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Americans dominate global talent in US atletics indoor opener
2008-01-22
Former Olympic hurdles champion Allen Johnson and reigning world shot put champion Reese Hoffa helped a US team win 11 of 16 events Monday in the year's first major US indoor athletics meet. Johnson led from start to finish to capture the 55-meter hurdles in 7.14 seconds while Hoffa, the reigning world indoor and outdoor champion, won the shot put with a heave of 21.06m to beat compatriot Dan Taylor's 19.99m effort. Team USA dominated a World squad 99-66 in dual meet scoring at Fresno State University in the opening event of a US indoor season topped by the Millrose Games on Februay 1 in New York and US championships February 23-24 at Boston. The meet served as the first competitive step for top US athletes on the road to the Beijing Olympics next August. Johnson, the 1996 Olympic 110m hurdles champion who owns four world outdoor hurdles titles and three indoor crowns, waited through a false start and a call back before beating US runner-up Aubrey Herring by .13 of a second. Johnson, who turns 37 on March 1, was ousted in the first round at the 2004 Athens Olympics after clipping a hurdle but remains a Beijing contender. He had not run indoors in three years but wanted extra work in an Olympic season. "I definitely plan to compete every year until I can't anymore," Johnson said. "I'm running basically to get ready for outdoors. If I didn't know how old I was, I wouldn't know how old I was." "The race was OK. I was a little rusty. I'm happy with the way I responded in the middle of the race." Hoffa looks for better marks ahead. "I just didn't go out here and throw as well as I should have. I'll go home and correct the things that I did wrong," he said. Three-time US Olympian Amy Acuff won the women's high jump at 1.95m but failed in three leaps at an American record. "I've been feeling really good in practice but sometimes you get all wild with adrenaline before a meet," Acuff said. "My goal for the season is to be steady and consistent and not jump myself to death." Carmelita Jeter, third in the world at 100m last year, won the women's 55m in 6.84 seconds, .01 ahead of US runner-up Angela Daigle-Bowen. Josh Norman, a local collegian, won the men's 55 in 6.20 with two-time world champion Dwight Phillips, the reigning Olympic long jump champion, third in 6.35. John Moffit, the 2004 Olympic runner-up, won the men's long jump with a leap of 7.69m. Four-time US 800m outdoor champion Khadevis Robinson won the men's 600-yard event in 1:09.97 with two-time Jamaican Olympian Michael blackwood second in 1:10.58 and 2005 World 400m hurdles champion Bershawn Jackson third in 1:10.61. Jamaica's Ysanne Williams won the women's 600-yard title in 1:21.75 with 2005 world outdoor 400m hurdle runner-up Lashinda Demus second in 1:22.11. It was the first race for Demus since giving birth to twins last year.
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