DES MOINES, United States, July 28, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Allyson Felix’s bid
to qualify for the World Championships fell just short while 400m runner Fred
Kerley and pole vaulter Sam Kendricks lit up the US Athletics Championships
on Saturday.
Felix, 33, racing in her first meeting for more than a year after taking
time off to give birth to her daughter, finished sixth in the 400m final at
Drake Stadium.
Although Felix could still travel to Doha as part of the USA’s 4x400m
relay squad, it will be the first time she has not entered an individual
event at a major championships, ending a sequence of appearances that
stretches all the way back to 2003.
“I just didn’t feel great,” Felix said afterwards.
“I knew that it was a less than ideal situation for me.”
Felix, however, said she was encouraged by her performances in Iowa as she
looks towards the 2020 Olympics.
“I am grateful more than anything,” she said. “It would be crazy for me to
say that I was disappointed. I have my health, I have my family and I
couldn’t ask for anymore than that.”
Asked if she would take a place on the US relay squad for Doha if it was
available, Felix said form and fitness would influence her decision.
“If I feel like I’m in good form to be able to help the team, then yes,”
she said. “If not I’ll be a cheerleader.”
– Norman upset – The upset of the day came in the 400m, where rising star
Michael Norman was beaten for gold by the powerful Kerley.
Norman has lit up athletics in his first professional season this year
with a world leading 43.45sec.
But he was unable to overhaul Kerley down the stretch as the 24-year-old
Texan muscled his way to the line in a personal best of 43.64sec, making him
the seventh fastest 400m runner of all time.
In the women’s 100m hurdles, world record holder Keni Harrison produced a
flawless display to take gold in 12.44 sec, with Nia Ali second in 12.55sec
and Olympic champion Brianna McNeal third in 12.61 sec.
There was another dominant victory in the men’s 400m hurdles where the 22-
year-old Rai Benjamin registered an emphatic win, surging clear of the field
to win by around 10 meters.
Benjamin’s time of 47.21sec was the third fastest time of 2019. He already
owned the second-quickest of the year of 47.16 and only Norway’s Karsten
Warholm has run quicker, with a 47.12.
– Kendricks soars –
The outstanding field event performance of the day came in the men’s pole
vault, where world champion Sam Kendricks soared to a world leading jump of
6.06m, a new American record. Only two men, Ukrainian legend Sergey Bubka and
France’s Renaud Lavillenie, have ever jumped higher.
The popular Kendricks was buried under a pile of his fellow competitors
after clearing the height, which was also a new personal best.
“As I was falling I was thinking ‘They are going to come tackle me’,”
Kendricks said of his fellow competitors. “We’re a pretty tight-knit group
all around the world in the pole vault.”
Elsewhere Saturday, Christian Coleman and Noah Lyles remained on course
for a 200m showdown after sailing through their heats.
Coleman, who romped to an emphatic victory in the 100m final on Friday,
was always in control of his heat, easing up well before the finish to
qualify with a time of 20.70sec.
“My body feels really good right now,” Coleman said.
Lyles, the fastest man in the world this year over 200m with a season-
leading 19.50sec, was similarly unruffled in his heat, sauntering home in
20.65sec.
The 22-year-old from Florida sported a new silver-gray hair colour for his
race, a tribute to a character in Japanese manga series Dragon Ball.
“It was pretty easy,” Lyles said afterwards. “I just wanted to conserve as
much energy as possible. It felt good to finally get out there. I’ve been
here since Monday. I’m ready to run.”