Sport

WORLD CHAMPS FLASHBACK ... Historic 4x400m gold for women

( left - right )Lorraine Fenton and Christopher Williams - file photos

This is the seventh in a series on Jamaican athletes who have reached the finals of events at the IAAF World Championships. Today we look at the 2001 championships held in Edmonton, Canada.

A BAD MISTAKE on the final leg by Jamaica-born American Suzianne Reid paved the way for a historic 4x400m gold medal for Jamaica's women at the 2001 World Championships in Edmonton, Canada.

It was Jamaica's first victory in the women's 4x400m at the world championships.

Reid, a native of Harbour View, was given a seven-metre advantage over Jamaica's Lorraine Fenton on the last leg of the relay. Shortly after the change was made the baton fell from the American's hand and bounced into the infield. Fenton (formerly Graham) immediately sped clear to win gold in a Commonwealth record 3:20.65.

No help needed

Many of those present at the championships felt that Jamaica would have won the gold even if Reid had not thrown away the baton. Fenton was the world number two in the 400m while Reid did not run the individual event for the United States.

The other members of the victorious quartet were Sandie Richards, Catherine Scott and Debbie-Ann Parris. Germany got the silver in 3:21.97 and Russia were third in 3:24.92 with the United States eventually placing fourth in 3:26.88.

Jamaica ended the championships with five medals, a gold, two silver and two bronze.

The relay gold was Fenton's second medal of the championships. Earlier, she had suffered a heart-breaking loss in the 400m final. She lost by two-hundredths of a second, to Senegal's Amy Mbacke Thiam. Fenton led inches from the line but the final dip by Thiam made all the difference. Thiam's time was 49.86, Fenton's 49.88.

Mexico's Ana Guevara pocketed the bronze medal in 49.97.

For the second consecutive championships, Jamaica failed to field a finalist in the women's 100m final. Juliet Campbell, the 2001 World Indoor 200m champion, reached the Edmonton 200m final and placed sixth in 22.99. American Marion Jones was upset in the 100m final but made no mistake in the 200m winning in 22.39 from Debbie Ferguson of the Bahamas (22.52) and fellow American Kelli White (22.56).

Dionne Rose-Henley was her usual consistent self in the women's 100m hurdles reaching her fourth consecutive final. This time Rose-Henley placed sixth in 12.79 seconds. A second Jamaican, Vonette Dixon, was eighth in 13.02. World indoor champion, American Anjanette Kirkland, upset her compatriot Gail Devers to take gold in 12.42. Devers was second in 12.54 lifting her hurdles tally to three gold and two silver medals in ten years. Kazakhstan's Olga Shishigina, 12.58, added bronze to the silver she won in 1995.

In the 400m hurdles, Parris beat Hemmings for the first time in a major final placing fifth in 54.68. Hemmings was seventh in 55.83. Morocco's Nezha Bidouane turned the tables on Cuba's Daimi Pernia to add to the gold she won in 1997.

The winning time was 53.34. Russai's Yuliya Nosova took home silver in 54.27 with Pernia third in 54.51.

Two firsts

There were two 'firsts' for Jamaica in the women's long and triple jumps as Elva Goulbourne and Trecia Smith reached the finals of the two field events. Goulbourne was 10th in the long jump with a leap of 6.62m. Italy's Fiona May won with 7.02m. Russia's Tatyana Kotova, 7.01m, was second and Niurka Montalvo of Spain third with a leap of 6.88m.

Trecia Smith was eighth in the triple jump. Her best jump was 13.92. Russia's Tatyana Lebedeva won with 15.25m from Francoise Mbango (Cameroon) 14.60m and Tereza Marinova of Bilbaria, 14.58m.

The women's sprint relay missed bronze by one-hundredth of a second. Anchor runner Astia Walker was pipped by Odiah Sidibe of France on the line. France clocked 42.39, Jamaica 42.40. Gold went to the United States in 41.71 and Germany second in 42.32.

Star performer for the men was sprinter Chris Williams who pocketed silver in the 200m behind Greek winner Konstantinos Keneris. Kenteris, the 2000 Olympic champion, won in 20.04.

Blanket finish

There was in fact a blanket finish for second and third with Williams just edging out joint bronze medallists, American Shawn Crawford and Kim Collins of St. Kitts. All three were awarded the same time, 20.20.

Greg Haughton, 44.98, won his second bronze medal in the 400m as Bahamian Avard Moncur won in 44.64 from Ingo Schultz (Germany) 44.87.

Haughton later teamed with Brandon Simpson, Chris Williams, and Danny McFarlane to win Jamaica's final medal of the championships, a bronze in the 4x400m. Final results for the 4x400m showed the United States in front in 2:57.54, Bahamas second in 2:58.19 and Jamaica getting bronze in 2:58.39.

Haughton and McFarlane competed in their fifth straight 4x400m final, winning three bronze and a silver

James Beckford was seventh in his third long jump final with a best leap of 8.08m. Cuba's Ivan Pedroso made it four straight gold medals winning with a leap of 8.40m. Savante Springfellow of the United States won silver with 8.24m with Portugal's Carlos Calado, 8.21m, in third.

NOTE: Deon Hemmings is the 1996 400m hurdles champion. Yesterday's article identified her as the 400m champion.