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HSI dominates men's 100 Johnson surprises to earn a Sydney berth
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Lots of buzz Saturday evening at the Olympic trials, after SoCal-based HSI sprinters, coached by John Smith, swept the first three spots in the men's 100-meter dash. It was no surprise that two-time world champion and world record-holder Maurice Greene won the race in 10.01 seconds, slowed by a stiff headwind. (Just for the record, Mo said he could have threatened his world record of 9.79 seconds in the first round, when he ran a very casual 9.93, shutting down after 60 meters.) It was at least a slight surprise that 31-year-old Jon Drummond held on after a sensational start to earn his second Olympic berth. But it was a complete shock that former North Carolina running back/sprinter Curtis Johnson rolled past both Brian Lewis and Drummond in the final 15 meters to finish second. "Curtis is a great athlete -- football, basketball, baseball and track -- but he's been running 10.4 all year and he's been hurt," HSI original Ato Boldon of Trinidad said after the race. "No way you could see this coming." The irony in HSI's sweep is that track nuts (and Smith) had foreseen Greene going to Sydney with at least one training partner (besides Boldon) -- but not Drummond, and certainly not Johnson. Until he injured his right hamstring on June 25 in Portland, former TCU runner and HSI rookie Bryan Howard was flying. The injury didn't heal fully for the trials and Howard was eliminated in the first round. "If Brian had been healthy, HSI would have gone 1 through 4," said Boldon. It has long been Smith's goal to put runners in position to win the Olympic medals that he never won, but this, folks, is ridiculous. The sweep won't help bodacious HSI's image, but that won't bother its members in the least. Plus, there's a benefit to the U.S. team. Three members of the Sydney 4x100-meter relay will be training together every day. You can bet they'll play with the stick on occasion. The fourth-place trials finisher, Brian Lewis, was on the U.S.'s gold-medal-winning four-by-one at the worlds last August.
Sizing up Jacobs-Hamilton showdownIt's nice that Greene and Michael Johnson have quickly built a rivalry from nothing and will finally go head-to-head next Saturday in the 200 meters (after Michael trashes the 400 field Sunday afternoon; his runs have looked laughably easy in both of his heats, and if the Sac-town breezes abate just a little he could run a low 43). It's also nice that Inger Miller (no surprise, another HSI runner) has talked up a rivalry with Marion Jones. But the best rivalry in U.S. track and field is in the women's 1,500 meters, where Regina Jacobs and Suzy Favor Hamilton will race Sunday in the finals. Why is theirs a great rivalry? Several reasons. 1) They're not just good American runners; the 36-year-old Jacobs and the 31-year-old Hamilton are among the best in the world. Regardless of who wins Sunday's race, both should reach the Olympic final. 2) They are different. Jacobs is black, Hamilton white ... and blonde. Jacobs is from California, Hamilton from Wisconsin. Jacobs runs erect and controlled, Hamilton floats with a forward lean. Jacobs has a devastating final sprint, Hamilton a withering sustained finish. In conversation, Jacobs is erudite, Hamilton bubbly. 3) They don't like each other. "We're not going to be having each other over for tea," says Hamilton. It's not personal, it's just the way it is. "They're almost like sprinters," says Jacobs' husband/coach, Tom Craig. "Both are more mature than they've ever been, but their rivalry is even more fierce. It's like you have two alpha wolves sharing the same forest, hunting for the same game. You think they're going to like each other?" Hamilton is the second-fastest and Jacobs the fourth-fastest 1,500-meter runner in U.S. history, and each will take a serious run at Mary Slaney's 17-year-old record before the summer is over. With Olympic berths on the line, 1,500s often turn tactical, and that may happen Sunday. But neither of these women wants to lose to the other. Tim Layden is a Sports Illustrated senior writer who covers track and field for the magazine.
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