Charles
Austin, 14th year over 2.27m
Jim Dunaway for the IAAF
7 May 2002 - Austin, Texas - Charles Austin opened his 2002 season by winning
the high jump at the Texas Invitational on May 4th. The consistent
34-year-old, who holds the American record at 2.40, cleared 2.27 today and twice
barely missed at 2.31.
Austin's 2.27 makes this the fourteenth year in a row that he has cleared 2.27 or better. He said afterwards that he is still looking to improve his national record this year and plans to compete extensively in the coming months.
Three other internationalists won their events in impressive early season style. Amy Acuff, who recently relocated to Austin, won the women's high jump at 1.91. Michael Blackwood jumped into the thick of the recent Jamaican resurgence in the 400 meters with a PB victory in 44.59, and fellow-Jamaican Suzette Lee was not far off her own PB in winning the women's triple jump at 13.87 into an 0.8/sec wind.
With the National Collegiate Championships four weeks away, university athletes turned in some good marks, too. U. of Texas sprinter/hurdler Raasin McIntosh won the 400m hurdles in 56.24, edging Karlene Haughton's (Canadian, ex-Jamaican) 56.34. Chris Pinnock of Texas A&M hurdled 13.57 to beat Texas' Jermaine Cooper, who ran 13.63; and Amber Robinson of Florida won the women's 200m in 23.20 (all wind-legal.
Finally, the virtually ageless Carol Finsrud, who turned 45 on February 20, won the women's discus with a throw of 50.55m, defeating a field of 20 university students, virtually all of whom are not half her age!
