Related News
Semenya flops, Gatlin goes quicker
Source: Agencies |
September 2, 2010, Thursday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
FORMER Olympic 100 meters champion Justin Gatlin continued to improve on his comeback from a doping ban when he ran 10.09 seconds in Roverto, Italy, on Tuesday but Caster Semenya endured an 800m race to forget.
Gatlin, 28, finished second behind Jamaica's Johan Blake, who won in a time of 10.06 despite clutching his hamstring as he crossed the line.
Two false starts upset American Gatlin's rhythm and when they finally ran he tweaked his quad. However, he believes he can run under 10 seconds in his next race in Padua, Italy, tomorrow and is already thinking about next year's world championship.
"I think I can go out there and pose a threat to anyone who steps over the line and I feel I can put on a good show," he said.
"I just need to come and run man. I'm just ready for my next race and I'll keep going after that. I don't give myself a time to aim for. I give myself a victory as a target."
The double 2005 sprint world champion, who tested positive for the male sex hormone testosterone and its precursor in 2006, personal best is 9.85 but he has run an annulled 9.77 and could challenge world and Olympic champion Usain Bolt, whose world record is 9.58, at the 2012 Olympics.
Gatlin has had to pick smaller meetings because he is excluded from top European races.
World 800m champion Semenya will have to improve even more if she is to defend her title next year after finishing ninth in two minutes 07.16 seconds, 6.79 seconds behind winner Elisa Cusma Piccione of Italy.
In her fifth race following an 11-month gender dispute, Semenya clocked a dismal 2 minutes, 7.16 seconds. It is also Semenya's second consecutive loss after she placed third at the Diamond League meet in Brussels on Friday.
She stood third to last after the first lap and never made a move to the front, giving the impression she was just out for a casual jog.
Asked what had happened for such a slow time, she told reporters: "Nothing happened, it's just the game."
Semenya walked over to Cusma Piccione and congratulated the Italian, who had called the South African "a man" when she lost to her at the Berlin world championship.
"It was a nice gesture," Cusma Piccione said.
"I know she hasn't trained much and it's not easy to keep up your form. Maybe she's tired.
"Maybe I used words that were a bit crude, but I wasn't the only one to use those words if you look at what's being said now," the Italian said. "Maybe it was a bit excessive to have said that right away because you can never judge these things. But if she didn't compete for nearly a year maybe there was something to that."
Gatlin, 28, finished second behind Jamaica's Johan Blake, who won in a time of 10.06 despite clutching his hamstring as he crossed the line.
Two false starts upset American Gatlin's rhythm and when they finally ran he tweaked his quad. However, he believes he can run under 10 seconds in his next race in Padua, Italy, tomorrow and is already thinking about next year's world championship.
"I think I can go out there and pose a threat to anyone who steps over the line and I feel I can put on a good show," he said.
"I just need to come and run man. I'm just ready for my next race and I'll keep going after that. I don't give myself a time to aim for. I give myself a victory as a target."
The double 2005 sprint world champion, who tested positive for the male sex hormone testosterone and its precursor in 2006, personal best is 9.85 but he has run an annulled 9.77 and could challenge world and Olympic champion Usain Bolt, whose world record is 9.58, at the 2012 Olympics.
Gatlin has had to pick smaller meetings because he is excluded from top European races.
World 800m champion Semenya will have to improve even more if she is to defend her title next year after finishing ninth in two minutes 07.16 seconds, 6.79 seconds behind winner Elisa Cusma Piccione of Italy.
In her fifth race following an 11-month gender dispute, Semenya clocked a dismal 2 minutes, 7.16 seconds. It is also Semenya's second consecutive loss after she placed third at the Diamond League meet in Brussels on Friday.
She stood third to last after the first lap and never made a move to the front, giving the impression she was just out for a casual jog.
Asked what had happened for such a slow time, she told reporters: "Nothing happened, it's just the game."
Semenya walked over to Cusma Piccione and congratulated the Italian, who had called the South African "a man" when she lost to her at the Berlin world championship.
"It was a nice gesture," Cusma Piccione said.
"I know she hasn't trained much and it's not easy to keep up your form. Maybe she's tired.
"Maybe I used words that were a bit crude, but I wasn't the only one to use those words if you look at what's being said now," the Italian said. "Maybe it was a bit excessive to have said that right away because you can never judge these things. But if she didn't compete for nearly a year maybe there was something to that."
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
