Washington (AFP) – Reigning Olympic champions Masai Russell and Tara Davis-Woodhall won in solid early season fashion at the 115th Drake Relays on Saturday at Des Moines, Iowa. US star Russell won the women’s 100m hurdles in 12.74 with a 1.4 m/sec tailwind, with Bahamian Denisha Cartwright second in 12.93.
“It felt good,” Russell said. “It’s a little windy so I was just glad to make it to the finish line first. I just wanted to stay tight, stay clean and get it over the last five (meters). I’m just getting that groove back so we can bring that momentum into the US championships and the worlds.” The meet’s elite events were an early tuneup for September’s World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.
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American Davis-Woodhall won the women’s long jump by clearing 6.75m to beat compatriot Sydney Willits by .21m. “I feel great,” Davis-Woodhall said. “The wind was the most insane. The wind and me are not friends.” Jamaica’s Zandrion Barnes won the men’s 400 in 45.29 seconds, edging American Khaleb McRae by 0.09 of a second, with Nigerian Chidi Okezie third in 45.46.
Two Americans completed impressive doubles with Saturday triumphs. Vincent Ciattei, fourth at last year’s US Olympic trials to barely miss a Paris berth, won the men’s 1,500 in 3:39.49, edging countryman Damien Dilcher by half a second. Defending champion Ciattei won the US one-mile road title in 3:55 on Tuesday and completed a double he barely missed last year by winning the 1,500 in relaxed style.
“Really great start to the season,” Ciattei said. “It feels good to close a race that strong. I really felt relaxed in the middle. I really tried to focus on staying relaxed at speed. That was my only goal going in. I feel like I executed.”
Also pulling off a Drake double was American Krissy Gear, who won the US one-mile crown Tuesday in 4:24 and took the Drake Relays mile in a meet record. Fifty years to the day after the women’s mile was last contested at Drake before a switch to the 1,500, Gear won the mile in 4:23.69 to beat the 50-year-old mark of 4:40.2 set by Francie Larrieu Smith in 1975.
“It’s nice to come out on top,” Gear said. “You’re just racing. Who cares if it’s 1,500m or a mile? I had a lot of fun.” American De’vion Wilson won the men’s 110 hurdles in 13.46, 0.16 ahead of compatriot Jamal Britt, and said his season goals are to crack 13 seconds and make the worlds team.
“Felt pretty smooth,” Wilson said. “Just focused on staying into the hurdles, being aggressive and it worked out.”
– Kazimierska wins 800 – Poland’s Klaudia Kazimierska, 10th at last year’s Paris Olympics, won the women’s 800 in 2:02.03 with American Mallory Lindaman second in 2:02.75. Zimbabwe’s Ashley Miller edged Tia-Adana Belle of Barbados at the line to capture the women’s 400 hurdles in 56.07 seconds, winning by .02 of a second, with Puerto Rico’s Grace Claxton third in 56.51.
American Chris Robinson won the men’s 400 hurdles in 48.92 seconds, beating compatriot James Smith II by .19 of a second. Nigerian Charles Godfred won the men’s long jump on a leap of 8.13m, with American Cameron Crump second at 8.07. Roger Steen won the men’s shot put on his final attempt with an effort of 21.62m, with fellow American Tripp Piperi second at 21.52.
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