readings of the pressure he puts on the
blocks. The field gets one false start, but anyone who has one after
that is eliminated.
After Gatlin's protest, meet referee Ed Gorman ruled that computer
printouts showed movement in the lane next to Gatlin, by Mark Jelks,
which may have caused Gatlin to flinch and register a false start.
As a result of the ruling, there will be three 100-meter semifinal
heats on today.
Montgomery had no start at all.
The father of Jones' child, Montgomery is awaiting word on his appeal
of the lifetime ban proposed by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency.
U.S. Championships At Home Depot Center Carson, Calif. All race
distances in meters Finals MEN
110 hurdles — 1, Allen Johnson, Nike, 12.99. 2, Dominique Arnold,
Nike, 13.01. 3, Terrence Trammell, Mizuno, 13.02. 4, Joel Brown, Nike,
13.28. 5, David Payne, unattached, 13.33. 6, Antwon Hicks, unattached,
13.35. 7, Aries Merritt, Tennessee, 13.39. 8, David Oliver, Ehi,
13.46. 9, Ron Bramlett, Nike, 13.58.
5,000 — 1, Tim Broe, adidas, 13:12.76. 2, Ian Dobson, adidas,
13.15.33. 3, Ryan Hall, Asics, 13:16.03. 4, Jorge Torres, Reebok,
13:25.00. 5, Jonathon Riley, Nike, 13:25.04. 6, Matt Tegenkamp, Nike,
13:25.36. 7, Edward Moran, Nike, 13:27.65. 8, Adam Goucher, Nike,
13:27.65. 9, Matthew Gonzales, unattached, 13:36.85. 10, Chris
Solinsky, unattached, 13:37.55. 11, Stephen Haas, Indiana, 13:48.27.
12, Rod Koborsi, unattached, 13:49.10. 13, Joshua Rohatinsky,
unattached, 13:51.10. 14, Eric Logsdon, Oregon, 13:51.10. 15, Andrew
Carlson, Minnesota, 13:54.03. 16, Kyle King, Zap Fitness, 13:54.48.
17, Neftalem Araia, Stanford, 14:01.25. 18, Ian Connor, Nike,
14:02.90. 19, Tim Nelson, unattached, 14:08.40. 20, Thomas Morgan,
unattached, 14:21.79. Christopher Emme, Stanford, DNF. Bolota Asmerom,
Nike, DNF. Eric Savoth, Nike Farm Team, DNF. Sean Graham, Nike Farm
Team, DNF.
Hammer — 1, James Parker, US Air Force, 243 feet, 3 inches. 2, Jake
Freeman, New York Ath, 238-2. 3, A.G. Kruger, Ashland Elite, 234-6. 4,
Scott Boothby, Club Northwest, 229-2. 5, Luke Woydziak, Big Sur Dist,
227-0. 6, Travis Nutter, Pacific Bay, 224-10. 7, Lucais MacKay,
unattached, 227-5. 8, Adam Kriz, Team XO, 220-9. 9, Isaac Ybarra,
Texas-Pan American, 215-10. 10, Arnaldo Cueto, unattached, 215-10. 11,
Arnaldo Cueto, unattached, 215-5. 12, Nick Owens, North Carolina,
212-10. 13, Nicholas Welihozkiy, Pacific Bay, 212-6. 14, Adam
Hamilton, unattached, 210-1. 15, Jacob Dunkleberger, Throw 1 Deep,
209-6. 16, Michael Pockoski, unattached, 209-3. 17, Adam Midles,
unattached, 208-9. 18, John Newell, Georgia, 207-1. 19, Wil Fleming,
unattached, 202-9. 20, Adam Trainor, unattached, 202-4. 21, Garland
Porter, Tennessee, 199-2. Kyle Herl, Wyoming, foul. Dameion Smith,
Indiana Invaders, foul. Kyle Daley, unattached, foul. Kibwe Johnson,
unattached, foul.
DECATHLON Final Standings — 1, Bryan Clay, Nike, 8,506 points. 2, Paul
Terek, unattached, 7,976. 3, Phil McMullen, unattached, 7,795. 4,
Harris, unattached, 7,769. 5, Moore, unattached, 7,655. 6, Mustafa
Abdur-Rahim, Dartmouth, 7,618. 7, Chris Boyles, unattached, 7,567. 8,
Travis Geopfert, unattached, 7,473. 9, Kip Janvrin, unattached, 7,444.
10, Andrew Levin, unattached, 7,134. 11, Donovan Kilmartin, Texas,
6,736. Ryan Harlan, unattached, DNF. James Cook, unattached, DNF.
WOMEN
Long jump — 1, Grace Upshaw, Nike, 21-113/4. 2, Tianna Madison,
Tennessee, 21-113/4. 3, Brianna Glenn, adidas, 21-11. 4, Akiba
McKinney, unattached, 21-71/2. 5, Rose Richmond, Nike, 21-21/2. 6,
Shameka Marshall, Rutgers, 21-0. 7, April Holliness, Baylor, w-20-11
1/4 (2.2). 8, Starlie Graves, unattached, w-20-10 (2.9). 9, Antonette
Carter, Cal, w-20-93/4 (3.0). 10, Tameisha King, Nike, 20-53/4. 11,
Candice Mills, Kansas St., w-20-5 (4.5). 12, Cynithia DeLoach,
Colorado St., w-20-13/4 (2.2). 13, Jasmine Jackson, unattached,
w-20-11/2 (2.0). 14 (tie), Kim Jones, unattached, w-19-111/2 (3.7),
and Ola Sesay, Ehi, 19-111/2. 16, Francesca Green, Indiana Invaders,
19-71/2. 17, Nolle Graham, Lemans Track Club, 19-41/4. 18, Lela
Nelson, unattached, w-19-31/4. 19, Amy Menlove, BYU, 18-101/2. 20,
Chealsea Taylor, Colorado Fly, 18-101/2. 21, Sarah Matthew, Colorado
Fly, w-18-10 (2.9). Marshevet Hooker, Texas, DNS. Candice Baucham,
UCLA, DNS. Dawn Burrell, unattached, DNS.
Shot Put — 1, Kristin Heaston, Nike, 61-31/2. 2, Michelle Carter,
Texas, 59-11. 3, Elizabeth Wanless, New York Ath, 59-61/4. 4, Jillian
Camarena, unattached, 58-13/4. 5, Rebecca Breisch, Nebraska, 58-01/2.
6, Adriane Blewitt, Ashland Elite, 56-91/4. 7, Aubrey Martin, Western
Illinois, 54-0. 8 (tie), Jessica Pressley, Arizona State, and Chandra
Brewer, unattached, 53-101/4. 10, Amarachi Ukabam, Southern Illinois,
53-81/2. 11, Melinda Lincoln, unattached, 53-5. 12, Kelechukwu
Onwuchekwa, Texas A&M, 51-73/4. 13, Julia Pedersen, Arizona State,
51-61/4. 14, Briann Smith, unattached, 51-11/2. 15, Janae Strickland,
unattached, 50-83/4. 16, Dana Lawson, unattached, 50-51/4. 17, Bree
Fuqua, Oregon, 48-41/2.
ENDS
