Greene ties World
Record, Johnson breaks American Record at Pontiac Grand Prix Champs
USAT&F
3 March 2001 – Atlanta - Maurice Greene tied his own world record, Lawrence Johnson set an American record, and Stacy Dragila and Terrence Trammell won new cars and the Pontiac Grand Prix Cup at the 2001 Pontiac Grand Prix USA Indoor Track & Field Championships in the Georgia Dome. 12,000 fans attended the two-day meet.
Greene tied his own world record of 6.39 seconds in the semifinals of the GMC Envoy men's 60 metres, dominating the race from start to finish. The performance made good on Greene's intention of setting a world record at the meet. Greene went on to win the final of the 60 in 6.51." In the semifinals, I timed the race just right," Greene said. " In the finals, the last two steps I slowed up on and that is what affected my time. Part of the reason that I came to compete today was for motivation. I am constantly looking for ways to challenge and push myself. Other reasons for my participation today also included supporting USA Track and Field and the other great athletes competing."
Johnson put an added luster to the final event of the meet, setting the American record in the Pontiac Grand Prix men's pole vault with a clearance of 5.96 metres. He then took three unsuccessful attempts at 6.16 m - a clearance that would have given him the world record as well as the Pontiac Grand Prix Cup.
Friday's Visa women's pole vault champion, Stacy Dragila, and 60-metre hurdles winner Terrence Trammell each won a 2001 Pontiac Grand Prix as the top female and male athletes of USA Track & Field's 2001 Indoor Golden Spike Tour, which concluded at the Pontiac Indoor Championships. Dragila won her sixth consecutive U.S. indoor women's pole vault title on Friday, and Trammell won the GMC Envoy men's 60-metre hurdles on Saturday with a time of 7.49 seconds.
20000 Olympic Trials shot put champion Adam Nelson, an Atlanta-born graduate of Lovett High School in Atlanta, won his first U.S. indoor title, throwing a world-leading 21.40 metres in the Xerox men's shot put. He was joined in dishing out hometown thrills by Trammell, who was also born in Atlanta and went to high school at Decatur's Southwest DeKalb HS; and Decatur native Dwight Phillips, who won the men's long jump at 8.12m.
The Pontiac Indoor Championships provided a mix of and first-time and many-time U.S. champions. Among the first-timers, Chryste Gaines surged in the last half of the adidas women's 60 metres to run the fastest time by an American this year - and a personal record -- with her 7.15-second winning effort. It was the first-ever U.S. title for the 30-year-old 1996 Olympic 4x100m relay gold medalist.
Seneca Lassiter won his first indoor title in the SoBe Sports System men's mile, taking control of the race in from Jason Pyrah in the late stages for an easy win in 3:58.67. Collette Liss led from the gun to win the Visa women's mile in 4:35.24.
NCAA steeplechase champion Tim Broe won his first U.S. championship in the men's 3000 with a time of 7:52.22, John McEwen won the men's hammer with a throw of 22.67, and Stephen Moore won the heptathlon with 6078 points.
Amy Acuff, a two-time U.S. outdoor champion, won her first USA indoor title with a jump of 1.92m. Nathan Leeper, fresh off an appearance on "Late Show" with David Letterman, took center stage by winning his first U.S. title in the men's high jump at 2.28m
Twenty-two-year-old Trinity Gray took a huge lead in the first 400 metres and won his first 800 metre title in a U.S.-leading time of 1:47.10, and five-time U.S. indoor 400m champion Jearl Miles-Clark won her first indoor 800m title in a U.S.-leading 2:00.96. 2000 Olympian Coby Miller broke the meet record in the 200 metres with his time of 20.31, with Kevin Little out-leaning Shawn Crawford for second, 20.44 to 20.45. Crawford's lean caused him to fall, which set off a chain reaction that ended with Miller on the track. Crawford was in lane 4, and his fall crossed Little in lane 5 and extended into lane 6, causing Miller's fall. Miller was shortly thereafter taken to the hospital with an as yet-undiagnosed injury to his left ankle and foot.
Anjanette Kirkland won the adidas women's 60-metre hurdles in 7.97 for her first-ever U.S. title, and LaTasha Jenkins accomplished the same feat in the 200 metres, running 23.0 seconds.
Familiar faces appeared in several events. In field event competition, Connie Price-Smith won her seventh U.S. Indoor title, successfully defending her 2000 crown with a throw of 18.35 metres in the Xerox women's shot put. Dawn Ellerbe won her sixth career U.S. indoor title in the women's weight throw at 22.29 metres, Dawn Burrell won her third U.S. long jump indoor title with a jump of 6.68m, and LaMark Carter won his fourth U.S. indoor title in the triple jump at 16.90 metres.
In the 400, James Davis and Suziann Reid successfully defended their U.S. titles. Davis ran 46.16 going away, while Reid passed 2000 Olympic 4x400 relay gold medalist Monique Hennagan in the final straight to win in 52.01.
Michelle Rohl successfully defended her title and broke the meet record in the women's 3000-metre race walk with her time of 12:28.32, and Tim Seaman won his fourth consecutive title in the men's 5000-metre race walk with his time of 19:29.96.
The top two finishers in each event who have met the IAAF standard are eligible to represent the United States at the World Indoor Track & Field Championships March 9-11 in Lisbon, Portugal. The U.S. team will be announced early in the week.
For complete results and Pontiac Grand Prix Cup rankings, visit the USATF Web site: http://www.usatf.org.
