Jacobs savours revenge and Mueller aims at world record
5 February 1998, New York - In last year's Milrose Games, Regina Jacobs was passed in the last lap and lost to Suzy Hamilton in the mile. She reversed the outcome in the rematch, putting on a mad dash over the last two laps to pull away to victory in 4:31.65 in front of a crowd of nearly 16,000 spectators.
"This is going to be a long-running battle. It won't be settled tonight," said Jacobs. Hamilton tried to stay with her rival but tired badly in the last half lap to finish second in 4:33.63. "Next time I race against her she better watch out, I don't want to be second again," said Hamilton. "This just fuels my fire."
Melissa Mueller, completed the first of two goals when she set an American record for the pole vault at 4.49m, surpassing Stacy Dragila's mark of 4.48m. "I like her (Stacy), but I told her I was nipping at her heels," Mueller said. "I knew I could beat the American record, it's the world record I want.
"I know I can break it, too. It's a matter of time," she added of the world indoor mark of 4.56 set by Emma George in Adelaide last March.
World indoor 60m champion Maurice Greene successfully defended his Millrose Games title here Friday, and he didn't need to come close to his own world record to do it.
Greene won in 6.51sec, well outside the world indoor record of 6.39 set in Madrid on February 3 of last year. Greene, who has added 5 kg of upper body muscle, was also outside the 6.46 he clocked to win the Millrose title at Madison SquareGarden last year. He just edged out Americans Jon Drummond (6.54sec) and Tim Harden (6.56).
"I was kind of slow out of the blocks, but I just maintained," Greene said. "I'm just running my race and not against the clock. I'm not thinking about the clock anymore." Greene said the close finish was a direct result of a slow start. "When you don't execute at the beginning, it gets tight like that," he said.
In the mile, Kenya's William Tanui finished strongly to win his first Millrose Games event in 3:59.24, passing American Richard Boulet at the last turn.
Tanui led at the half-mile mark, but Boulet took over at the three-quarter mark. The Kenyan, however, never let Boulet out of his sights. "I was prepared to go very fast on the last lap," he said. "This is my first race of the year. I thought the pace was OK, a bit slow. I tried to go out in the front but I was worried after I saw the time with two laps to go."
Joetta Clark made a remarkable recovery from a frightening car crash five months ago to be able to race in her 21st Millrose Games in the last 22 years. But her comeback was bittersweet as the six-time meet champion couldn't quite catch up to Meredith Valmon and had to settle for second place in the 800 meters. "For me this race was good because I'm not winded and I don't feel hurt," said Clark.
The 1996 Olympic decathlon champion and world record holder Dan O'Brien finished a respectable third in the 60-meter hurdles in 7.76. Reggie Torian took first in 7.59, a step ahead of Larry Wade. "I held my own against the big guys. I'm not coming out here thinking I'm going to win this thing," said O'Brien. "All I'm doing is preparation for the outdoor season."
In the women's 60 meters, Inger Miller just held off Sevatheda Fynes of the Bahamas in the closest finish of the night. Running in the first match-race in the history of the meet, Miller was timed in 7.194 and Fynes 7.198. Both times were rounded up according to Millrose Games rules, but Miller got the victory. Miller's coach and father, Lennox, a Jamaican Olympian, won Millrose 60 yard titles in 1968 and 1969. He warmly embraced his daughter after she carried on the family tradition. "I'm excited," Miller said. "I'd better be excited. I keep the tradition alive, it's a 30-year tradition."
Johnny Gray, 38, continued his own winning tradition with his third Millrose 800m title. Gray, who clocked 1:48.69, won the same event in 1986 and again in 1992.
